dibo
Well-Known Member
In the UK, there's an organisation called the Football Supporters' Federation. It's like a representative association for football supporters all over the country:
Their 'About Us' page gives (funnily enough) a bit of a run-down on what they're all about:
It's natural that as football supporters are the lifeblood of the game and there are millions around the country that at some point someone would have the idea to band together and ensure that their common interests are represented.
What made me think though was that we could do with something similar over here. Thinking about the various A-League supporters' groups and other groups like the GGA and the supporters of lower-league clubs we actually have a large number of people who are actively involved in supporting football as part of a formal or informal group around the country.
Given that in spite of differences between groups the interests of football supporters all over Australia are pretty much the same.
We want the freedom to stand and sing, show visual displays and be free to do our thing without undue hassle from overly enthusiastic (at best) or thoroughly repressive (at worst) security.
We have views on ticketing for both home and away supporters, the setup and ticketing of supporters' areas (who can and can't be there, ticket pricing, reserved seats...).
We have views on what sorts of behaviour are fine and what is problematic and cooperate with security and stadium management, recognising that the vast majority of active football supporters are completely opposed to violence and hooliganism.
Basically, the things that unite us are if not greater than the things that divide us they are at least crucial enough that it might be worth us all banding together to get good outcomes.
Their 'About Us' page gives (funnily enough) a bit of a run-down on what they're all about:
It's natural that as football supporters are the lifeblood of the game and there are millions around the country that at some point someone would have the idea to band together and ensure that their common interests are represented.
What made me think though was that we could do with something similar over here. Thinking about the various A-League supporters' groups and other groups like the GGA and the supporters of lower-league clubs we actually have a large number of people who are actively involved in supporting football as part of a formal or informal group around the country.
Given that in spite of differences between groups the interests of football supporters all over Australia are pretty much the same.
We want the freedom to stand and sing, show visual displays and be free to do our thing without undue hassle from overly enthusiastic (at best) or thoroughly repressive (at worst) security.
We have views on ticketing for both home and away supporters, the setup and ticketing of supporters' areas (who can and can't be there, ticket pricing, reserved seats...).
We have views on what sorts of behaviour are fine and what is problematic and cooperate with security and stadium management, recognising that the vast majority of active football supporters are completely opposed to violence and hooliganism.
Basically, the things that unite us are if not greater than the things that divide us they are at least crucial enough that it might be worth us all banding together to get good outcomes.
