Recently, many of you would have seen a decline in numbers in The Squadron and the emergence of a new group on the southern terrace who call themselves NCL. We realise that this situation has created a lot of confusion for people, so we would like to clear a few things up.
According to FFA guidelines an active support group must meet the following basic requirements:
– They must be in an enclosed, ticketed area (not General Admission, for example).
– Security must check all ticket holders.
We have and still do strongly oppose the strict enforcement of these rules because we believe it is against the spirit of free and spontaneous active support. However, they are the rules the FFA applies to all clubs and as long as the Jets are in the A-League they have to abide by them.
There can only be one designated active supporter area, and for us that is the seats on Southern Hill behind the goals.
On Tuesday afternoon we had a meeting with the club and NCL about the future of active support for the Jets.
For the record, we are more than happy to (1) combine with NCL to allow both groups to leverage numbers and experience for a united and better active support or (2) step aside and allow for NCL to become the main active support group.
Regrettably, and contrary to previous statements from NCL, they do not wish to become the official supporter group and abide by the previously mentioned restrictions. NCL also made it clear that they do not wish to work with The Squadron or even take over the current active support on the Southern Hill.
While we accept and have always defended the right for people to support the team how they want but we understand there are safety concerns that the stadium and the Jets must manage including the location of active support groups.
We encourage anyone and everyone to form a united front in supporting the team. The Squadron name was never meant to describe a specific group of supporters, it instead applies to all Jets supporters. Wherever you are in the stadium, we want everyone to be united in lifting the team and letting everyone know they are in Newcastle.
See you all in the stands!
Disclaimer: I am not a member of either active support group
Some thoughts …
1) Other teams have more than 1 active support group – Melbourne Victory have 2 groups that show some healthy competition between each other.
2) Ever since the Squadron moved from Bay 2 it has been in decline. The Eastern grandstand used to have a fantastic atmosphere before they moved away.
The reason NCL exists is that the squadron is failing to achieve a critical mass of interest. The club needs to pursue ways of attracting a larger active crowd, possibly by offering schools or local football clubs free tickets for kids that are interested in being ‘active’. Season prizes for the most active club or school could further encourage activity.