Confessions of an Internet Forum Addict
The Internet has been man's most powerful research tool for a decade now, and Phill Chadwick
explores it's contribution to a new type of persona developing: the average A-League fan.
I have a guilty secret to confess. I am addicted to A-League Internet Forums.
What is worse, I think I am what the insiders call a "Lurker". I very rarely post any messages, but I
compulsively scour the Forums, eavesdropping on the chatter bouncing back and forth.
Naturally, being an Adelaide United fan, I spend most of my lurking time on The Gate Supporters' Group
forum (standunited.org), but I am quite happy cruising around the other fans forums, listening in.
Now, what, you may ask, is so fascinating? Well, these people are the real, deep, hard core of dedicated
fans and the things they discuss are the things most important to them. That means they are important to the
clubs and the league. They care deeply about their club and the game in general.
One thing that is somewhat surprising is how quickly these groups formed. A new competition, with six
entirely new clubs and two clubs with only very limited history has generated a lot of passion, almost
instantaneously. I think that shows the wisdom of the FFA decision to wipe clean the old ethnic-based clubs
and build a league based on broad community clubs.
Just look at some of the on-line names adopted by the forum members and you can see all sorts of ethnic
references as well as foreign club references. This all shows that we truly have integrated the once separate
ethnic groups behind the new clubs.
A quick tour of some of the forums will reveal some common themes. At any given time, the main issues tend
to be:
How to increase the crowd numbers.
How to improve mainstream media acknowledgement and promotion of the game.
How to improve singing and chanting at the matches.
Re-posting of articles from other media.
Where to buy team merchandise.
These are the positive threads. They are all genuine attempts to improve the competition. There is a lot of
committed brain power working together, informally, for the progress of the game.
On the other hand, you can often see:
Why another club's supporters should be considered as less than human.
Why we hate xyz team/player/coach.
Why AFL/NRL is a crap game and football will inevitably take over.
The shorcomings of the Referee last week.
The bias of the media against our game.
You also see, in this semi-anonymous world, viscious arguments and disagreements, incursions by other team
supporters, massive dummy spits, even flirting.
All in all, the forums are an ideal place to gauge the mood of the real fans and to get a sense of the
passion, despair and hope that surges in waves through a club's supporter base. There are cool, analytical
thinkers, deep students of the game and crazy kids making wild, even stupid suggestions.
It becomes quickly apparent that the clubs also monitor these forums. Several times I have noticed an issue
brought up in a forum being addressed by the relevant club within days.
The energy, passion and affection shown by the forum participants for their team, and the game in general
really bodes well for football in this country.
Here are the sites:
Adelaide United - The Gate - standunited.org
Perth Glory - Glory Boys - gloryboys.net
Melbourne Victory - The Union - melbournevictory.net
Sydney FC - The Cove - sydneyfc-unofficial.com
Central Coast Mariners - Marinators - ccmfc.proboards25.com
Newcastle Jets - The Squadron - newcastlefootball.net
New Zealand Knights - Bloc 5 -knightsfc.proboards52.com
Queensland Roar - Qld Roar Supporters Club - qldroarforums.com
They are worth a visit every now and then if you want to know what the heart and soul of football in this
country are thinking. It is not always polite. It is not always pleasant. It is often obscure and insular, but
it is always worth a look.
Now, if you will excuse me, I have to go and see what The Gate think about Neil Evans' apallingly biased
commentary on Foxtel ...
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