Standing In Grounds A Problem Everywhere

[Stephen Lewis]

Get over it, ugly support lets team down

Article from: Herald Sun

Ron Reed

December 10, 2007 12:00am

MELBOURNE Victory's troubled defense of the A-League premiership all but died at Telstra Dome on Saturday night - but for Australian soccer's reigning premier the disappointment surely didn't start and stop there.

With so much at stake for Victory, and Adelaide United still smarting from the 6-0 humiliation in the grand final, this should have been a blockbuster, pulling at least 30,000.

Instead, it was just 22,466, barely better than the season low of 20,938 for lowly Wellington's long-distance visit only two weeks earlier.

The faithful were rewarded with an an engrossing contest featuring some of Victory's best and most aggressive football of the year, and a last-gasp climax - but only a lucky and inadequate 2-2 draw.

The crowd dynamics made for a strange mood. At times the crimson-clad South Australians, in the new zone for visitors, seemed to be making more noise than the locals, who sounded strangely subdued.

Victory prides itself -- and rightly so -- on its ability to pull big crowds, smashing records last season and occasionally topping 50,000 at the Dome. The AFL struggles to do that. And the colorful spectacle and family-friendly atmosphere have been a huge plus for a sport determined to claim its rightful place in the mainstream.

It is a priceless asset that needs to be protected.

But a problem has developed - one that Victory chief executive Geoff Miles admitted two weeks ago needed to be nipped in the bud - and it was more in-your-face than ever.

Well before kick-off, about 150 young fans gathered on the footbridge and staged a protest about what has become an on-going grudge - the accommodation they are offered inside and, apparently, whether they are allowed to stand up in the upper levels.

They carried banners reading "redneck Telstra Dome", "football for fans not corporates" and "Telstra Dome killing active support since '06".

That was harmless enough.

But the bulk of their performance was offensive and threatening.

They chanted an obscenity linked to someone's name as well as "die, die Collins" - an obvious reference to stadium manager Ian Collins - and "burn down Telstra Dome".

Police in riot gear, armed with guns, batons and capsicum gas, watched unsmilingly from a short distance while thousands of fans walked past on their way to the game, alarm and anxiety on some faces.

To their credit, there was no trouble - they had dispersed by halftime, either to watch the game or boycott it - but it looked and sounded ugly.

Whatever the rights or wrongs of their argument, this is not the image their game or their club needs.

Precisely who they are escapes this column because Victory's support base is split into factions and they seem to enjoy baiting each other.

But according to club sources they regard themselves as the most loyal of the lot. Yet they're in danger of giving everyone a bad name - and for what?

You'd think most fans would welcome the chance to watch their team in a large, modern stadium with plenty of room as distinct from their old home at Olympic Park, with its cramped, old-fashioned facilities. That's why soccer and the rugby codes will soon have a flash new place of their own.

And as for demanding to stand on the upper levels - there's a reason why the stadium bans that. It's dangerous. The higher you are, the steeper the slope, and the more trouble everyone is in if someone loses balance.

Get over it, guys. Your team's got enough problems on the field without its biggest and best asset -- its supporters - causing any more, or dropping off in droves.

reedr@heraldsun.com.au

Does this strike a cord with anyone ??

Sorry probably wrong forum for this post if someone want's to move it please do

Thanks