What do Brisbane have to do?

[sbagman]

Seeing as the topic of Fitzroy is pretty active at the moment...

I am a former Fitzroy supporter who will move back to Brisbane later this year, having moved there from Melbourne in 1998 (this is background, btw, not necessarily important). Upon moving up to Brisbane, it seemed quite obvious to support the Lions, but found it difficult to get into it and found my interest in Brisbane and the AFL in general fairly low. And it seems many former Fitzroy supporters feel the same.

What I would like to know, from the former Fitzroy supporters, as well as comments from Brisbane fans, is what Brisbane would have to do to entice more FFC fans over? I have no ill feeling towards Brisbane; I feel sorry for the Bears fans who were finally starting to put together a respectable club after years of being a joke; I think they have been quite sensitive to Fitzroy's history, and I like the jumper, song (especially the reference to Fitzroy) and in general the clubs efforts to retain a sense of Fitzroy. The lack of effort on Brisbane's part is not why I find it difficult to support them; basically the reasons can be summarised as:

1) The way in which the merger occured (ie. whether or not it was the correct choice, Fitzroy's preferred option was to merge with North). Had the merger occured in different circumstances, ie had Fitzroy willingly entered a merger (ie before it was forced upon them) I might look back on the whole thing differently.

2) The fact is that although Fitzroy's past is there, the future is a Brisbane team. I for one do not identify myself as a Brisbanite (as I can attest to after spending two years there) and I think that this lack of identification more than anything else (ie that of the place the club represents) prevents me from following the club with much enthusiasm.

Is this what other Fitzroy fans feel? What else could Brisbane do to ensure that Fitzroy remains not just a part of the past of Brisbane Lions, but of their future too?

Cheers,
Sbagman.

 

[Denno]

Oh no.............

 

[sbagman]

OK OK, look all I wanted to say was that I don't follow the Brisbane Lions not because I believe they should be doing more or whatever, I just wanted to say I think they've been great but the fact is they represent a city I dislike immensely and probably won't be living in again. Hopefully. That's all.

 

[lisa]

so what you are essentially saying is that for the lions to attract former roys, like yourself, that they would actually have to change location. it is obviously not going to happen. the lions represent alot more than a city for me and for almost all supporters i would imagine.

 

[Denno]

No, no - not having a go at you - just waiting for the responses!

 

[Danni]

Sbagman, I admire you honesty in your post.

For me it has come to a time where I won't be suggesting that the Club do more to entice the Fitzroy element into Membership or make them feel 'welcome' or whatever the whole general gist of things maybe at any given time - although I used to think that they could do more.

It is not up to "Brisbane" to 'do' anything now. It is up to those supporters, just like yourself, to make a concious decision, not sit back and wait to 'feel' something. Cause after 4 years, if it hasn't happened now, it is not going to happen IMO.

It is time to take the bull by the horns, and decide whether or not you are going to belong. It is the ppl like you that have the power to make Fitzroy a part of the Future of the Brisbane Lions. Buy a membership, get your voting rights to have a 'voice', go to the games, go to training, meet the people, meet the team. Meet people like our friend Bill, who moved to Brisbane after the merger was announced to ensure he could still be part of the Lions, talk to others who have come to love the Brissy Lions, find out what it is about them that makes them feel that way.......the opportunities are boundless. As long as you are willing to put the effort in.

And yes - I do commiserate with the way the merger was handled, but please try and remember....Fitzroy knew the end was near, a merger or oblivion.....preferably North, but that didn't happen.....Brisbane came out of the blue.....WE KNOW THAT.....it happened to US TOO!!

Having a nice family meal in the Gabba Social Club, then suddenly we weren't the Bears anymore, we didn't have our jumper anymore, our song, our name.....it was all gone.....in the blink of an eye.....we had NO idea at all.....be thankful you got to say your 'goodbyes' as such....we never had that chance.

