“That simply cannot be allowed to happen”. The Western Sydney Wanderers and the paradox of Australian soccer

ABSTRACT

The game of soccer in Australia is a paradox for many reasons. While soccer enjoys an enormous following as one of Australia’s largest amateur participation sports at the junior levels, the professional version of the game struggles for media attention in an otherwise very sports-oriented nation. In addition, while it could be described as pan-ethnic in that it has a popular participation rate across most communities, and while it has strong links to Australia’s British heritage and the origins of the game itself, soccer today is largely viewed as un-Australian, ‘existing on the margins of the Australian Anglophone sporting mainstream’ because of its ‘post-war history of association with ethnic communities of non-English speaking background’.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. Morgan, Roy. ‘Top 20 sports led by walking, swimming and gym training’. RoyMorgan.com. http://www.roymorgan.com/findings/7592-australian-sports-participation-rates-among-children-and-adults-december-2017-201805110755

2. Hallinan, Hughson and Burke, ‘Supporting the “World Game”’, 4.

3. Hallinan and Hughson, ‘The beautiful game in Howard’s “Brutopia”’, 1.

4. Bishop and Jaworski, ‘“We beat ”emʹ.

5. Ibid., 243.

6. Kinkema and Harris, ‘MediaSport Studies’, 46.

7. Hallinan and Hughson, ‘The beautiful game in Howard’s “Brutopia”’, 4.

8. Ibid, 4–6.

9. Bahfen, ‘“Wogball”, or the World Game?’ 17.

10. Palacios-Huerta, ‘Structural changes during a century of the world’s most popular sport.’

11. Danforth, ‘Is the “world game” an “ethnic game” or an “Aussie game”?’ 370.

12. Ibid, 370.

13. Warren, ‘Sheilas, Wogs and Poofters’, xiii.

14. Ibid, xii.

15. Hallinan and Hughson, ‘The beautiful game in Howard’s “Brutopia”’, 4.

16. Jones, ‘When does alcohol sponsorship of sport become sports sponsorship of alcohol?’.

17. Hallinan and Hughson, ‘The beautiful game in Howard’s “Brutopia”’, 1–4.

18. Kinkema and Harris, ‘MediaSport Studies’.

19. Danforth, ‘Is the “world game” an “ethnic game” or an “Aussie game?”’ 375.

20. Warren, ‘Sheilas, Wogs and Poofters’.

21. Ibid., 363.

22. Socceroos.com

23. Phillips, ‘On the Cultural Cringe’.

24. Rugari, ‘“Couldn’t see past geography”’.

25. Pash, ‘The Top 20 Most Valuable Australian Sports Brands’; Warren, ‘Sheilas, Wogs and Poofters’.

26. Danforth, ‘Is the “world game” an “ethnic game” or an “Aussie game?”’

27. Hallinan, Hughson and Burke, ‘Supporting the “World Game”’, 284.

28. Danforth, ‘Is the “world game” an “ethnic game” or an “Aussie game?”’

29. Lock, ‘Fan perspectives of change in the A-League’.

30. Colangelo, ‘FFA to let clubs go by traditional names, use ethnic symbols’.

31. Danforth, ‘Is the “world game” an “ethnic game” or an “Aussie game?”’, 373.

32. Hallinan and Hughson, ‘The Beautiful Game in Howard’s “Brutopia”’, 5.

33. Ibid, 5–6.

34. Ibid, 5.

35. Vamplew, ‘“Wogball”’, 218.

36. Hallinan and Hughson, ‘The Beautiful Game in Howard’s “Brutopia”’, 6.

37. Ultimate A-League, ‘Statistics’.

38. Colangelo, ‘FFA to let clubs go by Traditional Names, use Ethnic Symbols’.

39. Johnson, ‘Soccer Australia Pushes Its Vanilla Vision’, 16.

40. Warren, ‘Sheilas, Wogs and Poofters’, xii.

41. Australian Bureau of Statistics [ABS], ‘National, State and Territory Population’.

42. City of Sydney, ‘The City at a Glance’.

43. FFA.com, ‘Who We Are’.

44. idcommunity, ‘The Centre for Western Sydney’.

45. Hale and Reading, ‘When the Personal Enables the Independent’, 4.

46. Western Sydney Region of Councils, ‘Annual Report, 2019–2020ʹ; idcommunity, ‘The Centre for Western Sydney’; Multicultural NSW, ‘Welcome to the Multicultural NSW Community Profile’.

47. Hunter, ‘Half of Australia’s 12,000 Syrian and Iraqi refugees to be settled by just one Sydney council’.

48. Singhal, ‘The Sydney Schools Where Most Students Speak a Language other than ENGLISH’.

49. Hale, ‘Not scraping the Bottom of the Barrel’, 245.

50. Migration Heritage, ‘Timeline of Australian Football’.

51. FFA.com, ‘National Participation Report, 2018ʹ.

52. FFA.com, ‘Who We Are’.

53. Hallinan and Hughson, ‘The Beautiful Game in Howard’s “Brutopia”’, 5.

54. Collins and Poynting, ‘The other Sydney’; Western Sydney Region of Councils, ‘Annual Report, 2019–2020ʹ; idcommunity, ‘The Centre for Western Sydney’; Multicultural NSW, ‘Welcome to the Multicultural NSW Community Profile’.

