AFL fans soured by Covid cavaliers

The AFL’s 2020 season has drawn record television viewership but there are concerns fans will be turned off should COVID-19 breaches continue.

Courtney Walsh

3 min read

3:02PMAugust 06, 2020

Essendon players train in the Gold Coast sunshine at Metricon Stadium this week

The AFL’s season like no other is increasingly resembling an ultimate made-for-television reality series given the drama occurring on and off the field.

The clash between Essendon and the Giants on the Gold Coast on Friday night ends the most unusual round in history, without a solitary game played on a Saturday or Sunday.

The fast-tracked phase of 20 straight days of football has fans camped on their couches every night, particularly those locked down in Melbourne, to take in the latest offering.

Even in the unique circumstances, champions including Richmond’s Dustin Martin and West Coast’s Josh Kennedy are flourishing with the season that almost never was now more than halfway completed.

Players and coaches have made a regular point of thanking a fan base stuck inside without an opportunity to attend a single game of the sport they love in 2020.

Richmond player Bachar Houli and his family arrive at Coolangatta to join his teammates in the AFL bubble in Queensland. Picture: Adam Head

Richmond’s Jack Riewoldt, for example, sent a heartfelt message to Victorians after the Tigers triumphed over Brisbane on Tuesday night on the Gold Coast.

Fans have also stuck by their clubs despite the difficulties of the season, with St Kilda the latest club to reach a record membership of more than 47,000, club president Andrew Bassat reported.

“To achieve this milestone at a time when our whole community has faced such hardship is incredibly heartening, and as I have said before, I am so proud to belong to such a passionate and loyal tribe,” he said.

But there is a clear threat to that public support and it has nothing to do with the occasionally scrappy games this year.

According to former stars of the code such as Jonathan Brown and Warren Tredrea, there are stories circulating of diva and divo behaviour in hubs akin to the excesses said to come with silver screen stardom.

AFL umpire Ray Chamberlain walks to a waiting bus after arriving with the Geelong team at Perth Airport last month

Some of the shenanigans reportedly include requests for the AFL to foot the bill for supermarket purchases, while more legitimate concerns involve a lack of babysitting and tutoring options.

The wildest involved the suggestion one party wanted an apartment remodelled for the duration of their stay.

“I think as footballers, you lose perspective very quickly as to how tough life is,” Tredrea told The Today Show.

“You might have dropped from $800,000 to $400,000 — well go and have a look and walk the streets of Melbourne at the moment. Look at the unemployment queues at Centrelink. Good luck and grow up.”

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This is a genuine concern for the competition.

While there is a small element of scepticism in the general public about the difficulties faced by footballers this year, it is indisputable that sacrifices have been made.

Players are earning half their usual wage and several have left loved ones at home during these testing times in order for the season to continue, with Bachar Houli a prime example.

Warren Tredrea has been critical of those breaching protocols. Picture: Channel 9

There is no doubt a winter on the Gold Coast or Noosa is appealing for many, but those based in hubs are also dealing with a drastic curtailing of their freedoms.

But public sympathy and understanding will swiftly erode if COVID-19 breaches continue even if the competition as a whole is drawing record television ratings.

Earlier this season, Richmond president Peggy O’Neal told The Australian she was concerned 2021 might be more difficult for clubs, particularly if fans are locked out of games.

Geelong president and former AFL Commission member Colin Carter added his voice to the threat clubs continue to face given the coronavirus struggle Victoria is enduring.

While staying on the Gold Coast as part of the AFL hub, Nat Fyfe (Fremantle), Jack Darling (West Coast) and Callum Jamieson (West Coast) went surfing with Mick Fanning at Tugun

“I’m in the camp that says that possibly next year might be even tougher than this year,” he said on SEN.

“Our members have been fantastic at supporting us through this year, but it’s a different game to ask them to continue that support if this problem continues.”

Put simply, the competition and clubs cannot afford to lose any fans or disenfranchise members who have been supportive in a trying time, hence the crackdown on those flouting restrictions that have been put in place to ensure the season stays afloat.

The rules are in place for a reason. And there is no room to give away any type of free kick off the field in 2020.