In brief, last season a club named "Shamrock Rovers Darwin FC" was formed by a group of Irish ex-patriots who now reside in Australia. The club's colours are Green and White and the club emblem contain Irish symbolism.

The clubs was formed in the applicable time of the NCIP and not only was not reprimanded but due to recent success in the FFA Cup preliminary rounds have actually enjoyed promotion by the FFA - who in their article also used Irish words!

Football has the ability of bringing people together like this, and I for one am happy for SRDFC and wish them continued success. Clubs in Melbourne have been forced to change their names baring ethnic connotations while this club of Irish heritage is treated differently to the point of encouragement.

The issue here is that the FFA are treating different ethnicity differently.

Scrap the NCIP.

The FFA article

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Shamrock-Rovers-Darwin-FC/1579867575561614

In case the ethnic heritage isn't clear

Opinion piece on the topic

Edited by SoccerLogic: 28/3/2015 03:55:31 PM

FFA with their racist shit again. Effnik = Bad (unless you come from the home nations)

Shamrock shouldn't be punished for their work at helping to strengthen the Irish community through football but neither should they to any other club for doing the same. These sort of communities do great stuff helping new Australians settle into life here whilst also providing an outlet to help preserve bits of their native culture. This policy was bullshit from the start and discrimates against clubs that are formed by people from certain areas.

Hadn't seen this before. Defies belief.

Spot On! =d>

Is it actually against the rules to name your club after another a club?

I thought it was only national names and symbols they couldn't use.

Where are the dumb fucks who argued that the NCIP wasn't racist in thought and deed? Evidently, some ethnicities are more welcome than others.

I normally disagree with most of the stupid retarded shit that's posted on this forum but this is actually pretty fucked up. The double standard at play here is ridiculous.

Look at melbourne city. British and religious iconography but nobody says a thing.

Surely there is some retention of the clubs origins..

They wouldn't ban EVERYTHING. Keep colours , keep the logo. I would say fuck off the rest, this is Australia not fucking Ireland

I thought the FFA policy was only in regards to NPL.
What is ethnic about Shamrock Rovers though its the same as Suns,Lions, Eagles.

I wonder what would happen if there was an aboriginal team?

I don't know about an Aboriginal team. It would be better to see Indigenous players fit into all A-League teams. Apologies for what will amount to derailing this thread. But if we could get more indigenous kids involved in football that would be sublime. I have a feeling, if it was in their culture, they would be some of the most gifted footballers in the world. Not only are they some of the most naturally athletic Australians (the fastest, the most agile, etc.), when you watch them play in the AFL, quite a few seem to have a kind of sixth sense about where to position themselves and seem to be several steps ahead of the game. This is one of the key attributes of a good footballer.

The trouble is they're too culturally entrenched in AFL, and of course there are other welfare issues which successive governments have failed to address adequately. But I have hunch that if a bunch of Indigenous communities suddenly started playing football, and pretty much nothing else, if they had good coaches, then you would have clubs like Barcelona licking their lips

Edited by quickflick: 28/3/2015 08:45:12 PM

They should all be sent back to Shamrockistan where they came from!!

[-(

Hmm. Going through the list in the actual policy:

2.1 Club Name, may only contain:
c) Words in English. Yes.
d) References to geographic area club is located. Not applicable.
e) Colours. Not applicable.
f) Numbers. Not applicable.
g) References to flora. Shamrock is the common name for a clover plant.
h) Fauna. Not applicable.

The logo may only contain:
c) Words in English. Yes.
d) Geography. Not applicable.
e) Colours. Green. Which is a colour.
f) Numbers. Not applicable.
g) Flora. Shamrock being a plant is okay.
h) Fauna. Not applicable.
I) Shapes. It has a football on it.

The tricky section is this part underneath each of those points:

"Provided that these components do not carry any ethnic, national, political, racial or religious connotations either in isolation or combination."

The City of Melbourne's flag.

City has a defendable position on that ground.

But this Shamrock one just seems like a double standard.

Ok, which is based on a ethnic, or foreign or religious symbol



Also, going on this argument couldn't a new team use a flag of Zagreb etc then?

You forgot the FFA no dickhead rule,which applies to some well known old clubs..:-" :-" :-"

...if the team was in Zagreb, yes?

Is Irish really considered ethnic in this country?

....you do know what an ethnicity is, right?

Irish is an ethnicity but they certainly aren't #effnik in the Australian Football context anymore.

Clover also grows here so what's the point?

What sort of question is that? Do you mean what is the point of an Irish backed team using an symbol that's recognized as being representative of Ireland?

No. I mean how does it count as an ethnic symbol if it grows all over the world?

Well apparently they lost last night. Luck of the Irish clearly not applicable here.

Maccabi played in the ffa cup last season and were on tv
A number of high profile Jewish spectators attended the match at Hensley v the Gold Coast sharks I think
If this is ok then what is the problem?