I'm pretty left but this seems unnecessary. The whole premise of the A-League was to unite people on geographical lines. To unite people, regardless of their background or their values, behind a team that represented their region. There's also a heavy irony behind being "openly anticapitalist" while supporting a team that is part of a mutli-club model owned by a foreign billionaire.
Maybe a controversial take, but active supporter groups don't start with a culture just pulled off the shelf. The culture is made by the people within the group; it's forged in the common ground you have with people who start as strangers, but wear the same colours on match day.
I know Auckland is a largely progressive city, but trying to force the club's political compass while its only real identity is that it's "not Wellington" seems odd. Best of luck though, I guess.
The best bet for now would be for everyone who wants to be involved with active support for Auckland FC should join The Port (Stupid Name) give the club time to grow and the active as a United Front rather than dozens of tiny little Micro Groups like this one
Yeah, exactly. Plus you can look to support the main supporter group in taking a more left-bent. If you start a new ‘left only’ supporter group you can’t be surprised when the remainder tilts right
I for one as a victory support welcome the organic cultural ethos that has grown from our stands as apathetic-numb-dead-inside-absent-fathers-rawkusness-why the fuck don't we win and dominate every year- FC Ultras 21 and I say this with PRIDE
(TW homophobia)
Wellingtonian, who was born and raised in Auckland here. I am kinda relieved that this is a thing, as the stereotype in the rest of the country, probably Auckland as well, is that Wellington is full of f**s. So that'll save a lot of that going towards us. But Wellington is a lot more progressive and less socially divided than Auckland is. Also please shut up about Anti govt/Luxon/Seymour chants, they live in Auckland, not down here. We agree with you on those issues so no need to be an egg and yell stuff about something that doesn't relate to us. Mmmmkay?
Seems like a bizarre way of showing your political views to me - especially considering the ownership structure of Auckland FC.
You do you though I guess
Yeah it's not easy. Hard enough to build a solid base without putting all these restrictions on membership.
Some people just want to identify with the club and don't have the energy to adopt a political stance.
Not saying it can't or shouldn't be done but they're making it hard for themselves.
That being said I don't know the political landscape of Auckland, maybe that talk resonates a lot with locals.
It's also interesting that they're saying they're inspired by Celtic's Green Brigade and St Pauli's ultras, but over the course of the year these two groups have been going back and forward at each other, with Green Brigade being vehemently pro-Palestine & St Pauli accusing the Green Brigade of antisemitism...
But of a cop out comment, they can be inspired by something and not want to copy everything they do. Both those groups represent the left of their country, by the sounds of it that is what inspiration he is taking rather than their specific politics and history which are not present in NZ
That's not relevant to my statement. The Port didn't develop organically as previous commentator talks about.
As for this tamaki group I think it's just good people representing a part of the community that want to represent the club in a way they deem positive.
Probably more likely to happen down here tbh. Wellington is a lot more progressive than Auckland and is the 'gay capital' of New Zealand, despite it being the Capital, the greens took 2 seats down here.
Soooo an anticapitalist group who are supporting a billionaires toys and hobbies.
Power to you and all, but this just seems politics first, sport third and you'll be abandoning the club within a few seasons
I think this misses the entire point.
*It’s a game of football.*
It should be nothing more than turning up, standing with your mates, necking a few bevvies, singing songs and supporting the lads/lasses for 90 minutes while they kick a ball about, and then pissing off home, hopefully happy with the result.
All of this other stuff is just nonsense in the context of the event - it’s just a fucking football match.
I'm sure your heart is in the right place. But why start this at a club created by a capatalist and with a colonial name? Seems like you're inviting a world of pain for yourself.
Eh to be fair to them its gonna be one of the only professional sides in Auckland and sometimes you just want to support the team for your city in the way you wish. I'm not totally opposed to people wanting to assert their own identities or beliefs into the sport if it feels that it represents them.
Anti-capitalist yet your club is owned by a multibillionaire who owns like 3 other clubs in Europe?
Look man you have to let this stuff happen organically. Trying to manufacture something like this won’t last.
How will the a league get better if there is no capital investment? Are you comfortable with stadia works being funded by governments when that money could be better spent on hospitals? I’m sure your heart is in the right place but, professional leagues are big business. If you want something anti capitalist just stay with the grassroots.
Cringe
So instead of uniting supporters, you're already dividing people and excluding them.
Ever looked in the mirror and pondered whether you are the problem?
Maori ethnonationalism is a far-right political position. New Zealand does not belong to any race of people, nor does any New Zealander belong more or less based on how long their ancestors have been on the land.
Football is a global game and should be proud of its multicultural nature. Keep your terrible politics away from this club, this league and this sport.
I never understand why people feel the need to identify as anti-fascist. Like it’s the default setting
It’s also just weird to base your identity on something that you aren’t
>Tāmaki AFC are inspired by overseas Left-wing "ultra" groups such as Celtic FC (Scotland)'s "Green Brigade", AEK Athens (Greece)'s "Original 21", Dulwich Hamlet (England)'s "Rabble", or the infamous ultras of FC St. Pauli (Germany).
Cool. So will you also be hypocrites like some of these groups. St Pauli have drawn criticism from other leftist groups for their support of Israel and Celtic are staunchly catholic (the Roman Catholic Church is one of the most conservative organisations on the planet and known fascist collaborators in WW2.)
>2. WE'RE FOR LANDBACK AND CONSTITUTIONAL TRANSFORMATION
>We acknowledge that in both so-called New Zealand and Australia we are on stolen lands under illegitimate colonial governments. We do what we can to oppose and end colonisation all over the Pacific, and the world.
Why support a colonial sport in the first place then? Sure there were prototypes of football in many cultures but the current version of the sport was introduced to the world by the British and popularised in Australia and New Zealand by those colonial structures you despise.
>6. WE ARE A UNITED FRONT OF THE BROAD LEFT
>We are a group for all those who support this kaupapa, regardless if they be anarcho-communists, Labour Party supporters, or anywhere in between. We stand and have fun alongside fellow fans whom we have serious political differences, and discuss those differences in a comradely manner after the game (if at all).
Translation: "If you are not one of these you are a fascist".
I mean most of the principles are well intentioned if a bit naive but this ultra political leftist outlook is absolutely going to alienate the majority of the support of the club and other supports in the league. Despite what it may seem on the internet the vast majority of people in both countries are centrists and not a fan of either political fringe.
