Quote:
Originally Posted by Jimmy Stang
In Europe, supporters are seen as stakeholders in the club, but in North America, they are simply customers of a company. Buy a ticket, get entertained, but that's where your investment ends. Spruce Meadows, of course, is quite used to the model of "bring your money, watch some horses, go home" and aren't yet accustomed to the culture of soccer, where supporters will support, but also criticize, cuss, boycott, bleed the club's colours, and become deeply emotionally invested. Supporters demand and deserve a say in how things are run, within reason of course, and won't be satisfied to just buy in, clap politely, and observe passively.
It seems that the security company was enforcing the mindset of : buy a ticket, sit down, shut up, and leave quietly when the game is over.
That being said, I don't think that this is a hurdle that can't be overcome with a little bit of dialogue. But that's the whole point - if the club does something dumb, it is better to speak up quickly and loudly so it can be addressed.
|
Jimmy Stang hit the nail on the head. I think this is just about educating security (and fellow supporters) on how support works in Europe vs how it works in North America. In North America, this European model really only applied to soccer, whereas in Europe, the way this support occurs is not just isolated to soccer. It's the same for basketball, hockey, handball, etc. It's more than just showing up, buying a ticket and a beer and going home a few hours later.
Anyways, what I am trying to accomplish here is to get all stakeholders (the club, the supporters and security) into the same room in person, and establish a set of guidelines as to what should be considered acceptable at a game, and what should not be considered acceptable at a game. I would also like standards around what should be considered grounds for a warning, grounds for being asked to leave, and grounds for banning.
For example, I don't want to be told to sit down when I'm in the supporters section. I don't want to have to look over my shoulder before swearing because someone decided to bring their kids in the section rather than hang out in the family section, etc. But I also want to see anyone who uses racism permanently banned from the stadium.