The more I think about Australian Professional Leagues, the more I compare it to an uncompromising college, educating the masses.
In my youth, seventeen years into existence, I spent my days attending National Soccer League matches, while finishing the HSC.
Similar in age to the current A-League, my life was heavily defined by secondary education, just before reaching adulthood. The leather strap decreased our fixation to swear, while detention supposedly improved one’s homework. Things were strict.
As students, discipline played a huge part in our upbringing. It was the kind that scared you into submission, and left you wanting to walk away, fists clenched.
There are probably a few A-League fans feeling the exact way today. The APL has tarred many supporters with the same sticky brush, punishing both the innocent & guilty together.
At my former institution, our year would be penalised via mass suspensions. If an offender failed to own up to his indiscretions, then his immediate group of friends was also in trouble.
Such incidents, for example, happened when a teacher could smell smoke, yet their investigation yielded no cigarettes or witnesses. The proof was limited.
For multiple offenders, one’s low attendance directly resulted in questionable grades. It was a domino effect. A few disenfranchised students simply changed schools, never to be seen again.
Maybe that’s the short-term plan of the APL? As Alfred Pennyworth said to Batman in The Dark Knight they finally caught the bandits of Burma by burning the entire jungle down.
Yesterday, there was limited life at Melbourne’s Rectangular Stadium, highlighted by rows of barren seats. These cascading clumps of green plastic, silently bore witness to a deserted amphitheatre, while a scatter of patient folk, were forced to sit in the blistering sun.
Has the fallout from the violence in Melbourne hurt the game? (Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)
It was a ghost town for City and Mariners fans. The same situation also happened a day before, when tumbleweeds blew through a hollow Victory and Western United match.
Have Melbourne Victory and Melbourne City fans been hard done by? The atmosphere to both games was nearly non-existent.
In the future, an ideal situation would be as follows: Victory and City supporters band together, increasing their derby patronage. This would prove a suspension can’t deter one’s love of football. Everybody wins.
Sadly it’s not a perfect world. The APL might not trust selected fans, & vice versa. Or at least that’s how it feels; letting a chosen few dominate thousands.
Back in the 1990s, I somehow made it through year twelve, graduated, and to this day, have proudly kept my friends from high school. Three of us still attend football matches today. The sport gives us great memories.
Then there’s the lost colleagues, the associates who quit the establishment, found another code, and vanished like smoke on a windy day.
Hudddo
Roar Rookie
The corruption in the sport was next level.
Megeng
Roar Rookie
You have to ask why fans are taking flares into the game and why they're even allowed to. That doesn't excuse the keeper chucking a flare randomly back into the crowd; that's a fail right up there with an underarm delivery.
Stevo
Roar Rookie
You would think that the APL would have a dedicated website with information, docos and the like. There is no transparency about the way the APL works. You need to trawl through the internet to get to the FA statement on Dec 31, 2020 about the unbundling of the leagues from FA: https://www.footballaustralia.com.au/news/australian-professional-leagues-be-unbundled-football-australia From here there is diddly squat from the APL. They run themselves as a secretive organisation shy of public scrutiny. I think James Johnson needs to step in. The FA holds the whip hand over the APL on a number of fronts. If James is happy with the way the APL is handling itself then I'm lost for words.
Micko
Roar Rookie
I assume they meant as a 100% professional sport.
Megeng
Roar Rookie
The 18yo bit was the result of federal government intervention. Not sure why that was necessary, even then and certainly not now in hindsight. I think we should add this note to the constitution - "politics in Australia is secular with respect to religion AND sport."
Jordan Sports Fan
Roar Rookie
Cricket finishes at 6pm and AAMI park is next door. So you just schedule AL for a 7pm kickoff? I personally am down here for both so Boxing Day test should be something that can be leveraged?
Brendan
Roar Pro
If a potential “marquee” player understood a typical Australian summer, they might reconsider jumping on a Qantas. Based on the heat yesterday, it’s unlikely that Cristiano Ronaldo would want to mess-up the gel in his gorgeous hair.