If this club is going to succeed, then it needs people like yourself to decide once and for all if they are going to be a part of it or not....stop leaving the decision up the what the club may or may not, could or should, do......take control of it and make the best of whichever decision you make.

If you give it a go....you may just be pleasantly surprised.

 

[sbagman]

Originally posted by lisa:
so what you are essentially saying is that for the lions to attract former roys, like yourself, that they would actually have to change location. it is obviously not going to happen. the lions represent alot more than a city for me and for almost all supporters i would imagine.

Hmm, not sure about that. For me I have to feel an attatchment to the place. I mean, this is what its all about isn't it? The indentity and cultures of the clubs in Melbourne are centred around the suburbs on which they were based historically (ie Collingwood = working class). You can't just transplant Fitzroy's culture and history and expect it to stick in Brisbane, because Fitzroy isn't Brisbane, historically, culturally or physically. My point is I cannot support Brisbane with any enthusiam because I do not associate myself with the culture of Brisbane the place, and they place where I will be living is some 2000km away. I am not asking for the club to be transported. I don't really care if they set up a VFL team called Fitzroy in Melbourne, I still wouldn't follow Brisbane because they are Brisbane.

If it means more than the place, what does it mean? More importantly, what WILL it mean in 50 years time?

 

[Danni]

Originally posted by sbagman:
If it means more than the place, what does it mean? More importantly, what WILL it mean in 50 years time?

What it will mean in 50years time is going to be up to ppl just like you.....The club on it's own (the administration, board, team, employees)can't do it all on their own.

If Fitzroy ppl see the future of the club as only 'Brisbane'and use that as the reason they don't join/follow, then they are going to get that result.

If they bring to the Brisbane Lions, their culture, their community, their emotional history and memories, then it will be a shared club for a long time to come.

It is thru the people that Fitzroy will live on in the Brisbane Lions, and not let them end up as some dusty honour boards on the walls that have no significance to the people in 50 years.

 

[lisa]

true, you can't put fitzroy's culture 'in' Brisbane...as it isn't brisbane. fair enough if you can't support the lions because you feel the fitzroy element is not there because of the differing brisbane culture, you have that choice..as do we all. i am not a 'brisbanite' and am the first to admit that i have no long term plans here, yet there is something more than that i find in the club. i am not trying to label you in any way, or judge your right to choose.
i love the passion of the club and the toughness, it's hard to put your finger on why you love your club...but for me it's just not the city it represents.

[This message has been edited by lisa (edited 13 February 2001).]

 

[lioness]

I don't necessarily think that it's too late for people to start 'feeling something' for the Brisbane Lions just coz it's been four years, I mean, it's like losing someone you love. You can't put a time on the grieving process. For myself, by the time the merger was announced, I had fully accepted the idea and was actually thrilled that Brisbane 'won out' over the Kangaroos (for no other reason than the fact that I felt Brisbane would give us more of our identity, which I believe they have done as well as they possibly can without totally becoming Fitzroy). For some, the 'feeling' only arrived last year. For others, the feeling may never come.

But I do think it's time to stop sitting back and 'expecting' the club to do more for us. They have introduced a lot of things to make us feel more a part of it, such as training nights in Melbourne. No, it's not the same as it was, but that's hardly the club's fault. I know no one is necessarily blaming them, but there are lots of expectations that frankly, the club will never be able to meet. It's not the same, but it's as close as I am gonna get to what I had, and personally, I have thoroughly enjoyed the 4 seasons I have so far spent as a supporter of the Brisbane Lions (half of that time as a member, and I am proud to say I will be renewing my membership this year

- sorry for harping on that, but it sucked last year, being too broke to afford it!!!!!!!!)

OK I am now officially off my soapbox, lol

------------------
*the one and only lioness*

 

[sbagman]

OK so how do Brisbanites feel about the involvement of Fitzroy? What do they see their role as?