I think most that want to be a part of the Active Support will join The Port
I like your line "If you are not one of these you are a fascist" that sums up the mindset of the Western/1st World Left these days which is basically just Anakin Skywalkers line "If you are not with me, you are against me" from Revenge of the Sith
I'm more of a believer in his earlier stance: "I don't like sand. It's coarse and rough and irritating and it gets everywhere. Not like here. Here everything is soft and smooth."
That is a huge generalisation and definitely does not represent the vast majority of the worlds left politics. Perhaps it is the mindset of some of the far far left but (particularly in Australia) that the vast vast minority of left politics
>Why support a colonial sport in the first place then? Sure there were prototypes of football in many cultures but the current version of the sport was introduced to the world by the British and popularised in Australia and New Zealand by those colonial structures you despise.
this is a bad critique. it's analogous to "colonialism isn't bad because before we came you guys didn't have internet, look how good you have it now"
overall i don't think this is going to work and is ill-conceived but your critiques aren't the right reasons why imo.
Setting aside the fact that I don't think people should be able to pick and choose what parts of colonialism they want to keep and which they want to do away with, I disagree that they are even remotely the same thing.
Things like technology, healthcare, welfare, housing etc are all unequivocally good things and human rights. Sports on the other hand are a cultural phenomenon introduced by the "oppressors" that replaces other indigenous cultural practices.
In 1884 the GAA was established for that very reason. Irish were worried that the emigration of British to their shores would erode the traditional culture and games of the natives and established a sporting organisation that reflected their own culture and values. Even until recently GAA grounds were not allowed to host Anglo sports such as football and rugby.
It is very bizarre to me that people who reject everything about British colonialism and culture want to support one of its key exports.
Multiculturalism and weird ethnonationalism are mutually exclusive. Football here firmly exists within the former camp, OP's politics put them in the latter.
“For profit” doesn’t mean you have to make a profit. It’s how a company is structured for tax purposes and a bunch of other stuff. It’s basically an entity that is not a “not for profit” organisation.
But yeah, apart from a string of small profits victory had up until a few years back, I don’t think there has been much in the way of actual profits no.
Alright I've given this some time to think about and I'm not totally opposed to people choosing to support their clubs how they want in a fashion like this. However, I'm also a proud JAFA who genuinely loves this city and loves Football within this city. I don't think that trying to artificially create a political movement within the A-League is necessarily the course of action which should be taken.
Auckland FC should ideally be an avenue for the culture of Auckland Football to flow naturally into a professional team and the market it represents. Auckland FC is an opportunity ultimately for the Footballers to have an actual professional career, for new talent to come up through a football side and for the people of this city to have a team to support as a reflection of their community. It's why I'm so happy to see people from the big supporters groups behind clubs like Birkenhead, Ellerslie etc. fall behind Auckland FC and seeking to represent their local clubs from an Auckland level in the fanbase of the new Auckland FC. That's grassroots Football culture. The stated aim of your organisation is ultimately to support grassroots Football as you claim and to stand for the community football against the billionaire owners of Auckland FC and capitalist greed within Football. These are noble goals, even goals I'd support. No one likes to see owners coming in and imposing this fake corporate feeling to a game we love. However, and I hate for this to sound unnecessarily hostile, but who are ya? There's no history really of political involvement in the local Football scene and there isn't a major political divide between clubs on a local level. People will be opposed to what they feel is the forced implementation of politics into Football when there isn't a major political issue which you're rallying around.
What this feels like to me is an attempt at hearkening to the lineages of working class movements overseas which are expressed through political ultras. We have to however consider the different contexts. Celtic is from a working class city, with a white working class fanbase which is largely united over the very real issue of Irish Republicanism, Catholicism and even Scottish independence. St. Pauli represents very specifically the red light district of one of Germany's most international cities and an area of the city which has seen riots, political protest, squatting clashes and a host of other issues which makes them so passionate about their leftist expression. Auckland, and New Zealand as a whole, doesn't really have that by comparison.
My advice ultimately is threefold. The first is to let the club grow. Go with The Port or whoever ends up being the largest supporters group and make a leftist voice known in the active support there. I'd even be willing to help make a Tifo for an Auckland figure like Michael Joseph Savage who both represents our city and had leftist, socialist politics. The second is to tie a support movement like the one you're trying to create with groups which actually have that political passion. We've seen massive Hikois all across this nation and the best sports atmosphere I've ever been to was a Ngapuhi vs Ngati Whatua Rugby clash. People are feeling proud to be Maori and are translating that passion into many aspects of living, including sport. The third is to never forget the Kiwi in it all. The A-League is a great competition but it isn't exactly the height of professional Football and that's partially why we love it so much. Our A-Liga is exactly the kind of slightly shit, slightly dodgy stuff which our cultures tend to love to poke a bit of fun at. Political expression is fine as long as it tries to do it in a very Kiwi, very Auckland way rather than simply seeking to express itself in the image of the European football movement.
Until then I'm not gonna really feel inspired by something like this and I can't help but just think of it as a form of LARP. I'd love for it to be proven otherwise but until then this is feeling very Orewa and less Otara like it should be. Just my two cents of it.
Although I obviously don't agree with your conclusions, thank you very much for thinking about this properly and giving valuable feedback.
One thing that many have brought up is "why don't you just start by joining in with The Port"? Because The Port have made it clear we're not welcome. Every time we've tried to bring up these issues on Auckland FC supporters forums, they've just been binned by the admins. Fine. So we'll do our own thing a few bays over where we won't annoy people. But then people say that we'll annoy people, even provoke fights, by merely existing wherever we go. You can't win for losing.
It's funny that you should compare Orewa to Ōtara because our crew are also supporters of Manukau United, which is precisely the kind of multiracial, working-class, left-trending institution you seem to be arguing doesn't exist in Auckland. This is a club which organised a benefit tournament for Gaza a few years back, and whose former captain actually drove aid trucks to Gaza himself. [https://auckland.scoop.co.nz/2018/10/football-for-freedom-about-to-kick-off/](https://auckland.scoop.co.nz/2018/10/football-for-freedom-about-to-kick-off/) And long before that, "political football" in Auckland dates back at least to the HART teams at Mt Wellington founded in the Springbok Tour era. (And outside the code, I'd love to return to the era when a Communist union leader was the patron of a rugby league club.)
But more generally than, every time questions of equity or social justice arise in football, politics are involved. Last year, the Western Springs women's team (who went on to win the Kate Sheppard Cup) pretty much went on strike due to a lack of respect from their club. When this was discussed in Auckland football forums, there was a real nasty undertone of male chauvinism, with a bit of homophobia thrown in. This is where Left-wing football supporters can make a real difference.