Brendan
Roar Pro
Correct. Fans will eventually be lured to other codes (or the NPL) if the APL disrespects them. It makes the impending National Second Division most important. Clubs such a South Melbourne would welcome more fans with open arms.
Brendan
Roar Pro
By all means, Euro Snobs use the A-League as a proxy competition (for the sake of an argument). It gives the uninitiated patrons of Australian football bloated authority, especially when they conceive their overseas code is more worthy. Honestly, many Euro Snobs know nothing but a bold headline.
Brendan
Roar Pro
Stevo, you make a valid point about the 2nd Test being played at the MCG. The A-league’s got some decent competition with the cricket. Kudos to stoic football fans though, especially after being marshalled into the sun’s rays. Indeed, it was a bright experience on TV. The possibility of a winter football competition arises again. Townsend appears out of touch, I’m afraid. Notably there’s also a conflict of interest, and each A-league team isn’t equally vouched for under the APL umbrella. The sad news is that Melbourne football fans got doubly shafted. First with the Grand Final, then then blanket ban of active support. It’s a simmering issue. I’d like to have a crystal ball to see if a breakaway competition is floated, similar to the Super League wars.
Roberto Bettega
Roar Rookie
"our game is 18 years old" That's a bit of a cop out. The game of football in Australia is closer to 140 years old than 18 years old.
Ross Crifo
Guest
One must never forget- the market will tell the APL if the aleague is resonating or not. Sorry to say- it's not. What's the next strategy? Sugar hits? Spare me please Townsend & co...
Megeng
Roar Rookie
Struggling... Your point is? Honestly, the APL clearly shouldn't be in charge and that's up to the club's to fix. The fans are telling the clubs just that. Without supporters they're nothing. You can't just suck it up when you're treated like trash whether that's at the football or at high school or anywhere.
Brainstrust
Roar Rookie
The hard line is from the gang of pests that surround the A-league on social media with the Euro purity angle. A lot of them dont even watch the A-league they watch Euro leagues and then feel they have a divine right to govern what happens here. A lot of them are just using the A-league as well as a platform with no real interest in it. These people dont want final series the great irony is if they get rid of the finals these people will say its a super positive. So its not something they believe in or want. but that tAPL made a commercial decision for a huge wad of money is right up their ideological alley.
Stevo
Roar Rookie
Active City supporter end closed. https://www.theage.com.au/sport/soccer/killing-the-sport-fan-anger-as-city-s-active-supporters-barred-20221227-p5c8z6.html
Stevo
Roar Rookie
Let me as least comment on yesterday's game at AAMI as I was there sitting in the stand, in the shade with 4341 people in attendance https://www.ultimatealeague.com/match/?match_id=2583 City active supporter area was closed - fallout from last weekend. Across the road, Australia was- playing South Africa at the MCG. The temperature at 5.30pm was hovering around 36 degC. The TV cameras were pointed towards the stands that were in full sun so you would not have seen where most people were seated. I had expected the game to be cancelled but it went ahead with additional drinks breaks for players. None of this is ideal and each played a part in creating the atmosphere you describe. If game day conditions were not so difficult I reckon about double the crowd would have turned up - that's still not a great number but it would have better. In an interview on SEN, Townsend said "There was consultation with (all) the clubs we wouldn’t go to this decision without that, we certainly had a spirited debate amongst CEO’s and fans in the fan groups we did,”. So whatever consultation process they had with fan groups, whoever they were, we ended up with mass protests across the league. How could it have come to this? Clearly the consultation was cursory and input they didn't want to hear was ignored. He went on to say “The one thing that everyone landed on is that we need to do things differently, our game is 18 years old, and we don’t have the tradition of other codes and we need to start building them somewhere." What he didn't say was that the APL was looking to fill a hole in its revenue. The argument about tradition was more of a smoke screen. How can you trust an organisation that can't be truthful? The GF decision is done, contract signed with the NSW govt. The APL has gone to ground hoping that the issue will blow over - the pitch invasion is dominating conversations. Professional sport is run by suits and revenue is king and fans are an annoyance, like a small stone in your shoe.