I spent a long time convincing my now-wife to go out with me. Years, in fact. Being aesthetically challenged, and occasionally obnoxious, this was no easy task; but I persevered, and in 2009 I made somewhat of a breakthrough. The date was Saturday, March 28 2009. It was the day of Earth Hour, and I invited her around for dinner, and somehow (re: through careful planning) she drunk just enough wine for me to look slightly less aesthetically challenged in the low light. Anyway, I convinced her to stay the night.
The next morning, she asked if I wanted to go out for a late breakfast, and was somewhat miffed when I politely declined. You see, Freo were playing the Bulldogs that day. “Will it be a good game?”, she asked. The answer was no. Harvey had just started the rebuild, and there was every expectation we would lose by 10 goals to a Bullies team that had made the prelim the previous year. It shaped to be a long season (we did lose by 10 goals, but eeked out 6 wins for the year).
“Then why don’t you skip it?” It was an excellent question. Why would I go to a meaningless game I knew we’d lose when I could spend the day with a girl I was completely in love with, just when the green shoots of an actual relationship had appeared?
I told her that it was hard to explain, but that there would be a time that Freo were good, and it was important to me to have sat through the hard times to truly appreciate the good. Also, my mates would be expecting me - we’d been going to games since the beginning, including 2001 when we didn’t win a home game all year – and it wouldn’t do to miss a game for a girl.
I don’t think she really understood, and but rather than get annoyed, I think she chose to take the broader loyalty point. Seven years later, we’re married, and she still doesn’t really understand. In fact, she’s never been to a game with me. My mates all have kids now. It’s getting harder and harder for them to make it to games, but they persevere. Twenty years with the same crew.
There will be some people who will jump off now Freo suck. Perhaps they are more sensible. Perhaps footy is just entertainment. Why would you go watch a movie if you know it was terrible?
The Steves have made it clear, repeatedly, that new, shiny fans are more important to them than those idiots like us that will turn up regardless of ‘the product’. I’m sure they think an ‘enhanced game day experience’ will draw fans when poor football won’t. They’re idiots.
When times are good, maybe attracting new fans is more important. But when times are bad, like they are now, it’s the rusted-ons who will still turn up. They were there at the start, there in 2001, there in 2007, and they’ll be there again this year. They’re a fun bunch, a number of whom have been wounded by the Steves dismissing them. To them I’d say that the club is bigger than the current admin - and the club is going to need you.
So, anyway, my meandering point is, I’ll see you all on Sunday, and two weeks after that, and so on. Because one day we’ll be good again, and it will be important to have sat though these games. Purple Jesus knows why, but it is.