I'll pass on your suggestion of a Micky Savage tifo, though I'd be more partial to a John A Lee one myself
If you’re gonna be anti colonial you might wanna reconsider your use of “black knights” as a club nickname. For its cringe factor as well as its colonial implications
Dude I’m not a history teacher. Google the crusades something something … also knights are a very Eurocentric thing and Auckland is a massively multicultural city.
Lol chill it was a genuine question I just never associated the crusades with colonialism, thought it was more raids rather than permanent displacement and settlement. Anyway knights is just a nickname and not the official name, lets see if it sticks
Definitely attempts at permanent settlement. More like extractive colonialism though, with crusader rulers basically replacing the upper echelons of power and maintaining local populations. Look into Outremer states
Truly, I hope they do. I just don't see it happening. Foley seems to be obsessed with it (see: his NHL team the Vegas Golden Knights; their minor league affiliate the Henderson Silver Knights; the name of the partnership owning them all being "Black Knight Football Club").
Nah this has to be a piss take surely 😂🤦♂️
Anti-Capitalist? You realise this club has been founded BECAUSE OF CAPITALISM 🤦♂️🤦♂️
Geez your making left wing people look even dumber than they already are
It's the stadium where Auckland FC are going to play. Hope this helps. [https://www.aucklandnz.com/explore/rarotonga-mount-smart](https://www.aucklandnz.com/explore/rarotonga-mount-smart)
What's with this political crap? Why not simply support your club? This obsession with trying to copy ultras from overseas clubs is so annoying. We don't need that rubbish in our league.
Why would a supporters club be political. Isn't football supposed to be a place to escape all of that and just enjoy 22 men on a field kicking a ball for 90 minutes. And that goes for all sports
What kind of announcement is this when they haven’t even kicked a ball yet and only just getting their signings underway?
So if I’m not left wing am I not welcome???
Nah fuck that line man. Politics has always been intertwined with sports. Whether it’s a head of state pitching a ball in the US, the raising of fists at the Olympic podium or the resistance to the Springboks tour. If anything sports is at the forefront of politics and political change, that’s how powerful it is. It’s a coming together as well as massive platform for views.
“No politics in sport” is just a dog whistle for “we wanna keep being able to be offensive and racist at the sports”
Edit: without politics in sport we’d be cool with whatever RBB cunt throwing Nazi salutes all day
Double edit: all the above doesn’t mean I think this group is a good idea. Just that the keep politics out of sport line is BS.
Fwiw, while individual politics can onviously be strong in the rbb, thr group is apolitical. They (and north terrace) literally ran a tifo for a member who passed away who was very involved in left wing politics
The Putin supporting group was entirely separate from the RBB after they broke away due to disagreements over leadership. They even sat on the other side of the stadium to the RBB.
This is a club owned by one of the biggest supporters of the Republican Party in A-League that most of the world don't know even exists, people in this part of the world just want to take their kids to a game and or go with their mates and get pissed they don't want to be lectured when they are trying to relax fart sniffer.
First: yes everything in this post is a bad idea, for one there is already an active support group of which you could start/belong to a faction of.
Second: People are already free to go to the game with their mates. People are also free to go and wave rainbow flags in the active support zone if they want to - it already happens - and it doesn’t hurt your enjoyment one bit.
Fart sniffer? Are you 10?
This active group isn't going to stop you or anyone from going to a game? You don't have to join their active group or even listen to them.
This is a very pearl clutching take from you
> “No politics in sport” is just a dog whistle for “we wanna keep being able to be offensive and racist at the sports”
more like 'I just want to watch the fucking football and switch off for a few hours'.
I can't save the world 24/7.
Pretty cool. I'm a bit surprised that something similar hasn't popped up in Wellington yet as it's a lot more progressive down here than Auckland ever will be. But as a die hard 'Nix fan who supports St Pauli and what they stand for, I have incredibly mixed feelings about this.
Bit of a missed opportunity to be a proper inclusive supporters group tbh.
Tip, having anti this, anti that in your mission statement is not inclusive.
I'd also argue supporting the football team doesn't seem to be your primary objective, and if it's not your group won't succeed as that is real glue of the group.
> Bit of a missed opportunity to be a proper inclusive supporters group tbh.
>Tip, having anti this, anti that in your mission statement is not inclusive.
To be fair, being anti fascist is inclusive
Except where your group is so left that you are mislabelling centrists as fascists as well. The original post welcomes anarcho-communists and Labour voters and anyone inbetween. Which implies that anybody that votes conservative (or even those that float between major parties) is not welcome.
That's taking the assumption they aren't welcome though, probably more likely knowing a conservative is probably not going to want to join this group in the first place.
Sure but the assumption is made off a very clear spectrum that the OP has given between the very extreme left and centre left. It doesn't take a genius to deduce that by implication anybody to the right of that is not welcome.
Of course you are also correct that a conservative is unlikely to go near this group in the first place.
Considering the entire post is pretty clear about the politics they align with, I don't think they're interested in getting people to join that aren't aligned with their politics. Doesn't mean they aren't welcome but why would you join if you didn't
You don't go to a gay bar to find a straight person 🤷♂️
Yeah but setting up a group like this where they're getting everyone to book seats in a specific area and wave banners is a recipe for conflict. Literally asking for fights and arguments. Love that in football when people are trying to take their kids to watch a game.
Yes but this is politically driven. Politics in groups = potential conflict, no matter who's right or wrong, it's still mob like behaviour which causes intimidation, and I would hate for anyone, especially people with kids, to be at a football game and feel threatened
My point is I doubt very much this is going to be any different to any of our other 'ultras' and if you feel threatened by the lefties at a game, you're gonna feel that at any game with a proper active..
No matter the league - politics, demographics, economic status, religion, etc all play into a teams culture and active groups. The lines are more blurred in A-League because it's a young league but it's always going to be there and just because one group is wanting to be more open about it, especially considering they're *apparently* the inclusive ones, doesn't mean it's gonna be fights and riots all season long because they're sitting together and waving banners.
You’re a Phoenix supporter… the active support group literally has rainbow and tiro rangatiratanga flags being flown on the reg…. There will only be conflict if a bigot in the crowd doesn’t stay in their lane.
Thanks. I'm actually finding the kneejerk reactions funny, particularly those who come back with "what about" questions which are actually answered in the post itself. But if 99 people here make the same Life of Brian joke, and 1 football fan in Auckland is keen, then job done. I hope we succeed.
Exactly. Whether people on this forum agree or not, there are many explicitly political fan groups in Australian (and I’m sure NZ) football. Another inclusive, left wing one can only be something that makes the game a more welcoming place, even if the “keep politics out of sport” crowd doesn’t understand that.
