Getting Mobile

Four men hold an influential key to the A-League's future, as Phill Chadwick reports, one man is taking business of supporting a team further than the other three.

Here is an easy question. What do these four gentlemen have in common?

Nick Bianco, Geoff Lord, Anthony LaPaglia and Frank Lowy?

Well, for starters they are all wealthy, successful and passionate about Football.

They all have a very deep commitment to the new Australian Football competition, the A-League. In fact, along with we dedicated fans who have bought memberships and season tickets, they have the deepest of commitments. They have put their money where their hearts lie.

Now that is all very admirable, and one could be excused for thinking that these investments are just rich men's playthings, a bit of play money sunk into a private interest. Perhaps a kind of hobby.

Some blokes buy a boat, knowing that the value of all the fish they could ever catch will be negligible when compared to the costs. But it is their hard-earned, and they can do what they like with it.

Some buy a football club, knowing that it will never make a financial return.

Perhaps some of those four gentlemen, investing early in this new venture may have gambled on a long term return on their money. Maybe in five or ten years their club may float and they may reap a dividend. What is far more likely is that they will just pour more money in, and merely enjoy that warm proprietorial glow whenever they watch their team play.

It is also possible that without men such as these, the A-League may never have taken off. In fact, the existence of both Adelaide United and Perth Glory are the result of the largesse of two very generous individuals, Gordon Pickard and Nick Tana.

Sadly Nick Tana could no longer sustain the losses at Perth, and had to bow out.

Gordon Pickard quietly and honourably passed his baby into the capable hands of Nick Bianco, who has since admirably continued in the Pickard tradition.

And here is something they don't have in common, their commitment to their team's supporters.

One tradition in particular that Bianco has continued is the funding, out of his own pocket, of what are known to insiders as "Get Mobiles".

Australian football suffers in comparison to most foreign football leagues in the small numbers of away team fans that can make it to the games. This is, of course, perfectly understandable given the huge distances involved, and the high cost of interstate travel.

Newcastle, Central Coast and Sydney are exceptions, with the three rival stadiums relatively close by. Even so, there are still very limited numbers of away fans at any of the grounds.

Continued by Nick Bianco, the "Get Mobile" was Gordon Pickard's way of thanking the fans for their home support, and helping to provide some support at an away game.

In a world where hard-nosed economics demands that everything has a price, and that the "user pays", here is a rarity, a free gift, untainted by any restriction, qualification or condition.

Well, that is not quite true. There is one condition. You don't have to be a member of the club. You don't have to be involved with The Gate supporters' group. But you do need to support Adelaide United.

In exchange, Mr Bianco puts his hand in his pocket and pays for bus transport to and from the opposition's stadium. All you have to pay for is a ticket to the game.

In this most tangible way, Bianco expresses his regard for the fans. There could be no clearer message to the supporters of this club that the club's owner values their support.

The result is, with The Gate in a voluntary co-ordination role, one, two or more busses full of red-clad Adelaide fans arriving at A-League matches interstate.

Other clubs may talk of their supporters as "the best in the A-League". They may say that they greatly appreciate the support from their loyal fans.

Talk is cheap.

Shelling out hard-earned cash to back up those sentiments places Nick Bianco ahead of those other owners in a very real sense.

I would love to see Adelaide United's tradition of free travel for its loyal fans spread to the other clubs. More rival fan involvement would only enhance the game day atmosphere at Australia's mono-culture grounds.

How many busses would Nick Bianco pay for before his generosity ran out? I suspect it would be many more than the relatively small number that now make the journey. Wouldn't it be great to test the depth of that generosity?

The Gate have organised ten Get Mobiles. Get on board the next one Adelaide United fans!

But how about you Geoff Lord, Anthony LaPaglia, Frank Lowy? How about also getting on board and dipping into your deep pockets and backing you club's supporters the way Nick Bianco backs his?

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