Modbury Hawks stripped of home Adelaide Footy League division one game after supporter abused umpire
Matt Turner, Leader Messenger
13 minutes ago
Rosewater Football Club dumped from SAAFL due to player violence
Pre-game strip to ‘gee up’ footy players
AN ABUSIVE footy fan has cost Modbury Hawks the right to host its next home game – and the club is facing further sanctions because of repeated crowd trouble.
In the latest incident, umpires temporarily stopped the club’s division one reserves game against Goodwood Saints at Modbury Oval on May 13 so they could ask a matchday official to rebuke a vulgar supporter.
Adelaide Footy League chief executive John Kernahan condemned the fan’s outburst, during which a 15-year-old female goal umpire was “caught in the crossfire”.
The league last week chose to move Modbury’s June 24 match against local rival Tea Tree Gully to Thebarton Oval.
“Footy at our level is supposed to be fun for all, and those who either choose not to or cannot adhere to that charter will find themselves very quickly needing to come up with a plan to address these cultures,” Kernahan said.
“If the loss of a home match brings that to a head then we hope we can all move forward.”
Hawks chairman Jamie Thomas said the club was “struggling to come to terms with the enormity of the punishment”.
Kernahan said Modbury already had a suspended $950 fine hanging over the club after three separate incidents at its games last year, including:
■ A deaf boundary umpire being verbally abused during a division two away match versus SMOSH West Lakes;
■ The league tribunal finding Modbury spectators guilty of conduct unbecoming after a home game against St Peter’s and;
■ Umpires abandoning a Hawks under-18 clash with Henley after a supporter entered the field to participate in a melee.
The league has also suspended further punishments until the end of next season, including Modbury being stripped of another three home games, imposing the $950 suspended fine, receiving a further $2000 fine and losing the right to host a final this year.
Thomas said the club did not condone anti-social behaviour.
He said over the past 12 months it had banned a 197-game player and two spectators because of bad behaviour, including the man who abused the umpire against Goodwood.
Thomas said Modbury players apologised during that game to the teenage goal official, who had heard the abuse directed at another umpire.
“If anyone does step out of line, we do suspend them – we ban them from the club,” Thomas said.
“It doesn’t make for a popular president among their friends, but the ones that stick around understand the message.”
Thomas denied the Hawks had a problem with abusive fans and was disappointed the club would not be able to host Tea Tree Gully in a fixture he described as a community event.
“If I’ve got 500 supporters and I’ve got one (being abusive), that makes it less than one per cent,” he said.
“If it was a player or official doing it, I’d expect the league to come down hard on us.
“But we’re struggling to come to terms with the enormity of the punishment.”
Thomas said he had informed members via a “pretty stern” letter and social media posts about the suspended penalties, asking spectators not to let the club down.
He would not say whether the Hawks would appeal the sanctions.
Modbury will still be able to run the canteen and barbecue to raise money at the June 24 game at Thebarton.
Losing a home game against TTG, ouch.