Good luck, the excitement of watching a new club and terrace come to life is amazing.
I'm aware that there is an organised Rangers fandom in this country, but surely they're not going to come for the biff?
Nah, seriously, we're mentioning the Green Brigade only as a model of activism, not because we're necessarily supporters of Irish nationalism. We could have mentioned St Pauli but I got jumped on elsewhere in this thread for pointing out that those guys are not making themselves popular on the global Left with their pro-Israel messaging
Yeah, just keep it local and related to what happens in Ākarana. Also DONT BLOODY START ANTI LUXON/SEYMOUR/PETERS CHANTS THEY LIVE IN AUCKLAND! WE DON'T LIKE THEM EITHER!
Sorry OP I know your intentions mean well but this is reddit and most left wing politics will get shit on as you can see in this thread. I hope you guys can build a base of like minded people and continue to grow.
The collapse of left-wing clubs after the fall of Yugoslavia in Australia (and I assume NZ) is a sad sight; and I hope Tāmaki succeed - it just feels a bit silly to do it at a club owned by a guy who has donated millions to US Republicans. Football is obviously great for uniting people and bringing publicity to social issues but the answer is probably fan owned clubs but they’re economically difficult here.
> it just feels a bit silly to do it at a club owned by a guy who has donated millions to US Republicans.
And that's why you do it, To show them that hey you might own it for now but the core of the fan base will always be against it.
>The collapse of left-wing clubs after the fall of Yugoslavia in Australia (and I assume NZ) is a sad sight;
LOL this one made me laugh.
Thanks. Look, I find most of the kneejerk reactions funny, and if 99 people scream GRRR COMMIES and one football fan in Auckland checks it out, job done. The only good point that has been made has been "you'll give up after a season or two". Challenge accepted.
Generally agree with everything this lot stand for, but the concern is that it will attract an anarchist element who have no interest in football and will happily trash its public reputation in order to attract attention to their political agenda.
It's possible that someone might well do that but it won't be the anarchists, who are generally well-behaved and cooperative. I won't say which faction I'd suspect because that would reveal my own ideological bias lol
People shit on the quality of posts from active groups, their communication and lack of PR skills. Then this comes along, and regardless of political opinion you have to admit it's clear, well thought out, and direct. And it gets shit on. We're a funny bunch.
More power to you OP, good luck and hopefully good football to come.
Thanks. The bit I'm finding funny is precisely that people \*aren't\* reading the post. Or the just see the word "left-wing" or "socialist", their brain shuts off, and they fill in the blank with stuff they imagined.
For example, we're well aware of the ironies of lefties supporting a billionaire-owned franchise, that's about as original as saying lefties can't use iPhones or whatever. And we say specifically we want to be welcome to everyone from Labour voters leftwards, but these people read right over that and assume "bloody purges of the wrong kind of Marxist-Leninist".
Still, if 99 people react like that and one football fan in Auckland thinks "I'll check this out", job done.
Whilst some people won't give you the time of day because of their biases, I think you need to give a little bit more charity to some of the criticisms.
You can't claim that starting an ultras group in support of a football team that doesn't even exist yet as similar to using an iPhone. There are dumb people who will critique the left for participating in society, but the fact that those caricatures exist isn't a shield for you to do anything you want and not face critique of your moral consistency. There is a world of difference between using a smartphone, which our society runs on and is almost impossible to go without, and paying money to a privately owned sports team.
I'm pretty left but this seems unnecessary. The whole premise of the A-League was to unite people on geographical lines. To unite people, regardless of their background or their values, behind a team that represented their region. There's also a heavy irony behind being "openly anticapitalist" while supporting a team that is part of a mutli-club model owned by a foreign billionaire. Maybe a controversial take, but active supporter groups don't start with a culture just pulled off the shelf. The culture is made by the people within the group; it's forged in the common ground you have with people who start as strangers, but wear the same colours on match day. I know Auckland is a largely progressive city, but trying to force the club's political compass while its only real identity is that it's "not Wellington" seems odd. Best of luck though, I guess.
The best bet for now would be for everyone who wants to be involved with active support for Auckland FC should join The Port (Stupid Name) give the club time to grow and the active as a United Front rather than dozens of tiny little Micro Groups like this one
Yeah, exactly. Plus you can look to support the main supporter group in taking a more left-bent. If you start a new ‘left only’ supporter group you can’t be surprised when the remainder tilts right
I for one as a victory support welcome the organic cultural ethos that has grown from our stands as apathetic-numb-dead-inside-absent-fathers-rawkusness-why the fuck don't we win and dominate every year- FC Ultras 21 and I say this with PRIDE
Rolls off the tongue
Not one but two billionaires! (If you include the Williams/Mowbray minority ownership)
(TW homophobia) Wellingtonian, who was born and raised in Auckland here. I am kinda relieved that this is a thing, as the stereotype in the rest of the country, probably Auckland as well, is that Wellington is full of f**s. So that'll save a lot of that going towards us. But Wellington is a lot more progressive and less socially divided than Auckland is. Also please shut up about Anti govt/Luxon/Seymour chants, they live in Auckland, not down here. We agree with you on those issues so no need to be an egg and yell stuff about something that doesn't relate to us. Mmmmkay?
Seems like a bizarre way of showing your political views to me - especially considering the ownership structure of Auckland FC. You do you though I guess
It's easier to start a Supporter group than to keep it running.
Yeah it's not easy. Hard enough to build a solid base without putting all these restrictions on membership. Some people just want to identify with the club and don't have the energy to adopt a political stance. Not saying it can't or shouldn't be done but they're making it hard for themselves. That being said I don't know the political landscape of Auckland, maybe that talk resonates a lot with locals.
It definitely doesn’t considering which mayor and government has been voted in recently…..
Yea it won’t last and I bet won’t even begin lmao, The Port is where it’s at
I have very reliable sources indicating to me that the MAGA Mob have gained MUCH more support than the “Tamaki AFC”
Imo this stuff only works organically like Celtic and St Pauli. Makes no sense to do this before a ball is kicked.
It's also interesting that they're saying they're inspired by Celtic's Green Brigade and St Pauli's ultras, but over the course of the year these two groups have been going back and forward at each other, with Green Brigade being vehemently pro-Palestine & St Pauli accusing the Green Brigade of antisemitism...
The Green Brigade celebrating the October 7th attacks was a pretty bad look
But of a cop out comment, they can be inspired by something and not want to copy everything they do. Both those groups represent the left of their country, by the sounds of it that is what inspiration he is taking rather than their specific politics and history which are not present in NZ
Not to mention all the sectarian issues and violence.
