The Red and Black Bloc has been one of the more controversial organisations in Australian sport. It seems everyone has an opinion on them and active supporters in general, but there is no denying the impact they have had on our game, positive or negative.
I remember when I first attended a Wanderers away game. It was at Etihad Stadium against Melbourne Victory in February 2016. Their passion for the game was almost as entertaining as the football itself, and then came the flares.
Personally, I have no problem with flares if used safely. But they rarely are, and they can be very dangerous. Indeed, I am certain that it was then, in February 2016, when the FFA’s attitude towards the Wanderers – and active support groups in general – changed.
Yes, flares have always been illegal, but I believe there was something much darker spewing from FFA headquarters, and what happened on Friday afternoon with the RBB announcing their closure for the rest of the season was the culmination of years of angst.
The police and security presence at some A-League games since then has been excessive, to say the least. We have had stadium security intervene when a Wellington Phoenix supporter took off their shirt.
We have had children at Sydney FC games being told to sit down by stadium security when they were cheering for their team, as well as numerous other incidents of prevented marches, banners being flagged and choreographies by the fans stopped.
(AAP Image/Paul Miller)
I am not saying police should not intervene when something like this happens. If fans are behaving illegally and threatening to disrupt the game, they should be evicted. But these events are in the minority. I am also not accusing police officers of unnecessary brutality towards A-League fans.
When supporter groups behave properly and enthusiastically, as the Wanderers fans did for the most part prior to that date in February, they are the greatest asset to our league. But now, the FFA are going to destroy them.
This could have been avoided from the start if the FFA had actively communicated with their most important stakeholders, the supporter groups, and tried to understand what they wanted instead of just assuming through focus groups and market research.
We already saw the importance of communication within the A-League in 2015, when the supporter groups threatened a boycott. When all stakeholders could communicate with each other, we got the result we wanted: an appeals process that upholds the most basic legal principle of innocent until proven guilty.
The goals set out in the Whole of Football Plan were because of the FFA’s attempts to communicate with the fans. It asked them what they wanted to see. With regard to expansion, licence hopefuls have, or at least should have, continued to communicate with the fans located where they are going to be based. This is exactly what the Wanderers did before they played their first game.
(AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts)
When everyone communicates with each other, we get the results that we all want. The supporters get behind their club in the way they want to create a vibrant atmosphere that encourages more people to get involved in the A-League. The FFA get the revenue that they are ultimately concerned with.
We have established that the RBB have done wrong in the past – the Graham Arnold banner was clearly not the smartest of decisions by their management, for example, and there have been times when they may have provoked police. They should be rightly punished for their illegal behaviour.
But the FFA have been doing wrong by the fans as well. The RBB have cited in their reason for closure that they have tried to communicate with the FFA and Western Sydney club management but have received no response.
While I acknowledge that someone who has worn a shirt saying ‘FCK FFA’ would be the last person David Gallop would want to meet face to face, the people who wear these shirts are not anti-social people; they are reasonable members of society.
Gallop and the rest of the FFA need to address this significant disconnect between management and the active supporters. The FFA must be aware of the criticism that they have been receiving from the most vocal of supporters.
Why is it that they cannot at least meet with the supporters instead of hiding behind prepared statements on their website?
(Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)
We all have differing opinions on what is best for the A-League and active support, but the FFA have either intentionally or unintentionally alienated themselves from hearing any of these opinions or wants.
The FFA have lost the confidence of the fans but, by talking to these supporter groups, they have a chance to regain it. It is in their best interests to do so, otherwise, the calls for them to resign are just going to grow louder.
Both the FFA and the supporter groups have had their problems. This hypothetical meeting between the two needs to reach a compromise to clearly establish what the fans want the future of active support to look like and understand why and how that conflicts with what the FFA wants.
A boycott, when it has mainstream support and is done correctly, as seen in 2016, can be an incredibly powerful method to challenge power. The FFA has closed itself off for too long, ignoring the critics of their reign rather than acknowledging and addressing them.
Here’s hoping that the RBB can entice the change that the FFA desperately needs to make before it is too late.
Supiga
Guest
Haha another expert on the fence
Cousin Claudio
Roar Guru
Because lighting marine grade flares in public spaces is a criminal offence under Australian Law. And the enemies of football in commercial media make a big issue of it and turn away potential A-League fans.
Cousin Claudio
Roar Guru
Do they take along flares with them or pick fights with Sydney FC fans for the "atmosphere".
Vennegor of Tarsus
Guest
"The RBB won’t be missed, football will move on, just as it did when the North Terrace boycotted Victory and now the actual fans from the group still attend and the idiots don’t." Last Victory match only got 13000 clearly it does have a profound affect on the game, Victory are only averaging 17000 not good !!!!
Vennegor of Tarsus
Guest
"I am not too sure what more the FFA could do" Well that makes sense as you haven't commented on any other football article dating back since "at least" December last year.
