Wednesday night’s blockbuster semi-final at Stadium Australia highlighted just what it means to be an active football fan in Australia.
The long-suffering supporters, who have battled against the odds to bring life and noise to important matches involving the national teams, continue to take the good with the bad, and all credit to their perseverance in what remains a remarkably uphill struggle.
A typical workday Wednesday blossomed into a raucous afternoon at the Aurora Hotel at Central Station as the Matildas Active Support and friends descended to fill the bar with green and gold. By 5.30pm, the bar was almost empty as the fans headed for the train.
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Thanks to the efforts of Transport NSW, the train sat idle for half an hour and the carriages rocked to the beat of the drum. Another good hour later, with bladders close to bursting, the train was pulling in to Olympic Park to an incredible scene.
There stood thousands of football fans, all happy and smiling, a sprinkling of St George amongst the sea of yellow, a proper carnival atmosphere befitting this momentous world cup semi-final.
Catching a final drink at the venue of choice, the Locker Room, right across from the main entrance to Stadium Australia, braving the outrageous queues for the privilege of a schooner of throat-loosening, thirst-quenching beer, a re-run of Saturday’s penalty shootout had the crowd buzzing even more.
Matildas captain Sam Kerr. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
News filtered through of Sam Kerr starting, but Alana Kennedy missing. England fans sang their many football anthems. Football was coming home. It was time now to enter the stadium, nice and early, to get set for the biggest football game here since the men’s Asian Cup final in 2015.
The Matildas Active Support group had mobilised well. With no official active sections at FIFA Women’s World Cup games, the obstructed view seats at the very front of the central bay of northern end of the stadium had been acquired via Football Australia.
These otherwise unsellable tickets, below the eyeline of the advertising hoardings, made their way into the hands of active fans on the premise that they would sing, chant and make noise throughout the game in support of their heroes on the field. What a great arrangement – the active fans at the front of the huge bay, like a conductor to a 15,000 strong choir.
The only source of songs other than ‘Aussie Oi Oi Oi’, the infectious drum beat that carried throughout the stadium, the noise, the colour, the animation, that was what everyone wanted to see, that’s what the cameras focused on, the fevered Australian fans capturing the pride and joy that the whole country felt. Except it wasn’t what everyone wanted.
A half-drunk can of premix bounced off the back of one active supporter’s head. Another was threatened by an unruly patron sitting a few rows back, who waded in looking for a fight.
The passive supporters behind the active fans were either really enjoying this unexpected thrust into active support, or were furious; their one venture out to watch football ‘ruined’ by these people standing and making noise in front of them.
The security guards, traditionally the fun police for any passionate football fan, didn’t know what to do. They knew this was the active section. They knew the fans had every right to be standing up and making noise. But they also knew that there was unrest.
But the songs and the chants kept coming, the drum beat had every fan clapping along, and in the aftermath of Sam Kerr’s unbelievable equalising goal, the noise levels were at their peak. Even when losing and ultimately dead and buried, as some of those miserable souls in the seats behind sulked off before the final whistle to reveal big sections of empty blue seats, the defiant active section kept going.
‘Til It’s done’ is the catchphrase.
Active football support in Australia is a challenge. This was a women’s international game that meant the world to these fans who have travelled the world in support of their national team.
The mood was one of love and joy, the noise, the colour and the jovial spirit was captured on the TV cameras for everyone watching around the world. It was proof that Australia has a football fan culture. There was nothing crass in any of the chants, this was just support meant to pump up the Matildas and the Matildas fans to urge them to victory.
I’ve often heard from fans that they would much rather sit and watch the game than be involved, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. If you’re buying a cheap ticket behind the goals though, where the view and the angle is definitely not conducive to studying the technical aspects of the game, you may want to take it into consideration that you could end up surrounded by vocal and passionate fans.
Well done to Football Australia for making an effort; perhaps seeing all the other countries going to great lengths for their supporters to get them together in the stadium had evoked a reaction.
A big shout out too for the Matildas Active Support committee who have organised a fantastic series of pre-game meet-ups and co-ordinated game day activities on each occasion.
Perhaps one day, we’ll have a section of the stadium filled with green and gold, singing from a hymn sheet as long as your arm, filling the stadium with joy as the players react to their infectious chants. Until then, there’s still a long way to go.