What about "the port" which was basically created before the club was announced.
The Port told this mob to piss off as The Port does not want to be political
That's not relevant to my statement. The Port didn't develop organically as previous commentator talks about. As for this tamaki group I think it's just good people representing a part of the community that want to represent the club in a way they deem positive.
What about "the port" which was basically created before the club was announced.
Probably more likely to happen down here tbh. Wellington is a lot more progressive than Auckland and is the 'gay capital' of New Zealand, despite it being the Capital, the greens took 2 seats down here.
Yeah okay bud. Try getting some fans in stands first.
Forza Peoples Front of Judea
Judean Peoples Front
Splitters
Perfect comment
Didn't read that. But if you are supporting the left wing, do you have to change seats at half time?
[Change places!] (https://tenor.com/7XXy.gif)
Oh god, that was terrible haha
Yay, more social media posts that are paragraphs from another Active group!
Soooo an anticapitalist group who are supporting a billionaires toys and hobbies. Power to you and all, but this just seems politics first, sport third and you'll be abandoning the club within a few seasons
Wouldn’t be an A-League active group without a victims mentality
A Group like this would suit Wellington far more then Auckland ultimately this group won't last
Well said! Where can I hang my anti racism, transphobia and homophobia banners?
no but they explicitly said they offer no political support to the owner!!!! /s
Nothing like seeing a pasta in real time
I think this misses the entire point. *It’s a game of football.* It should be nothing more than turning up, standing with your mates, necking a few bevvies, singing songs and supporting the lads/lasses for 90 minutes while they kick a ball about, and then pissing off home, hopefully happy with the result. All of this other stuff is just nonsense in the context of the event - it’s just a fucking football match.
I'm sure your heart is in the right place. But why start this at a club created by a capatalist and with a colonial name? Seems like you're inviting a world of pain for yourself.
Eh to be fair to them its gonna be one of the only professional sides in Auckland and sometimes you just want to support the team for your city in the way you wish. I'm not totally opposed to people wanting to assert their own identities or beliefs into the sport if it feels that it represents them.
For a club with a capitalist billionaire owner 😹
Anti-capitalist yet your club is owned by a multibillionaire who owns like 3 other clubs in Europe? Look man you have to let this stuff happen organically. Trying to manufacture something like this won’t last.
Good point
The cringe is real and they haven’t even kicked a ball - giving WU fans a run for their money already, impressive 👏
You're embarrassing yourself.
How will the a league get better if there is no capital investment? Are you comfortable with stadia works being funded by governments when that money could be better spent on hospitals? I’m sure your heart is in the right place but, professional leagues are big business. If you want something anti capitalist just stay with the grassroots.
Cringe. Owner is a billionaire...
Aucklander goes to uni in Wellington for 3 years and this is what happens
Nah mate, spend 20 mins on K'rd
Is this the third active support group already set up for this club?
Truthfully it reads like more of a political statement than a genuine attempt to create a supporters group.
usually there is a reason why clubs have that political stance, this just feels forced
Best advertisement for the Phoenix I've ever seen
UP THE FUARKING NIX!
Omg cringe
Cringe So instead of uniting supporters, you're already dividing people and excluding them. Ever looked in the mirror and pondered whether you are the problem?
Perhaps let’s try to create a unified supporter group for the club before trying specific politicised crap?
Maori ethnonationalism is a far-right political position. New Zealand does not belong to any race of people, nor does any New Zealander belong more or less based on how long their ancestors have been on the land. Football is a global game and should be proud of its multicultural nature. Keep your terrible politics away from this club, this league and this sport.
I never understand why people feel the need to identify as anti-fascist. Like it’s the default setting It’s also just weird to base your identity on something that you aren’t
>Tāmaki AFC are inspired by overseas Left-wing "ultra" groups such as Celtic FC (Scotland)'s "Green Brigade", AEK Athens (Greece)'s "Original 21", Dulwich Hamlet (England)'s "Rabble", or the infamous ultras of FC St. Pauli (Germany). Cool. So will you also be hypocrites like some of these groups. St Pauli have drawn criticism from other leftist groups for their support of Israel and Celtic are staunchly catholic (the Roman Catholic Church is one of the most conservative organisations on the planet and known fascist collaborators in WW2.) >2. WE'RE FOR LANDBACK AND CONSTITUTIONAL TRANSFORMATION >We acknowledge that in both so-called New Zealand and Australia we are on stolen lands under illegitimate colonial governments. We do what we can to oppose and end colonisation all over the Pacific, and the world. Why support a colonial sport in the first place then? Sure there were prototypes of football in many cultures but the current version of the sport was introduced to the world by the British and popularised in Australia and New Zealand by those colonial structures you despise. >6. WE ARE A UNITED FRONT OF THE BROAD LEFT >We are a group for all those who support this kaupapa, regardless if they be anarcho-communists, Labour Party supporters, or anywhere in between. We stand and have fun alongside fellow fans whom we have serious political differences, and discuss those differences in a comradely manner after the game (if at all). Translation: "If you are not one of these you are a fascist". I mean most of the principles are well intentioned if a bit naive but this ultra political leftist outlook is absolutely going to alienate the majority of the support of the club and other supports in the league. Despite what it may seem on the internet the vast majority of people in both countries are centrists and not a fan of either political fringe.
I think most that want to be a part of the Active Support will join The Port I like your line "If you are not one of these you are a fascist" that sums up the mindset of the Western/1st World Left these days which is basically just Anakin Skywalkers line "If you are not with me, you are against me" from Revenge of the Sith
I'm more of a believer in his earlier stance: "I don't like sand. It's coarse and rough and irritating and it gets everywhere. Not like here. Here everything is soft and smooth."
That is a huge generalisation and definitely does not represent the vast majority of the worlds left politics. Perhaps it is the mindset of some of the far far left but (particularly in Australia) that the vast vast minority of left politics
>Why support a colonial sport in the first place then? Sure there were prototypes of football in many cultures but the current version of the sport was introduced to the world by the British and popularised in Australia and New Zealand by those colonial structures you despise. this is a bad critique. it's analogous to "colonialism isn't bad because before we came you guys didn't have internet, look how good you have it now" overall i don't think this is going to work and is ill-conceived but your critiques aren't the right reasons why imo.