Post_hoc
Roar Rookie
I am pretty certain it isn't to cause havoc when people are trying to talk about a sport the enjoy. Because for the most part that is what a number of posters who have no interest in football continually do. I am not too concerned if you don't want to hear it, but the fact of the matter remains, there are those who profess to follow other football codes who's sole interest on being on the football tab is to disrupt and cause havoc. Those are the simple facts
Dean
Guest
A professional sporting organisation can't turn a blind eye to illegal behaviour, that goes for every club and the FFA. The RBB have made a habit of insisting they don't need to police themselves, so if they're not going to be responsible for the group, why bother talking to the leaders of the group? It's like they want the FFA/WSW to do everything they ask but offer nothing in return. The argument that the police should handle the misbehaviour and then on the other hand complaining that security have to ask people to remain seated so they can police it effectively is just creating a rod for your own back. The RBB won't be missed, football will move on, just as it did when the North Terrace boycotted Victory and now the actual fans from the group still attend and the idiots don't. If the RBB were behaving like an adult organisation, they might be treated as one, but at every opportunity they take the chance to show how immature they can be. It's time they all grew up and moved on with their lives, hopefully it includes attending the football and being enthusiastic without have to cover up for people taking things too far.
Wal
Roar Guru
I am not too sure what more the FFA could do, you have only described issues that have been in the last 2 years. This has been ongoing for much longer Like it or not the FFA No.1 priority is fan safety, and a small group endangering others is simply not acceptable. Ask any firefighter about the risks of flares they have a very strict set of instructions for use to ensure safety. The FFA has offered legal smoke canisters and pyrotechnics only a month ago. Meetings were had in 2015 with the FFA making concessions. After last years "final" warning regarding flares by the WSW the RBB showed not contrition. If you want to conduct an open dialogue about fan behaviour and FFA rules. There has to be a middle ground, outside of not compromising fan safety the FFA have moved far further than the RBB to attempt a resolution. But eventually, enough had to be enough. As for the example of kids being asked to sit, at first glance, this might seem excessive but I'll bet it was to keep exits clear, once again a clear mandate for public safety.
McTavish
Roar Rookie
Perhaps the FFA realises what self interested fan groups don't - that the only way the game grows in Australia is to attract casual viewers and turn them into fans. For occasional watchers like myself, the images of the RBB lighting flares and carrying on like pork chops turns me off. It may be a minority, but in public relations perception is reality and the perception is damaging football.
Vennegor of Tarsus
Guest
I really don't see what's all the fuss about flares in the NSL they got used all the time and no one cared. Truth is most people aren't going to the wanderers match because they hate Olympic and Spotless stadium plus their performances have been shocking this season. The promotion of the A league was non existent this season, the fanbassador scheme is just as bad as the "come play" world cup campaign. Time for FIFA to take over from the FFA, football needs competent administrators in this country the sooner Lowy and Friends leave the better off football will be.
Christo the Daddyo
Guest
Exactly. And Nemesis doesn't seem to have understood the point of this website either...
Christo the Daddyo
Guest
The lighting of flares and other anti-social behaviour has been going on for quite some time. What have the leaders of the RBB actually done about weeding these people out? You can't seriously argue they don't know exactly who the main troublemakers are. Deal harshly with a few (i.e. make an example of them) and the others will quickly fall into line. Again, the reality is that if the RBB leadership actually wanted to do this they could have. The fact that they haven't says to me that they don't really see it as a serious problem.
Vennegor of Tarsus
Guest
"A boycott, when it has mainstream support and is done correctly, as seen in 2016, can be an incredibly powerful method to challenge power." Let's hope it can be pulled off again but this time with lasting outcomes not false promises.
Post_hoc
Roar Rookie
Funny I know the opposite, people that do go because of the atmosphere it creates
Post_hoc
Roar Rookie
It seems Grobbelar is protected as well. I made similar comments in the past critical of a young writers thread and got moderated out, funny enough after a complaint this morning by me he i still up. Rules for some not all by the look of it
Nemesis
Guest
Nah. That doesn't work any more. We know you posers don't watch ALeague, because you actually tell us that. And, the data tells us the majority of football fans in Australia do not watch ALeauge. So, if you're trying to suggest that people, who have little interest in football, are glued to their TVs watching Aleague, you're delusional.
Kris
Guest
Yet another ad hominem response when faced with the idea that many people might watch more than one sport.
George K
Roar Pro
It’s great The Roar allows people to criticise others work for nine year without actually putting an opinion forward themselves.
Nemesis
Guest
Yet another ALeague discussion that is inundated with comments from people who do not watch ALeague, have no interest in ALeague and never have a positive word to say about ALeague. Pathetic people, with miserable lives & just want to stop others enjoying life.
Cousin Claudio
Roar Guru
Why avoided? I know people who don't go to Wanderers games or Sydney derbies any more because of the behaviour of the minority in the RBB. This will be a good thing in the long term if they can keeep the troublesome minority of RBB law breakers away from games. Especially with the excitement of moving back to the renovated Parra Stadium next year.