LAST year I suggested the A-League needed more mascots, never realising that anyone might take my suggestion seriously.

Being a family-friendly club, however, the Mariners chose last Sunday's Kids Day to unleash their latest signing, a large furry blue creature called Marvin. While Lawrie McKinna confessed he found the wobbly furball "strangely attractive", I find mascots of all kinds just...strange.

Mascots are a bit like clowns: they're supposed to be fun but more often they're just downright disturbing. Marvin, although blessed with enormous eyes, seems to be somewhat visually impaired and as top heavy as The Elephant Man. He needed a patient female minder to lead him around the throngs of excited kiddies and stop him from toppling over.

Still, I liked his pirate bandanna, although he desperately needs a cutlass which he could use to harass other visiting mascots and away fans. All self-respecting mascots need a touch of Tiatto, now and then.

And judging by the way he was being pawed at Iguana Joe's after the match, Marvin might also need to defend himself from over-excited adults in the season ahead. By this time he'd changed into a Viking helmet, hinting that a whole range of other outfits may be in his wardrobe. Can't wait to see what he wears for Movember (I'm thinking Village People....)

The name "Marvin" may well be appropriate, bringing to mind that famous paranoid android from "The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy". Let's face it, Mariners fans are nothing if not paranoid. Perhaps Marvin could help us chant "everybody hates us, we don't care" or "we should have won but the ref was biased."

Unfortunately, Sunday's game was a match we should have won and the ref had nothing to do with it. I can only hope the Mariners stop giving away points in the next five away rounds, as we are now closer to the bottom of the table points-wise than the top.

Although the result was disappointing, it is great to be part of a club that welcomes families. Thousands of children were admitted free last Sunday, allowing them to see one of England's greatest ever players, as well as one of the most thrilling goals of the season from Matt Simon.

Sadly, the same cannot be said for The Socceroos, whose current ticket-pricing shows nothing but contempt for families and less well-off Australians.

In the past three years, since the Socceroos have become "Australian Superstars", ticket prices have shot through the roof without any apparent justification, putting them out of reach for the average family.

One example is my friend Dave, a single dad who struggles on a limited income. Last Saturday, Dave took his two kids to see the Socceroos for the first time in three years. Although he has played, coached and supported football for 30 years, Dave, like many parents, was unable to afford the $120 per ticket (no concessions for kids) charged in A-Reserve.

By anyone's standards, $500 for a family of four to watch a football match is incredibly expensive. Even taking a family to see the Australian Opera at the Sydney Opera house costs substantially less, yet football is laughingly described as "the people's game".

What is really unacceptable is that the vast majority of the tickets are classified as A-Reserve, thus limiting the access of families to a much smaller number of the poorer seats in the stadium.

With little choice, Dave bought a family ticket for $160 (a substantial sum of money for him) in the back of the supporters bay. Unfortunately, the selfish behaviour of about half a dozen so-called "fans" and the complete inaction of SFS security ruined his kids evening.

Although right up the back, an obnoxious group of Sydney FC supporters refused to sit down and blocked the view of Dave's kids for the entire match. Even standing up, Dave's kids were too little to see over the large adults in front of them. Security refused to do anything to help and clearly couldn't care less, leaving Dave's kids in tears.

If the FFA sells "family tickets" in these areas, what right do they have to deny families get what they paid for : the chance to watch the game ?

These "fans" sneered at Dave, claiming they were "bigger" supporters than him because they could afford to follow the team overseas. Dave can't even afford a Foxtel subscription, still he has been following The Socceroos since before these jerks were born (although apparently that counts for nothing these days.)

The Socceroos have evidently cultivated a new audience since 2006 : young, single, arrogant and middle-class. Families, the mature-aged and less affluent should no longer apply.