I know what your saying Danni, and I appreciate the attempt to get me involved, and hopefully things will improve when I come back. And although I see Brisbane Lions representing the history of Fitzroy, I also see them representing a culture and a place I don't really identify with, and that generates a sense of apathy within me. I guess having lived abroad, it has changed my perspective of identity, and a football club is one way of expressing that identity. I'm not sure the current indentity of the Brisbane Lions sits with me very well.

 

[Danni]

For alot of Brisbanites - they hated the merger - the whole concept - and the Fitzroy thing didn't come into it.....until 2 days later when it sunk it that we lost what we had fought to gain, our identity. The members meeting up here after the merger was just as passionate and emotional as the Fitzroy ones in Melbourne were, the only difference was ours weren't reported in the Melbourne media.

For many of us it was years of blood sweat and tears, just as it was for Fitzroy supporters - but aiming for a different outcome - yours was put towards keeping your club alive.....ours was to get our club alive in the first place...and we had finally made it.

To say the Brisbane Lions represent the 'culture' of Brisbane is pretty unfair....for that to be true - they would have had to be a rugby league club.

But to be part of developing a new culture, making the memories and traditions, and not at the expense of the old ones, is pretty exciting too.

One thing of note is that most people in Qld refer to the club as 'Lions' yet most Victorians refer to them as 'Brisbane'. Go figure?

What it all is going to come down to is what you and others like you decide to do....no one else can make that decision for you...

 

[Beausgirl43]

What do Brisbane have to do???????????????
Ummm, well it would be great if we could win the premiership this year.
cheers...

 

[InTheBack!]

Hooray for Beausgirl!

Hit it on the head.

What a lot of hot air over nothing.

It took me 15 years after 1st moving here to accept become a Queenslander (from NSW).

Dont worry in a few years, if you stay, you will be right into it!

Cheers

 

[OldLion]

You got it !

1. Make the finals ( done that )

2. Win a final at home ( done that )

3. Win a final in Melbourne preferably at the MCG, preferably V Roos, preferably by a country mile ( not done that )

4. Make it to the Grand Final ( not done that )

5. Win a Grand Final ( not done that )

Let's start on the last three - then we'll get some NEW traditions started.

 

[Olmy]

Personally, I'd like to see more things offered for the avge. supporter. The family day at the Manningham is great. Why not have two every year?

Hopefully some of the events put on by the club will improve.

I'd also like to see some form of involvement on the part of the Brisbane Lions with some of the Fitzroy ventures in Victoria. They already sponsor the juniors, which is great. Perhaps they could also help promote the Reds (ie: giving them a mention in the Lions Tale or something).

A lot of it is to do with the small things. People like to remember the Roys. Sure, the media and the AFL won't do it, but it's nice to think that your club will.

I mean, the proposition of a Fitzroy Team of the Century is one great way of having a tribute to the Roys. It shows the importance of the club to the formation of the Brisbane Lions.

Hopefully the club can do other things of a similar nature. Perhaps a tribute match for a past player could be an idea worth looking at (the match could contest for a trophy honouring the past player).

Apart from that, the hardest part in 'accepting' the Brisbane Lions as 'my team' has been the inaccurate and negative press given to the merger by the media.

For instance, just reading today's MELBOURNE EXPRESS. On page 30 they have a picture of DARYLL White. Not only do they get his name wrong (calling him David), they also claim that he's playing for the Bears. And this is all with a pic of him wearing the new Lions jumper. This happens all the time.

I can't describe how much that get's on my nerves. I have no problem with the Bears, and I encourage any Bears supporter to tell others about their club (up until 1996). However, I do not support the Bears, and I never have, and it's an insult of the greatest proportions to suggest that Brisbane are still the Bears (apart from the fact that the club is legally entitled Brisbane Bears-Fitzroy Football Club).

True, the club itself isn't responsible for this - but that fact doesn't seem to halt the sinking of my heart when I read or hear that we are called the Bears.

It totally undermines the reason why I support the club in the first place.

Similarly, if this decision by the AFL to include the Bears club records, but not the Roys club records, as part of the Brisbane Lions, comes about, then it will be something that is extremely hard to stomach.