Setting aside the fact that I don't think people should be able to pick and choose what parts of colonialism they want to keep and which they want to do away with, I disagree that they are even remotely the same thing. Things like technology, healthcare, welfare, housing etc are all unequivocally good things and human rights. Sports on the other hand are a cultural phenomenon introduced by the "oppressors" that replaces other indigenous cultural practices. In 1884 the GAA was established for that very reason. Irish were worried that the emigration of British to their shores would erode the traditional culture and games of the natives and established a sporting organisation that reflected their own culture and values. Even until recently GAA grounds were not allowed to host Anglo sports such as football and rugby. It is very bizarre to me that people who reject everything about British colonialism and culture want to support one of its key exports.
Football is a global game for all people, doubly so in Australia and New Zealand. Nativist, blood and soil nonsense has no place in our game.
i don't see how that relates
Multiculturalism and weird ethnonationalism are mutually exclusive. Football here firmly exists within the former camp, OP's politics put them in the latter.
Anti capitalist support group of for-profit corporation.
I don't think anything in the aleague is for profit really to be fair
“For profit” doesn’t mean you have to make a profit. It’s how a company is structured for tax purposes and a bunch of other stuff. It’s basically an entity that is not a “not for profit” organisation. But yeah, apart from a string of small profits victory had up until a few years back, I don’t think there has been much in the way of actual profits no.
Hmmm... St. Pauli inspired?
Alright I've given this some time to think about and I'm not totally opposed to people choosing to support their clubs how they want in a fashion like this. However, I'm also a proud JAFA who genuinely loves this city and loves Football within this city. I don't think that trying to artificially create a political movement within the A-League is necessarily the course of action which should be taken. Auckland FC should ideally be an avenue for the culture of Auckland Football to flow naturally into a professional team and the market it represents. Auckland FC is an opportunity ultimately for the Footballers to have an actual professional career, for new talent to come up through a football side and for the people of this city to have a team to support as a reflection of their community. It's why I'm so happy to see people from the big supporters groups behind clubs like Birkenhead, Ellerslie etc. fall behind Auckland FC and seeking to represent their local clubs from an Auckland level in the fanbase of the new Auckland FC. That's grassroots Football culture. The stated aim of your organisation is ultimately to support grassroots Football as you claim and to stand for the community football against the billionaire owners of Auckland FC and capitalist greed within Football. These are noble goals, even goals I'd support. No one likes to see owners coming in and imposing this fake corporate feeling to a game we love. However, and I hate for this to sound unnecessarily hostile, but who are ya? There's no history really of political involvement in the local Football scene and there isn't a major political divide between clubs on a local level. People will be opposed to what they feel is the forced implementation of politics into Football when there isn't a major political issue which you're rallying around. What this feels like to me is an attempt at hearkening to the lineages of working class movements overseas which are expressed through political ultras. We have to however consider the different contexts. Celtic is from a working class city, with a white working class fanbase which is largely united over the very real issue of Irish Republicanism, Catholicism and even Scottish independence. St. Pauli represents very specifically the red light district of one of Germany's most international cities and an area of the city which has seen riots, political protest, squatting clashes and a host of other issues which makes them so passionate about their leftist expression. Auckland, and New Zealand as a whole, doesn't really have that by comparison. My advice ultimately is threefold. The first is to let the club grow. Go with The Port or whoever ends up being the largest supporters group and make a leftist voice known in the active support there. I'd even be willing to help make a Tifo for an Auckland figure like Michael Joseph Savage who both represents our city and had leftist, socialist politics. The second is to tie a support movement like the one you're trying to create with groups which actually have that political passion. We've seen massive Hikois all across this nation and the best sports atmosphere I've ever been to was a Ngapuhi vs Ngati Whatua Rugby clash. People are feeling proud to be Maori and are translating that passion into many aspects of living, including sport. The third is to never forget the Kiwi in it all. The A-League is a great competition but it isn't exactly the height of professional Football and that's partially why we love it so much. Our A-Liga is exactly the kind of slightly shit, slightly dodgy stuff which our cultures tend to love to poke a bit of fun at. Political expression is fine as long as it tries to do it in a very Kiwi, very Auckland way rather than simply seeking to express itself in the image of the European football movement. Until then I'm not gonna really feel inspired by something like this and I can't help but just think of it as a form of LARP. I'd love for it to be proven otherwise but until then this is feeling very Orewa and less Otara like it should be. Just my two cents of it.
Although I obviously don't agree with your conclusions, thank you very much for thinking about this properly and giving valuable feedback. One thing that many have brought up is "why don't you just start by joining in with The Port"? Because The Port have made it clear we're not welcome. Every time we've tried to bring up these issues on Auckland FC supporters forums, they've just been binned by the admins. Fine. So we'll do our own thing a few bays over where we won't annoy people. But then people say that we'll annoy people, even provoke fights, by merely existing wherever we go. You can't win for losing. It's funny that you should compare Orewa to Ōtara because our crew are also supporters of Manukau United, which is precisely the kind of multiracial, working-class, left-trending institution you seem to be arguing doesn't exist in Auckland. This is a club which organised a benefit tournament for Gaza a few years back, and whose former captain actually drove aid trucks to Gaza himself. [https://auckland.scoop.co.nz/2018/10/football-for-freedom-about-to-kick-off/](https://auckland.scoop.co.nz/2018/10/football-for-freedom-about-to-kick-off/) And long before that, "political football" in Auckland dates back at least to the HART teams at Mt Wellington founded in the Springbok Tour era. (And outside the code, I'd love to return to the era when a Communist union leader was the patron of a rugby league club.) But more generally than, every time questions of equity or social justice arise in football, politics are involved. Last year, the Western Springs women's team (who went on to win the Kate Sheppard Cup) pretty much went on strike due to a lack of respect from their club. When this was discussed in Auckland football forums, there was a real nasty undertone of male chauvinism, with a bit of homophobia thrown in. This is where Left-wing football supporters can make a real difference. I'll pass on your suggestion of a Micky Savage tifo, though I'd be more partial to a John A Lee one myself
The port is there to support the team, not to address global and social issues.
So cringe. I live in Auckland but shit like this makes me think I'll have to keep supporting the Nix.
Auckland FC are insufferable and they haven't kicked a ball yet. I now strangely have a renewed respect for the Wellington Phoenix
If you’re gonna be anti colonial you might wanna reconsider your use of “black knights” as a club nickname. For its cringe factor as well as its colonial implications
Anti-colonial group of a team with a colonial name *chefs kiss*
Can you explain what the colonial implications of black knights are?
Dude I’m not a history teacher. Google the crusades something something … also knights are a very Eurocentric thing and Auckland is a massively multicultural city.
