NRL Fans, this is my call to you! - By Kristine

NRL fans, the 2014 season is nearly upon us and I hope you are all as excited as I am to have the magic return! Unfortunately, this season I’m looking forward to watching the games in solitude, in the privacy of my own home, rather than out with other fans. Why? Because in short, NRL fans suck.

Basically, NRL fans are temperamental and unpredictable. What I mean is that they pick and choose when to be fans and when not to be. It’s easy to be a fan when you’re winning but the true fans are those who stay when the team is in a rut; those who are there for the long haul. Now, most NRL fans will stick around when their team is losing which is great, but it’s the attitude in which they do so that bothers me. What is the point of being a fan if you are going to sit through the whole match complaining about every little referee decision because it’s arguably not in your favour and complaining about every pass, kick, tackle, decision and mistake made by your team. That’s hardly supportive. I understand that everyone has opinions on how to win but I think the best types of fans are those who take their team for what they are and love them and encourage them anyway. It honestly does the team no good when their fans sit there sulking about the poor form. You cannot always be on top of the ladder. As fans, the most we can ask for is effort and as long as the team shows that, we should be positive fans! Do you think the players don’t already know that they played poorly? They’re not stupid. The last thing they need is for their fans to add to the criticism, the pressure, the guilt and the emptiness that comes with losing. The fans are there to lift the team up after a loss, not add insult to injury and kick them when they’re down. The fans are there to show hope, faith and confidence, not bully the team into low self-esteem.

As a Dragons fan I see this a lot and it disappoints me more and more every time. The fans need to lower their expectations and set small goals for the team so that they can achieve those goals and gradually build up their skills and confidence. Instead of unrealistically expecting your team to go from last to first, how about expect them to come 10th or win half their games. This way, when the goal is achieved, the fans are positive and the team is lifted and are ready to launch into the New Year with some confidence. This comes down to having patience and unfortunately NRL fans seem to lack that. No one is willing to wait ten years for their team to build success. They want it instantly. No one is willing to wait for their under 20s teams to develop into champions, they’d rather just chase the current stars and pay millions to steal them from other teams. No one is willing to wait for a team to gel together, they just expect them to be able to play like the Harlem Globetrotters from the get go. It’s unfair on the players and although many people use “passion” as their excuse, in my eyes, it’s just adding negativity to a club that is already pretty down on itself. It’s not passion, it’s aggressive, it’s forceful and it’s bullying.

I really want to be able to enjoy NRL games whether my team wins or loses but it’s hard to have fun at a game when everybody around you is cursing at the players, the referees, the match and the coach and are being incredible pessimistic towards their team. If this is off putting for me, imagine how off putting it is for a mother or father bringing their young children? It's not the atmosphere that should exist at the footy. It’s hard to enjoy the games when hardly any fans show up just because they don’t have faith that their team might win. We have a great game but the fans are ruining it. It’s quite a shame.

So this is my call to you: change your attitude, change your mentality, change your ways! Be supportive of your team, not critical. Encourage them no matter how badly they are playing. Tell your players you love them and the team after every thrashing and let them know that you will be there through thick and thin, full of faith and confidence. They give us the greatest game of all, they deserve better!

Love,

Ladies Who League