02-06-2025
Soccer fans are being unfairly demonised
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SPORTS CODES
I'm a footy and soccer enthusiast. I also have a young family. We went for dinner on Swan St before the A-League Grand Final on Saturday night. From our vantage point, the most dangerous aspect of the pre-match gathering (' Fans set off flares in Richmond ahead of A-League grand final ', 31/5) was the Victorian Police. While brash and noisy, the Victory fans were aware of families and other members of the public. The heavily armed police presence was not only imposing and heavy-handed but created unnecessary tensions. More dangerous still was the police blockade that forced the moving crowd into a small passage along Swan St. This could have turned into a dangerous crowd crush. While many flares were lit, no public property was damaged. Some media outlets have since described these scenes as chaos and civil unrest. I often wonder about the continued demonisation of soccer crowds.
Sam Bentley, Fitzroy
Unnecessary escalation
I have family members who are not particularly soccer followers, but love sport and went to the game Saturday evening. They said the police presence was aggressive, overdone and was more about the police trying to make their stamp, than settle supporters. They weren't at all frightened by the flares, but were by the horses and police presence.
Maureen Gunn, Strathmore
Error of omission
Your correspondent's concern about the behaviour of soccer fans in Richmond (Letters, 2/6) made no mention of the appalling behaviour of football fans on Saturday (' Man punched and kicked during MCG brawl ', 31/5). Is it only soccer fans who are perceived to be capable of such behaviour?
Kurt Elder, Port Melbourne
The original code
In response to your correspondent (' What's in a name ', Letters, 2/6) the official and correct name for the great Australian game is Australian football, not Australian rules. Incidentally, your correspondent says it has less right to be called 'football' but it was codified in 1859, making it the oldest football code, including association football.
Michael Pryor, Alphington
City rules
I concur with your correspondent, but would go one step further, and reference the local code as its original 'Melbourne rules'. During that era of codification, all English codes were referenced by the institution or town where the code started; e.g. Rugby, Eton, Sheffield, and Cambridge, which was the likely basis of the Melbourne rules. Thomas Wills returned from the UK with that cultural baggage. Indeed, The Sydney Morning Herald was publishing the results under the heading of Melbourne rules as late as 1952. Soccer was just a contraction of association football, as rugger was a contraction of Rugby.
Mike Pantzopoulos, Ashburton
A thing of beauty
Some moments transcend the ordinary and stir something deep within us. The aurora borealis, painting the night sky with its ethereal dance of colour, is nature's masterpiece. The electrifying opening riff of Money for Nothing by Dire Straits sends a pulse of energy through the veins. And then there's the sublime movement of the football by Collingwood's players, weaving magic through the midfield, turning Aussie rules into art with every pass and sidestep (' Hollywood Hawks have become a horror show after Collingwood smashing ', 31/5). These are the sights, sounds, and sensations that remind us of the beauty around us.
Darren Grindrod, Glenroy
A penalty too far
The AFL 50-metre penalty too often turns exciting action into a 10-metre kick right in front of goal. I know a penalty is necessary but too often it seems to be given for trivial infringements and has disproportionate consequences. How about 25 or 30 metres instead of 50?
Tony Owen, East Kew