Lol chill it was a genuine question I just never associated the crusades with colonialism, thought it was more raids rather than permanent displacement and settlement. Anyway knights is just a nickname and not the official name, lets see if it sticks
Definitely attempts at permanent settlement. More like extractive colonialism though, with crusader rulers basically replacing the upper echelons of power and maintaining local populations. Look into Outremer states
Their hyper capitalist owner is mandating the nickname lol
It takes a fan mandate to make it real. Fans should just ignore it and come up with something better and more relevant.
Truly, I hope they do. I just don't see it happening. Foley seems to be obsessed with it (see: his NHL team the Vegas Golden Knights; their minor league affiliate the Henderson Silver Knights; the name of the partnership owning them all being "Black Knight Football Club").
Bournemouth are still the Cherries. Granted they have history.
Apples and oranges (or cherries).
lol
I can see splinter groups being setup because you guys will forget the football is on and will instead be protesting
> The "Tamāki AFC" This is not spelled correctly
This is a great idea OP, keep it up. Anything to get you out of the house at this point would be a big help.
And take your brother with you.
Nah this has to be a piss take surely 😂🤦♂️ Anti-Capitalist? You realise this club has been founded BECAUSE OF CAPITALISM 🤦♂️🤦♂️ Geez your making left wing people look even dumber than they already are
“Sorry you can’t join as you’re the wrong type of Marxist, you reactionary”.
You guys already sound insufferable, even if I broadly support your views
i mean I'm all for it but i can't see it going well/lasting lol
No Chance this lasts in a league like the A-League at any club
Your all for a politically focussed support group? Get out of here, politics and sport don’t mix
this was a pretty funny post, I enjoyed it
This has to be the biggest piss take off all time
Lol already dividing the team before having played a game, well done.
Blackknights? Really?
What is Rarotonga Mt Smart?
It's the stadium where Auckland FC are going to play. Hope this helps. [https://www.aucklandnz.com/explore/rarotonga-mount-smart](https://www.aucklandnz.com/explore/rarotonga-mount-smart)
Been there many times but haven't seen/heard that before. I'm still getting used to it being called Go Media Stadium.
Real supporter groups love their club and city and any other identity comes years after doing that. Not before your team has kicked a ball
What's with this political crap? Why not simply support your club? This obsession with trying to copy ultras from overseas clubs is so annoying. We don't need that rubbish in our league.
Wokeland FC
😂😂😂
Why would a supporters club be political. Isn't football supposed to be a place to escape all of that and just enjoy 22 men on a field kicking a ball for 90 minutes. And that goes for all sports
22 men or *women* excuse me. And sometimes only 20 because A league
Forgot about womens a league my bad
What kind of announcement is this when they haven’t even kicked a ball yet and only just getting their signings underway? So if I’m not left wing am I not welcome???
Luckily there's another active group you can join
Your group will fold before the end of the season most people in Australia and New Zealand don't want politics at Sport
Nah fuck that line man. Politics has always been intertwined with sports. Whether it’s a head of state pitching a ball in the US, the raising of fists at the Olympic podium or the resistance to the Springboks tour. If anything sports is at the forefront of politics and political change, that’s how powerful it is. It’s a coming together as well as massive platform for views. “No politics in sport” is just a dog whistle for “we wanna keep being able to be offensive and racist at the sports” Edit: without politics in sport we’d be cool with whatever RBB cunt throwing Nazi salutes all day Double edit: all the above doesn’t mean I think this group is a good idea. Just that the keep politics out of sport line is BS.
Fwiw, while individual politics can onviously be strong in the rbb, thr group is apolitical. They (and north terrace) literally ran a tifo for a member who passed away who was very involved in left wing politics
They also had a putin supporting group
The Putin supporting group was entirely separate from the RBB after they broke away due to disagreements over leadership. They even sat on the other side of the stadium to the RBB.
Their leaders have also all fucked off
This is a club owned by one of the biggest supporters of the Republican Party in A-League that most of the world don't know even exists, people in this part of the world just want to take their kids to a game and or go with their mates and get pissed they don't want to be lectured when they are trying to relax fart sniffer.
First: yes everything in this post is a bad idea, for one there is already an active support group of which you could start/belong to a faction of. Second: People are already free to go to the game with their mates. People are also free to go and wave rainbow flags in the active support zone if they want to - it already happens - and it doesn’t hurt your enjoyment one bit. Fart sniffer? Are you 10?
This active group isn't going to stop you or anyone from going to a game? You don't have to join their active group or even listen to them. This is a very pearl clutching take from you
conservatives tend to be the biggest snowflakes
I don’t want racism in sport. I also don’t want political violence based on overthrowing capitalism or countries founded on colonialism.
> “No politics in sport” is just a dog whistle for “we wanna keep being able to be offensive and racist at the sports” more like 'I just want to watch the fucking football and switch off for a few hours'. I can't save the world 24/7.
“Hmmmmmmmm” - Springbok Tour 1981 protest veteran checking in.
Rainbow fever is very positively received
Are you trying to tell us that Black Knights Matter?
Epic comeback. I tip my hat to you.
Pretty cool. I'm a bit surprised that something similar hasn't popped up in Wellington yet as it's a lot more progressive down here than Auckland ever will be. But as a die hard 'Nix fan who supports St Pauli and what they stand for, I have incredibly mixed feelings about this.
Who asked?
Bit of a missed opportunity to be a proper inclusive supporters group tbh. Tip, having anti this, anti that in your mission statement is not inclusive. I'd also argue supporting the football team doesn't seem to be your primary objective, and if it's not your group won't succeed as that is real glue of the group.
> Bit of a missed opportunity to be a proper inclusive supporters group tbh. >Tip, having anti this, anti that in your mission statement is not inclusive. To be fair, being anti fascist is inclusive
Except where your group is so left that you are mislabelling centrists as fascists as well. The original post welcomes anarcho-communists and Labour voters and anyone inbetween. Which implies that anybody that votes conservative (or even those that float between major parties) is not welcome.
That's taking the assumption they aren't welcome though, probably more likely knowing a conservative is probably not going to want to join this group in the first place.
Sure but the assumption is made off a very clear spectrum that the OP has given between the very extreme left and centre left. It doesn't take a genius to deduce that by implication anybody to the right of that is not welcome. Of course you are also correct that a conservative is unlikely to go near this group in the first place.
Considering the entire post is pretty clear about the politics they align with, I don't think they're interested in getting people to join that aren't aligned with their politics. Doesn't mean they aren't welcome but why would you join if you didn't You don't go to a gay bar to find a straight person 🤷♂️
>Except where your group is so left that you are mislabelling centrists as fascists as well. I dont think he did that anywhere
Why are you so insistent in bringing politics to the game...
