With pitches at a premium and clubs turning away players, football’s next major battleground will be ensuring our politicians represent the game’s interests.
Victorian football is in rude health, so much so that the state is literally running out of places to play.
As Ray Gatt wrote in the Australian last month, hundreds of Victorian kids are being turned away by local clubs every year because there are simply not enough football pitches to play on.
It’s a scenario being played out across the country – particularly in major cities, where rising populations are fighting for every inch of green space on offer.
So it was no surprise to see Football Federation Victoria release a strategic plan aimed at upgrading facilities across the state, to ensure there’s adequate playing space for the many thousands of recreational players who want to play football.
The ‘Facilities Strategy’ was the brainchild of former Perth Glory administrator and current FFV chief executive Peter Filopoulos.
And like a lot of things Filopoulos has been involved with over the years, his plan enjoys widespread support.
Including – crucially – at the political level. And that’s something that’s been sadly lacking within our game for far too long.
One of Filopoulos’ most important relationships during his tenure as FFV supremo will be with the state’s Sports Minister, John Eren.
Eren wears plenty of hats – he’s been the Minister for Tourism and Major Events, Minister for Sport and the Minister for Veterans in Daniel Andrews’ government since December 2014 – but most importantly for football fans, he’s a former player himself.
And the Turkish-born Labor politician has made it clear he understands the role football can play in bringing people together – not to mention bring in a few extra votes.
That’s not to imply that Eren’s a football zealot – he’s been involved in a variety of sports throughout his life – but rather it’s a simple acknowledgement of the fact that for once a state houses a politician who doesn’t inherently fear football.
It’s not something we’ve often been able to say, and surely Queensland wouldn’t have gone nearly four years without a Socceroos fixture had the political willpower existed to bring the national team back to the state.
Yet it’s been clear ever since Australia largely squandered the political capital generated by hosting the 2015 Asian Cup, that many of our politicians are not only intimidated by football – or at the very least, ignorant of its potential – but actively dislike it.
Trying to convince the political establishment that the AFC Champions League might be a way to open doors with major trade partners like China is akin to speaking Mandarin in parliament.
But when the cameras are out and there’s a Sherrin involved, suddenly our none-too-bright career pollies are spruiking the benefits of a game no one outside Australia has ever heard of to a baffled international audience.
Yet football fans are also to blame – at least in part – for failing to make the health of the sport the sort of political issue that wins votes.
Fans wanting better treatment for the game could do worse than remind their elected officials of that fact the next time they hit the election trail.
Sadly, the fact that Australia remains one of the most politically apathetic nations on earth means our politicians tend to mostly ignore the will of their constituents.
And it’s left to voices within the game, like Football Federation Australia’s multitasking Head of International Relations Mark Falvo, to speak up on behalf of the code.
The FFA have done reasonably well on that front over the past couple of years, although it remains to be seen what happens once the extraordinary general meeting called for October 2 takes place.
Most fans are sick and tired of all the politics.
But as Football Federation Victoria’s impressive Facilities Strategy demonstrates, getting politicians onside is an important part of the game.
Mike Tuckerman
Expert
I looked it up. (I didn't even know you could get email notifications on comments!)
chris
Guest
A very good point. Are any politicians condemning the sickening crowd violence that is now par for the course in AFL? Lovely footage over the weekend of a helpless man being beaten to a pulp on the streets of Melbourne by AFL fans
Redondo
Roar Rookie
Just out of interest - how did you know I had replied to you?
Mike Tuckerman
Expert
I'm sure the guys will have taken all of this feedback on board. But, to be fair, both Spiro and Geoff Parkes generated a few hundred comments between them yesterday. I know not everyone likes change, but as with everything, the Football tab is simply what we make of it.
Evan Askew
Guest
Look at voting for liberal democrats. Leyonjhelm was the only politician that defended the wanderers active support and A league active supporters in general despite left wing and right wing condemnation.
Redondo
Roar Rookie
One more point - what the redesign should have aimed for was incorporating ads into the comments. Return visitors to an article go straight to the comments.
