Poor FFA! Damned if they do and damned if they don’t!
A few days ago it was reported that FFA were looking at initiatives to enhance fan experience at A-League games. The response they received from football fans and football media alike ended up delivering a massive world of pain.
Music at throw-ins and corner kicks! Controlled flares! Words like making A-League games more like cricket’s Big Bash League! If you want to upset football fans, start talking about our game and reference it to cricket and other sports. Wow, that will turn off the attention span immediately.
Personally, while I am an unabashed football traditionalist, the FFA should not have been slammed as viciously as they have over the last few days. They put out a few ideas and they have seen the fans’ reaction immediately.
What it did achieve, and for this the FFA should be applauded, is that it has sparked debate about the game and the A-League in particular.
Those of us fortunate to have travelled to watch football overseas will have experienced a different type of matchday experience than what we get in Australian football and definitely in other Australian sports.
I have been to games at Ibrox, Celtic Park, Juventus Stadium, White Hart Lane, The Emirates, Stamford Bridge and many more. The fans at these stadiums do not get drowned out by the PA system. They have a very simple pre-match routine where the music played from when you walk into stadiums is easy listening, lots of classics, but in many cases all the music is dialled down 10 to 15 minutes before teams run out to kick off.
What then happens, it’s the fans themselves that take over and provide spine-tingling sing-alongs and chants. They even arrange choreographed tifo involving most of the fans inside their stadiums.
In some countries, matchday experience can be out of this world. Flares are simply not tolerated at A-League stadiums. In Australia they are deemed taboo and personally, having seen how some idiots handle them, it is easy to understand why they generate so much concern. Yet in some countries, flares are very much a part of the matchday ritual (see the following photo of match in a Greek fixture).
(Photo by Vladimir Rys/Getty Images)
On the other hand, I have also been to Major League Soccer in the USA. Matchday there is probably closer to what FFA may have been thinking with their suggestions. They have entertainers walking around the pitch during the game. They had cannons blasting whenever goals were scored and amazing laser light shows. Fans loved it!
I found myself watching the sideshows more than the game itself, so for someone like me, it was probably a distraction. One particular game I attended was LA Galaxy at Colorado Rapids with David Beckham playing. So even with a huge drawcard like Beckham, the MLS still felt the need to provide added entertainment.
Still on MLS, it seems as the league there has matured, they are doing less of the razzamatazz that we expect from American sport and have moved to more traditional football tifos. Clubs like Atlanta United, Los Angeles FC and many more have moved to more of a European/South American matchday experience without all the add-ons.
I saw a great tweet (essentially saying the FFA wouldn’t be in this position if everyone who’s complained about the music idea actually attended the A-League) by a friend of mine who is in the business of managing stadiums. Given most stadiums in Australia are multi-purpose, he gets to see first hand a variety of our big sports; rugby union, rugby league, cricket, AFL and, of course, our football.
I feel football needs to be left alone to develop its own culture and matchday experience without necessarily trying gimmicks. Since the A-League kicked off in 2005, fans have suffered at the hands of overzealous stadium security.
Many clubs were blessed to have received great public support from their active fans but almost immediately, these supporter groups were muzzled. Remember the Marinators at Central Coast and the North Terrace at Melbourne Victory? These fans groups had grown out of nothing into loud and tremendous supporters for their respective clubs. They added so much to the atmosphere that they became as big an attraction for watching the A-League as were the teams.
(Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)
Everyone involved in the A-League at club level and head office must find ways to get the fans closer to the players. Kids and families should be a significant target market. Stadiums need to be more receptive to areas where families can sit without being too close to the active fans who can get a touch intimidating for those who are new to the game. Clubs need to make their coaches and players more accessible and cooperative with the media.
For the record, I am involved with the Western Melbourne Group bid for a license to join the expanded A-League. What my partners and I have identified as a key platform for our new club is to build our own small stadium that is exclusively used for football. Build it in a way that football fans will appreciate; close to the action, close to the pitch and players. Build and colour the stadium in our club colours so fans feel a true sense of ownership.
Also, try and alleviate the cost of attending A-League games by having really affordable match day tickets and season tickets. Our food at the new stadium will be primarily supplied by pop up vans who will specialise in authentic food from our diverse cultures and communities. And make it affordable!
In summary, the point is we all want the game to grow. But the fans attending A-League games are as fundamental to success as are the players running around on the pitch.
This article was originally published on LinkedIn as A-League = Big Bash League?
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