A-Leagues players are planning a show of solidarity with Australia’s Indigenous population during Thursday’s double-header at AAMI Park as Sydney FC star Luke Brattan admitted he and some of his teammates feel uncomfortable with playing on Australia Day.
Melbourne Victory has hosted the Sky Blues on January 26 for the past nine years, turning it into one of the A-Leagues’ marquee fixtures which now includes both men’s and women’s games between the Big Blue rivals, and traditionally attracts a big crowd.
Luke Brattan says he’s “not a huge fan” of playing A-League matches on Australia Day.Credit:Rhett Whyman
During that time, the public mood has shifted significantly on the appropriateness of Australia Day celebrations, and now athletes like Australian cricketer Ash Gardner have begun voicing their opposition to scheduling matches on a date associated with hurt and mourning for the Indigenous community.
Victory has always promoted the annual fixture – dubbed the ‘U-NITE’ match – as a celebration of multiculturalism and the “rich, cultural diversity of our country, our city and football in Australia” and an opportunity to take advantage of a public holiday rather than an overtly patriotic celebration of Australia Day itself, a club spokesperson said.
Brattan said he was “not a huge fan” of the scheduling, while player sources have indicated that Victory and Sydney’s A-League Women teams would come together – most likely at the end of their match on Thursday afternoon, prior to the men’s clash – to pose with both the Australian and Indigenous flags in a show of support for those disenfranchised by the date.
“I can’t talk on behalf of the boys, we haven’t really had that many discussions about it. Personally, I’m not a huge fan of it,” Brattan said.
Charlotte Mclean (right) with Princess Ibini after last season’s A-League Women grand final, which Sydney FC lost to Melbourne Victory.Credit:Getty
“But I don’t make these decisions. I think a few of the boys would feel the same way, but it is what it is. We don’t make up the rules, we just get told what to do. It’s not ideal.”
There are no Indigenous players in the senior men’s ranks of the two clubs, but Sydney FC has two in their women’s team – goalkeeper Jada Whyman and forward Shadeene Evans – while Victory defender Gema Simon, the cousin of Matildas attacker Kyah Simon, is also Indigenous.
“We’ve consulted Jada and Shay, we’ve had private discussions about that among our team. We’re just looking at it as the Big Blue,” said Sydney FC defender Charlotte Mclean, who declined to elaborate further on the talks held within the dressing room.
Gardner’s stance was lauded as “brave” and fully backed by the Australian women’s T20 team, who will play Pakistan on Thursday, although Cricket Australia has opted not to schedule a Big Bash League match. The only other domestic sport being played aside from the A-Leagues is in the NBL, where the Brisbane Bullets play the New Zealand Breakers.
Victory said all fixtures are reviewed at the end of each season by the clubs and the Australian Professional Leagues, which did not respond to a request for comment – but there appears to be little chance the U-NITE match will be changed or moved before the Australia Day public holiday is.
Football Australia, which is no longer in charge of A-League operations, will refer to the day as “January 26” instead of Australia Day on its social media channels and acknowledge the turbulent history of the date for First Nations peoples. The federation launched its first National Indigenous Advisory Group towards the end of 2021 and last year supported the Uluru Statement from the Heart.
Beyond the bigger picture off-field issues, Thursday’s matches are critical on the field for both clubs, in both competitions. Sydney’s women are third, equal on points with fourth-placed Victory but with two games in hand, and need to win to keep alive their premiership chances after a last-start defeat to Western United ended their six-match winning streak.
In the A-League Men, this is the first Big Blue in history where Victory and Sydney are both at the foot of the table. This will be Victory’s first home match since FA handed down their sanctions for December’s violent pitch invasion, and Tony Popovic’s men are at the bottom of the ladder, winless in their last seven outings.
Things aren’t much better for the Sky Blues, with coach Steve Corica under immense pressure to keep his job after just four wins from 13 games, and while his position is secure for now – with speculation that former Macarthur FC boss Dwight Yorke was being lined up to replace him wide of the mark – a bad defeat to Victory could prompt the club’s board to swing the axe.
“He’s brought so much success to this club and us as players, we have got to take a lot of responsibility as well. We’re creating a lot of chances – he can’t score them for us,” Brattan said of Corica. “I think a lot of the pressure is on us. He cops the brunt of it but it comes down to us performing.”
