Go on - PROVE IT.....
This was the mantra being sung from all quarters. From the pundits to the haters and from the GCU board all the way through to its fans. It was used positively and negatively, as a rallying cry and as a slur. Whatever the motive the message was clear, "SHOW AUSTRALIA THAT YOU WANT YOUR TEAM".
Now I admit I am an overly optimistic, glass-half-full guy when it comes to speaking about Gold Coast United, but even I released a low, sad groan when my two-year-old woke me up at 5:30am and I could already hear the downpour. All day I watched the weather slowly flood the coast and as every hour went by I mentally took another 2000 of the crowd figure in my head. My wife and by proxy my son declared it too wet to go out in, and several friends that indicated an interest in going started messaging there apologies.
SCREW the weather! If this is our last stand then I am going to be in that stadium so I can look back and say I did my bit and never gave in.
So it was the most completely amazing shock as I arrived to the supporter's pub of choice and saw it brimming with yellow shirts and jerseys and then piled onto a completely packed bus. As we weaved our way to the ground the stream of cars and umbrellas all slowly moving towards the same place was a sight for sore eyes and the vibe of the masses inside was reverberating of the wet surrounds.
This IS the potential. This IS what is missing. They ARE out there.
With the crowd still filing in I took my spot in the Beach and had the best fun I can remember this year and for 20 minutes it was beautiful. I know it will feel like this again on Boxing Day, but for now the people had voted with their feet, albeit those feet were under water but they were there.
The crowd flocked back to the usually empty Eastern stand that features as empty so prominently on the telecast and the crowds noise and the fans chants were at their peak. Regardless of the eventual cancellation the day was a success.
On my exit I asked the staff what will happen to all the people who got tickets for the game, they said they would be valid for the eventual rematch. I hope they are right, because if this same crowd can come back, preferably in the sun it would be an amazing occasion.
I once said in a previous blog, if United were to draw a good crowd what would you hate then? Apparently the owners five-minute prologue was an unbearable and horrible injustice. SERIOUSLY?
If I just splashed out on a $100,000 dollar party and invited 10,000 people your damn sure I would make you all listen to the birthday speech. Haters gonna hate? Also the idea that these people got in for free seems to be a travesty. Honestly are you really going to deprive a family of some entertainment because they cant afford $70 to go to a regular game? Regardless of the cost, these people came for football, and it shows that if cheaper entry was possible that it's a good bet more would come back.
Just to give you closure on this great washe-out day. It was brilliantly sunny from 5:30am till sundown here on the Monday after the game! So it seems for United when it rains - it pours.
So where do we go from here?
Firstly - the people have spoken and FFA, GCU, Roar and any team in any code in Queensland need to get pressure on the Queensland Government to amend their hiring fees.
Our tax dollars build these stadiums, and then most of our cash from the ticket purchase also goes to the Government. How is this sustainable or logical? The outcome will be state of the art stadiums across South-East Queensland with no teams to hire them.
Secondly - Every team owner, and board, and coach, and fan, needs to put pressure on FFA to fix this rubbish scheduling and get back to what we all love - the home and away cycle. Spread the games out so the fans know there is never longer than two weeks before the next home game. Breed a culture of familiarity and casual fans will become more common rather than what we have now where they become less interested. This above all other measures including advertising is the easiest and cheapest to implement.
The FANS have spoken.
