Some group of lads have been receiving flak lately
for their views on supporting a club. The prevalent view of people here is when a club plays international club football, they must have the support or sympathy of every other football fan. But some asserted that's not always the case. And they stood up. What's bad about sticking to their beliefs?
When you say support, how do we support? In the local scene nowadays, it's frequented mostly by internet football fans, who has the majority of the vocal opinion on the local football scene. The problem with basing your opinions on just things that you've read or heard on the net, is that you don't see the underlying reasons why a certain group of lads wants to support a single club, fiercely and loyally.
The unfortunate side effect of an internet-based local scene is they don't quite see the reality and people with honest beliefs gets flak.
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| Hoy, Bawal Yan. |
SOMK (Sons of Mighty Kaya) supports Kaya FC. You can't change or sway them on supporting another football club. The journo reiterated that you can just simply give a goodwill gesture, that's it. The football fans needs to be united even for a single day so he says, but the lads say "No Thank You".
The problem with this journo is that he didn't grasp the loyalty of these supporters. He only saw the viewpoints of his own and others.
SOMK's under fire because they're a visible group of lads out there, supporting a club. That's not a problem, an ultras group supporting their beloved club. The problem is the local scene itself. The majority is on the internet.
There are
hundreds of people telling a few lads what to do. It's distressing that the majority are just content in sitting it out, while criticizing others' moves in the internet. The lads just want to support their beloved club, but these people doesn't understand their loyalty and that's where the lads get the flak. The concept of loyalty is different here, and some lads got the ire of many because they stuck to their beliefs.
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| "yabang nito, naka Kaya FC tattoo" |
The majority of fans here are on the internet, the vocal majority. Why did this journo singled out a lone group? Is it just because they're the visible one? That's where your problems start mate. The journo missed the point, that the invisible yet vocal majority, is what the league needs, not a group that who just wants to support Kaya FC over any other UFL club. People just want to shame them without looking at themselves. Where are you (the majority) when the local football league needed you the most? Only on the internet? Why didn't you just get out of your couches, buy a ticket and watch the games and support your beloved club? Why does SOMK need to get the flak when in fact the local supporters and the local scene also needs to be blamed on the local scene's chronic attendance problems?
People are not stepping up. When the club needs supporters, where are the majority? When will they show up? People has say over anything, they love to criticize without looking at themselves. People love to discuss football without doing it, what the league needs is not supporters being asked by a stupid journo asking a stupid question whether they will support another club, with the embryonic stage of football at stake as an excuse. Clubs need to develop active fanbases, on how can they attract attendances, period. People think that bringing in loud bands and music will suffice, it won't.
The local scene needs to step up in order to support their club They need to step up in the national scene too.
The internet is a mere vehicle to show your support, it's not the best medium to do it. It's not the front lines. The terraces and the pubs are..
I challenge the lads and lasses out there, you're the best hope of the local football scene.
Football ain't just a sport being played on the pitch. Football ain't just a thing being discussed on internet forums, it's more than that. There are people that will take great lengths to support their club.
You need too.
You need to step up.
Fans doesn't need to rely on a few bunch of lads. Can we just blame the
cheerleader mentality (that a few bunch of active lads is enough as a support during matches)? No mate, NO! Get out of their comfort zones, watch the games and be active on the fanbase. The internet ain't a bad place to start. SOMK started on a tiny little chatroom somewhere in the corners of the internet. But we must not stagnate on the internet, our club needs support right now at the terraces. Clubs need to think outside of the box, don't take support for granted, just getting a drum line or some pep squad to make some noise ain't the key. It can be a short term solution, but without a tangible, active fanbase, it will be just utter tosh. The lack of fanbase is also a reason why this journo singled out SOMK. It shows that the local scene is a far cry from the glory of 2010
, to a point that he asked a stupid question. He should've asked the invisible, vocal majority of the football fans to watch the games LIVE. That's what matters.
We salute those lads who are in Visayas and Mindanao who are willing to step up when they support a club like Ceres or Stallion or any other local clubs that they support, but doesn't have the capability to do it yet. Your time will come, your time will come. Wait for the national league.We salute those lonewolves that we saw supporting live, while they are being laughed at when they chant the name of the clubs. You lads need to endure, you need to endure. The mediocrity of our football scene won't be a hinder if people will blaze a trail, set a new trend.
You can say that the ultras are different from the established norms of the local football scene here. They are not necessarily
higher, that would make them seem superior. Everyone supports differently.
So do we. So do you. Your passion belongs to your club values. Only the club, not the players or the management. Players and staff come and go, but your club is always there for you.
If those people whom you criticize are stepping up, why won't you?