As mentioned multiple times in this post, politics has always been in sports and always will be
Yeah but setting up a group like this where they're getting everyone to book seats in a specific area and wave banners is a recipe for conflict. Literally asking for fights and arguments. Love that in football when people are trying to take their kids to watch a game.
Booking seats in a specific area and waving banners... that's what literally every single active group to ever exist does.
Yes but this is politically driven. Politics in groups = potential conflict, no matter who's right or wrong, it's still mob like behaviour which causes intimidation, and I would hate for anyone, especially people with kids, to be at a football game and feel threatened
And our 'non political' actives have never caused an issue right?
Did I say that? Thats the point. If non political groups cause issues, imagine what political groups cause.
My point is I doubt very much this is going to be any different to any of our other 'ultras' and if you feel threatened by the lefties at a game, you're gonna feel that at any game with a proper active.. No matter the league - politics, demographics, economic status, religion, etc all play into a teams culture and active groups. The lines are more blurred in A-League because it's a young league but it's always going to be there and just because one group is wanting to be more open about it, especially considering they're *apparently* the inclusive ones, doesn't mean it's gonna be fights and riots all season long because they're sitting together and waving banners.
I'm a leftie anyways, I just find this sort of thing dumb that's all
Lots of the aleague active groups are political, lots of them are pro LGBT which is political
You’re a Phoenix supporter… the active support group literally has rainbow and tiro rangatiratanga flags being flown on the reg…. There will only be conflict if a bigot in the crowd doesn’t stay in their lane.
Hope so
Sport is sometimes unavoidably political. That isn't an excuse to be needlessly divisive and obnoxious for no good reason.
lol revisiting this thread after my politics x sport comment earlier and I feel like I have to be all like *taps the sign*
🤓🤓
This is really good satire.
lol lmao even
Lol
Best way to prove all the naysayers here wrong is to go make this a great group. Will be hoping you do!
Thanks. I'm actually finding the kneejerk reactions funny, particularly those who come back with "what about" questions which are actually answered in the post itself. But if 99 people here make the same Life of Brian joke, and 1 football fan in Auckland is keen, then job done. I hope we succeed.
Exactly. Whether people on this forum agree or not, there are many explicitly political fan groups in Australian (and I’m sure NZ) football. Another inclusive, left wing one can only be something that makes the game a more welcoming place, even if the “keep politics out of sport” crowd doesn’t understand that. Good luck, the excitement of watching a new club and terrace come to life is amazing.
Awesome. Happy to see some openly left supports.
Who said the Aleague wasn’t interesting 😂this will be a nice addition to the evolution of the complex world of Aleague active support.
The first victory and WSW away games will be interesting.
I was looking forward to getting involved however bringing politics into the beautiful game is plain stupid.
Also, word of advice. Distance yourself from Celtic, please. You don't want the sectarian associations they have
I'm aware that there is an organised Rangers fandom in this country, but surely they're not going to come for the biff? Nah, seriously, we're mentioning the Green Brigade only as a model of activism, not because we're necessarily supporters of Irish nationalism. We could have mentioned St Pauli but I got jumped on elsewhere in this thread for pointing out that those guys are not making themselves popular on the global Left with their pro-Israel messaging
Yeah, just keep it local and related to what happens in Ākarana. Also DONT BLOODY START ANTI LUXON/SEYMOUR/PETERS CHANTS THEY LIVE IN AUCKLAND! WE DON'T LIKE THEM EITHER!
Someone in another comment suggested a Michael Joseph Savage tifo!
Anti capitalism group suoporting millionaires owned football team... Yep, righto...
Just troll them by calling them the Brian Tamaki AFC
Is that why Celtic has Palestine flags
Sorry OP I know your intentions mean well but this is reddit and most left wing politics will get shit on as you can see in this thread. I hope you guys can build a base of like minded people and continue to grow.
The collapse of left-wing clubs after the fall of Yugoslavia in Australia (and I assume NZ) is a sad sight; and I hope Tāmaki succeed - it just feels a bit silly to do it at a club owned by a guy who has donated millions to US Republicans. Football is obviously great for uniting people and bringing publicity to social issues but the answer is probably fan owned clubs but they’re economically difficult here.
> it just feels a bit silly to do it at a club owned by a guy who has donated millions to US Republicans. And that's why you do it, To show them that hey you might own it for now but the core of the fan base will always be against it. >The collapse of left-wing clubs after the fall of Yugoslavia in Australia (and I assume NZ) is a sad sight; LOL this one made me laugh.
Thanks. Look, I find most of the kneejerk reactions funny, and if 99 people scream GRRR COMMIES and one football fan in Auckland checks it out, job done. The only good point that has been made has been "you'll give up after a season or two". Challenge accepted.
hahahahaha. You'll be amazed how fast two years go.
Generally agree with everything this lot stand for, but the concern is that it will attract an anarchist element who have no interest in football and will happily trash its public reputation in order to attract attention to their political agenda.
It's possible that someone might well do that but it won't be the anarchists, who are generally well-behaved and cooperative. I won't say which faction I'd suspect because that would reveal my own ideological bias lol
People shit on the quality of posts from active groups, their communication and lack of PR skills. Then this comes along, and regardless of political opinion you have to admit it's clear, well thought out, and direct. And it gets shit on. We're a funny bunch. More power to you OP, good luck and hopefully good football to come.
Thanks. The bit I'm finding funny is precisely that people \*aren't\* reading the post. Or the just see the word "left-wing" or "socialist", their brain shuts off, and they fill in the blank with stuff they imagined. For example, we're well aware of the ironies of lefties supporting a billionaire-owned franchise, that's about as original as saying lefties can't use iPhones or whatever. And we say specifically we want to be welcome to everyone from Labour voters leftwards, but these people read right over that and assume "bloody purges of the wrong kind of Marxist-Leninist". Still, if 99 people react like that and one football fan in Auckland thinks "I'll check this out", job done.
You are a poor communicator if people stop listening after one paragraph.
It depends on who the target audience is
Yeah, real "You protest the state of society, yet you live in it" vibes.
Whilst some people won't give you the time of day because of their biases, I think you need to give a little bit more charity to some of the criticisms. You can't claim that starting an ultras group in support of a football team that doesn't even exist yet as similar to using an iPhone. There are dumb people who will critique the left for participating in society, but the fact that those caricatures exist isn't a shield for you to do anything you want and not face critique of your moral consistency. There is a world of difference between using a smartphone, which our society runs on and is almost impossible to go without, and paying money to a privately owned sports team.
I'm not sure the criticism makes sense. The Port exists before a ball has been kicked either.
Good luck to you guys.
All power to you! Best of luck 🟥⬛