55. Danforth, ‘Is the “world game” an “ethnic game” or an “Aussie game?”’, 368–9.

56. Danforth, ‘Is the “world game” an “ethnic game” or an “Aussie game?”’, 378.

57. Western Sydney Wanderers, ‘History’.

58. Sports-Nova, ‘Western Sydney Wanderers’.

59. Western Sydney Wanderers, ‘History’[italics added for emphasis].

60. Western Sydney Wanderers, ‘Community Philosophy’.

61. West Sydney Football, ‘Player Database’.

62. Western Sydney Wanderers, ‘Community Philosophy’.

63. Wanderland.com.au, ‘Welcome to Wanderland’.

64. Foster, ‘Take a bow, Wanderers’; Knijnik, ‘Feeling at Home’; Knijnik, ‘Social Agency and Football Fandom’; Knijnik, J. ‘Imagining a Multicultural Community in an Everyday Football Carnival’.

65. Lane, ‘Police Working through Red and Black Bloc restrictions’.

66. Gatt, ‘Roar coach John Aloisi watches his young team implode’.

67. Foster, ‘Take a Bow, Wanderers’.

68. Knijnik, ‘Feeling at Home’; Knijnik, ‘Social Agency and Football Fandom’; Knijnik, J. ‘Imagining a Multicultural Community in an Everyday Football Carnival’.

69. Ultimate A-League, ‘Statistics’.

70. abc.net, ‘Western Sydney Wanderers win Asian Champions League’.

71. Hinds, ‘A-League star Bruno Fornaroli Deserves Recognition Alongside Country’s best Athletes’.

72. Skinner, Zakus and Edwards, ‘Coming in from the Margins’, 394.

73. Lane, ‘Police Working Through Red and Black Bloc restrictions’.

74. McKern, ‘Wanderers fans, known as the RBB won’t be Attending the rest of the Season’.

75. Knijnik, ‘Imagining a Multicultural Community in an Everyday Football Carnival’.

76. Kane, ‘FFA’s action against the Western Sydney Wanderers Red and Black Bloc is pathetic’.

77. Knijnik, ‘Feeling at Home’; Knijnik, ‘Social Agency and Football Fandom’; Knijnik, ‘Imagining a Multicultural Community in an Everyday Football Carnival’.

78. Smithies, ‘Red and Black Bloc “capo” cops 12 month ban from Olympic Park for “f*** FFA” chant’.

79. AAP-Guardian, ‘Western Sydney Fans Pepper Sprayed by Police’; Knijnik and Newson, ‘“Tribalism”, Identity Fusion and Football Fandom in Australia’, 249.

80. Bossi, ‘Wanderers Lose Biggest Sponsor after RBB Misbehaviour’.

81. Ultimate A-League, ‘Statistics’.

82. Knijnik, ‘Social Agency and Football Fandom’, 954.

83. Knijnik and Newson, ‘“Tribalism”, Identity Fusion and Football Fandom in Australia’, 251.

84. Ibid, 248.

85. Ibid, 249.

86. Ibid, 249.

87. Ibid, 255.

88. Knox, ‘FFA’s High-Risk Play Against the Western Sydney Wanderers’.

89. Ibid, 249.

90. Poulsen, Johnston and Forrest, ‘Is Sydney a Divided City Ethnically?’

91. Hallinan and Hughson, ‘The Beautiful Game in Howard’s “Brutopia”’, 1.

92. Vamplew, ‘“Wogball”: Ethnicity and Violence in Australian Soccer’, 207.

93. Bishop and Jaworski, ‘“We beat ”em’, 267.

94. Knijnik and Newson, ‘“Tribalism”, Identity Fusion and Football Fandom in Australia’, 249.

95. Ibid, 255.

96. Lynch, ‘Western Sydney Wanderers should be crowned A-League enemy’.

97. Kane, ‘FFA’s Action Against the Western Sydney Wanderers Red and Black Bloc is pathetic’.

98. Ultimate A-League, ‘Statistics’.

99. Bossi, ‘Never Say Never, Say Wanderers, but now is too soon for Poppa return’; Lynch, ‘Panic! In the A-League’.

100. Slater, ‘A-League 2020’.

101. Lane, ‘Police Working Through Red and Black Bloc Restrictions’.

102. Lynch, ‘Panic! In the A-League’.

103. Knijnik and Newson, ‘“Tribalism”, Identity Fusion and Football Fandom in Australia’.

104. National Museum of Australia, ‘Johnny Warren Collection’.

105. Warren, ‘Sheilas, Wogs and Poofters’, xvi.

106. Bossi, ‘Five Reasons Why Sydney-Melbourne Showdown will be Memorable’.

107. Ibid.

108. Knijnik and Newson, ‘“Tribalism”, Identity Fusion and Football Fandom in Australia’, 255.

109. Smithies and Rupolo, ‘Markus Babbel continues to take aim at Australian football’.

110. Ibid

111. See, for example: Lynch, ‘Coaches clash as relentless City post club-record sixth win in a row’.