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Will the AFL fan crackdown affect other codes?

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Roar Rookie
17th June, 2019
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Marvel Stadium CEO Michael Green has apologised for the overzealous security staff intimidating and removing AFL fans last weekend at the stadium, according to a report in the Herald Sun.

The presence of behavioural awareness officers pacing up and down the aisles of the stadium spooked a lot of people. The patrons of the stadium felt unsafe.

While I’m all for the admission that security took it too far, the problem I have is how these officers will be used in future fixtures for the remainder of 2019, which includes cricket and A-League football.

I went to my first A-League match at Marvel Stadium when a school-mate of mine was selected in the squad to play for the Melbourne Victory that night.

I watched him jog along the sideline occasionally as he wasn’t in the starting line-up. He didn’t get a run, but I still had a great experience at my first football game considering I used to hate the code. It was a great night.

We sat in the North End, the place where Melbourne’s most vocal supporters chant and sing at the top of their lungs from the pre-match rendition of ‘Stand by Me’ through to the final whistle.

I noticed there were a few men in Melbourne Victory tracksuits facing the crowd, playing a role like those security guards. However, they let the North End just be themselves, allowing them to sing chants laden with expletives.

Could these behavioural awareness officers be the end to these types of supporter groups coming to Marvel Stadium? Because they’re even louder than the AFL fans that have been policed for barracking too loud.

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Police at the A-League

Should A-League supporters anticipate even more security at games this season? (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

Moving onto the second code exhibited in the summertime at Marvel, Big Bash cricket. Marvel is also the home of another one of my teams, the Melbourne Renegades.

I went to the BBL08 Final with the same blokes I went to the football with for the first time.

The Stars had the upper hand midway through their batting innings, but when the boys in red broke through for the first time in the field, I went absolutely nuts. It was only the first wicket and Stars supporters – my mates included – thought it was ridiculous I would celebrate so hard.

Would I be kicked out if the same thing happens this summer? I didn’t swear, I was just animated.

There are, of course, two sides to every story. We saw the officers on TV, but we don’t know the facts around the fan ejections.

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Racism and homophobic language should not and must not have a place in sport, so by all means remove patrons in those cases.

But the animated supporters must be left alone, not be intimidated.

Fans must be allowed to be themselves. It doesn’t matter which sport we are talking about.

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