Redondo
Roar Rookie
Mike - lack of email notifications is not the only difference but omitting them seems the biggest problem. Without notifications readers have to keep checking articles and sorting comments by ‘newest’ to see if anyone has said anything. It’s a conversation killer. It’s taken me almost a day to realise you replied to my comment with a question. And now I feel like the time to answer your question has already passed. I’m only answering now because I’m fascinated by the debacle this redesign has become. It has the potential to become a case study in IT failure and the effect of that failure on a business. I’d love to be listening to the owners/editors as they argue about where all the readers/commenters have gone after they spent $$$ ‘upgrading’ the website. On a site such as this, the articles only seed the conversation. Many are written by amateurs and do little more than raise an issue. The quality and interest of the ensuing comments often far exceeds that of the original article. That applies even to articles written by the pros. It’s the conversation in the comments under articles that keeps people returning to the articles. That’s where the Roar gets its clicks and that’s what drives advertising revenue (I assume). Few people are commenting because it’s laborious trying to track a conversation and all sense that a conversation is happening in real-time has been lost. I’m pretty sure the return of the A-League season won’t cure the problem.
Football is Life
Roar Rookie
To a degree you're right Mike, But it also helps if you can get an influential entity to collaborate with you. I am not sure who the board personnel are for Western Suburbs Leagues Club in Newy are but they have business nouse. Rugby League grassroots in Newy are significantly decresing and continue to do so. The Club has acknowledged this and in order to maintain business, Community engagement etc they have brought Lambton Football club under their annex. With 72 junior teams they are consuming Rugby League fields like a hungry man in a pie shop. It'sa beautiful thing to watch.
Buddy
Roar Rookie
Its messy and looks unstructured. When I logged to the football page this morning, looking for your article from yesterday, it was nowhere to be seen. I clicked on “view all” and still nothing. I noticed the url had “page 2” in the titleso I substituted a 1 for a 2 and lo and behold The article appeared. Can’t say I’m a fan but will persevere.
Stevo
Roar Rookie
You need to get out to our southern states a little more Mid. It's been thus since, well ... Adam was a boy.
Stevo
Roar Rookie
Just something I've found on the FFA website https://www.ffa.com.au/news/ffa-review-national-club-identity-policy
Mike Tuckerman
Expert
Is it just the email notifications that are different? I haven't noticed a whole lot of difference, other than fewer readers commenting. I definitely think the site needed a refresh. I'm sure the numbers will be back up once the A-League season draws nearer.
Kaks
Roar Guru
"It makes you wonder what everyone’s attention has been on?" Gallop's new bonus.
Mister Football
Roar Guru
The opportunity is there for a media organisation to run an anti-AFL line to attract more readers/listerners/viewers such as yourself. In fact, in Mebourne, the Anti-football league (meaning anti VFL) has been in existence for 50 years now. It boasts dozens of members.
Waz
Roar Rookie
My junior club turned away over 300 applicants (again) last year, and for next season we’ve open up a “wait list” only - you’ll only get in if someone drops out. There’s a hundred on that list already. We used to refer them off to surrounding clubs but this year they too were full. The politicians are not listening nor helping. Football Brisbane, Football Queensland and the FFA have done little to nothing that has been effective in helping and yet, this is a crisis that has been in the making for five years. It makes you wonder what everyone’s attention has been on?
reuster75
Roar Rookie
given you can win a senate seat with less than 2% of the primary vote that's not such a bad idea
Midfielder
Roar Guru
As already mentioned we need a united front. Just back from a week in Tassie, coming from NSW I can now appreciate what Football folks go thu in those southern states..... Its like the media feel its part of their role and for the greater good of the nation to support AFL and attack anything that may challenge it. Twas eye opening the degree of the coverage and how the media tried to get an AFL reference into almost everything they reported on.... I am sure if a young child had got a hock caught in their finger while fishing, the story line would have been, daughter of a "Insert Name Club" while taking a break from the AFL got a fish
Midfielder
Roar Guru
+999999999999999999999
Nick Symonds
Guest
If you can have a "Shooters and Fishers Party" you can have a Football Supporters Party, although it might be better to call it the Association Football Party to stop other football factions from taking it over. If other parties can see a preference deal in it for them then they might start giving Asso football a bit more of their attention. But then again as you say, "Most fans are sick and tired of all the politics."
reuster75
Roar Rookie
"One of our issues has always been that we do not present a united front as the sport is divided into quite a few groups that all have different needs and wants". Consider that nail hit right on the head. The AFL has been brilliant at getting money from governments as they have the one national body running the game (with sub-branches in each state that report directly to HQ). So any club wanting government assistance is able to enlist the help of HQ. The FFA need to step-up on behalf of all clubs and lobby the government for money for grassroots and for creating boutiques stadiums located in the heart of communities with good transport links (clubs should adopt the AFL policy and help fund some of the costs themselves and ask their supporter base to help fundraise also).