Tag Archives: support

Away Supporters #NewyTourOfDuty Toolkit

Well, it’s finally arrived!!! Across today and tomorrow morning there will be hordes of Jets supporters descending on Newcastle Airport to make the trek up to Brisbane to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the 2008 Grand Final victory as well as to take in what will be a fantastic match. We don’t know exact numbers but it looks likely that several hundred could be making this particular trip which will be a fantastic result.

If you haven’t been on an away trip before, or been to Brisbane before, we have put together a few points here to help you on this particular away trip. One thing that is a constant across any away trip however is to say G’day to fellow Jets supporters (as well as the opposition) and to enjoy yourself. Eat, drink and be Newy 🙂

SOCIAL MEDIA: If you’re taking photos/video, make sure you tag @SquadronNewy and @JetstreamNewy and use the hashtag #NewyTourOfDuty
The Jetstream podcast team will also be in attendance and will be filming some footage across the weekend to post as well, so please feel free to come up and say G’day to them

WEATHER: no getting around it. Its shit, and will probably be that way all weekend. Thunderstorms predicted for gameday, as well as a top of 29 degrees and 71% humidity. Hot, wet and sweaty. Dress appropriately, leave the leather pants at home.

AIRPORT TRANSFERS: You can transfer via private shuttle with Con-x-ion which will meet you at the airport and drop you off directly at your hotel. Price depends on location. Quotes & bookings here https://www.con-x-ion.com/
You can also use public transport from the airport.
You can travel via bus http://translink.com.au/
or via train http://www.airtrain.com.au/

PRE-MATCH: All supporters are invited to The Caxton Hotel, 38 Caxton St, Milton as the pre-match venue from midday. The hotel is ideally located within sight and a short walk to Suncorp Stadium so its the best spot to grab some lunch, and enjoy some beverages prior to kickoff. There is a restaurant with a varied a la-carte menu as well as gameday menu available via the bar which should cover most budgets. The venue advise that u18’s are allowed entry so long as they are accompanied by their parent/guardian. There will be Roar supporters in attendance as well, so please be respectful. Getting ejected from the pub wont be a good start to the day.

TICKETS: The away bay is located in Bay 317. The ticketing agent is Ticketek and you can purchase tickets for the match via this link Be aware that there aren’t very many tickets left so its advised to purchase prior to gameday. If its sold out, buy in the adjacent bay.

GAME: Bring the noise!!! Away games are usually a great atmosphere, so feel free to join in the songs or even start your own. Make sure its a good one though, or there will be good-natured ribbing. We are also advising that to commemorate the Grand Final anniversary everyone wears a gold strip, whether its a retro jersey or new kit.

SECURITY: Be aware that on many previous occasions supporters (home and away) have fallen foul of Suncorp Stadium’s security. If you remember the bad old days of NES or E-Group’s ridiculously overbearing attitudes towards football supporters at Hunter Stadium then you have an idea of what these guys will be like. Don’t give them a reason, there is nothing worse than being ejected from an away game you’ve spent good money to attend.

POSTMATCH: Feel free to return to the Caxton Hotel after the game to wind down with a few more drinks and to watch the #MVCvADL match. If something other than football is on your agenda, we recommend Fortitude Valley which has a number of night spots, or you can try your luck at the Treasury Casino. Be aware that while Brisbane doesnt have Newy’s ridiculous lockout laws, they still stop serving alcohol at 3am in the designated “safe night zones”.

THE NEXT DAY: if you haven’t got a hangover, you didn’t try hard enough. Or you’re under 18, in which case well done. 

We hope everyone has a belting time, and that the Jets win. Safe travels everyone and see you in Brisvegas!!!

NTUA

 

 

STATEMENT: The Squadron Withdrawing From Active Support

The Squadron FSC Inc advise, effective immediately we are ceasing involvement with active support. The FFA’s mandated restrictions & conditions applied to all active groups in the A-League have had a devastating impact on the levels of active support growth at Jets fixtures.

These restrictions included:
• Zero free movement allowed into and out of active support areas
• Dedicated active support area with defined entry/exit points that were manned at all times by security personnel
• Excessive police & security scrutiny & strategies on the active support area over many seasons. We always aimed to work co-operatively & proactively, the response was consistently adversarial and aggressive
• Restricting of active support single game ticket online sales to individual adult tickets only and requirements of capturing private information, making online or ticket window purchases slow and complicated 

We have persevered to make things work within the rules for years, moved locations twice to try to rebuild numbers and have worked with the club on different initiatives. It is clear that the FFA restrictions are insurmountable in keeping officially sanctioned active support alive in Newcastle.

The growth of the NCL group since January in Bay 1 (a General Admission area with no entry restrictions) we believe showed that if the restrictions could be lifted on the Southern Hill, then active support might be able to recover. We were informed that being the “official active support group” meant we had to abide by the FFA mandated conditions or lose status and active support privileges. It’s hoped that by standing aside as an official active support group, an organic growth of unaffiliated groups such as the NCL can continue so that matchday atmosphere is what we had always envisaged – loud and parochial.

As a consequence of ending our involvement in active support, The Squadron will refocus its efforts as a supporters club. This means we will still aim be involved in non-matchday activities:

  • Selling Merchandise to fund…
  • Interstate away tours & organising away game pubs
  • NSW Away Coaches
  • Newyhelps charity drive
  • Promotion of Premier Hotel for prematch and away games
  • Financially supporting newcastlefootball.net supporters forum & website and The Jetstream (podcast, TV and fanzine)
  • Tifo displays at selected games (subject to club agreement)
  • Lobbying the club on behalf of supporters via the Members Advisory Group (subject to club agreement)
  • Lobbying other stakeholders on behalf of supporters via social media & direct communication
  • Communicating relevant information to supporters and public via website and social media channels.
  • Supporting the efforts of other Jets fans to build a strong and vibrant supporter culture in Newcastle.

In the off season, The Squadron will hold an AGM to elect the committee and plan for next seasons non-matchday activities. If you’d like to be involved or have your opinions heard please come along.

We were able to accomplish a great deal in 12 seasons:

  • Two of the biggest tifos in the A-League to date – the Big Gold Banner for the 2008 Grand Final & NEWCASTLE drop down tifo in 2011
  • A fleet of buses in 2008 organised in a few days for supporters to travel to Allianz Stadium for the Grand Final
  • At one stage we were the third largest supporter group in the League
  • Raised $3500 in our first ever Newyhelps charity fundraising drive in 2015, raising money for families staying at Ronald McDonald House to attend Jets games and Sam’s Fund for SUDEP in memory of Squadron member Sam Taylor
  • Successfully lobbying the club and stadium to allow 1.5mx1m banners & flags into the stadium without having to be part of active support
  • Multiple interstate away trips
  • Liaising with away stadiums on behalf of supporters to ensure entry for banners & equipment
  • Countless small, medium and large flags, fence banners and tifo displays over 12 seasons

Lastly, we would like to thank everyone who ever joined in The Squadron, helped out making and deploying tifo, came up with a chant, jumped on the mega, helped out with drumming, waved a flag, served on the committee or simply joined in the chants and songs. Sincerely, thank you. We also thank all those at the club who helped us over the years.

From the glory days in the first four seasons to the rebuilding attempts in the later seasons – it was a hell of a ride.

Never Tear Us Apart

SQUADRON: Active Support Update

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!