Are the Nix inclusive of all? And how can it be improved

First time I've created a thread!

But even though the Rainbow Fever thread got off topic, I thought it was leading to some pretty healthy debate. Namely are all folks regardless of age, gender, disability, race, sexual orientation etc etc made to feel comfortable attending a Phoenix game.

I've only been to one in Wellington (the recent 'theft' match against the Glory), so I'm not in great position to comment. However have been to plenty when living in Melbourne and Brisbane.

Still the Nix badly need any home fan they can get - so any feedback on how the Nix could improve the game experience for all, can only be a good thing.

Read with interest, comments by CrankyOldMan that his Asian workmates didn't enjoy attending a game, being disappointed that the crowd was predominantly 'white'! I'm not sure what the Nix can do about that in the short term. Actually I don't think that Wellington (esp central Wellington) is that multi cultural at all. To me central Wellington seems heavily pakeha dominant. Walking down Lambton Quay I see a lot more white faces, that say when I stroll down Queen St in the City of Sails, or it's namesake in Brissy. Maybe the folk in Hawera have a solution!

Also I'd be interested to know whether his workmates were from say an Indian background, or more an East Asian background (say China). If they had an Indian background I would have thought the presence of Krishna & Singh would have been of some interest. If they had a Chinese background, they may have been more excited if the team had 2 Chinese players starting! If I was living in Japan and Michael Fitzgerald was a regular starter at Kawasaki Frontale - that is definitely the J League team I'd follow, and pay to watch. I'm sure Honda's signing for Victory, has massively increased the number of Japanese fans attending their games. If the Nix want to tap into the Wellington Korean expat community, just sign a player from the K League.

Furthermore - and yes this can be considered racial stereotyping - but many Asian football fans that I know, are really only interested in the top European leagues, esp the EPL. They have little to no interest, in the lower quality leagues in their own countries, let alone the A League. They are huge football snobs. The EPL teams they support are always one of the big 5-6 EPL teams. Boring. Might be a bit different in Thailand, with the Leicester City posters everywhere - but I can imagine many Asian born football fans turning up to an A League match, and looking down their noses at the perceived quality on offer. 

If they had the chance of a free ticket to Stamford Bridge verus the ROF, they would go to watch Chelsea in a heart beat - though they would find the welcoming and atmosphere far more friendly for a racial minority in Wellington, than in South West London. 

Basically be great to regularly to see a more multi cultural and bigger crowd on TV at the ROF, but Welnix don't have an endless marketing budget - so is some limitations on what they can do. 

By the way enjoyed attending my first Nix game at the ROF, a few weeks back against the Glory. Pity the ref ruined it, and the crowd was small. Now have a new appreciation for how shark a 7pm Sunday kickoff is, when my mate had to leave his two football mad young boys at home. He'd taken them before but apparently they just fall asleep at HT.

Remember being shocked how well the team were playing. Thought as a first timer I was going to be some sort of good luck charm, until Lowry's send off shocker.

Ups to the YF for creating some atmosphere. Esp the chap on the drum.

Hola to guy wearing the Penarol top - Uruguay side that has same strip as the Phoenix - who I had last seen outside the stadium in Lima, being interviewed in acceptable Spanish by Peruvian TV. Sorry I forget your name fella, but respect re attending all Nix home games, from your hogar in Blenheim. Enjoy the Women's WC in France.

If we win they will come!.

I wonder if the Asian construction workers referred to ended up in the zone. If they did, then I can see where they got the perception from. Personally I think standing in the zone appeals to only a certain number of people, it’s not my cup of tea when watching football but I enjoy observing and hearing it from afar. 

I suppose what I’m getting at is, have a little think of where to take people in the stadium for their first visit. I am certain many newbies have been hooked by being in the zone first time, but the converse may be true. 

Anecdotes aren't evidence and all that jazz, before I start.

A guy I met in the BB before the game on Saturday was an older chap, had come up from Christchurch - having booked his tickets when he thought Bolt might be turning out for the Mariners. He liked football, but after coming to a Nix game what had hooked him was the Fever Zone and the atmosphere it created - he reckoned there wasn't an equal to it, in terms of an in-your-seat on-your-feet experience, in New Zealand.

He's right. The only possible parallel is the Zoo at Landers games, and they've got the advantage of kicking off their season flush in the middle of O Week in a city even smaller than Wellington - which also ensures a new influx each January.

Phoenix aren't so lucky, the season starts at an awkward time of the year and finishes at an awkward time of the year, for recruiting from student bodies and that sort of thing. And yet the atmosphere's still magic.

Wellington Phoenix will be offering 2018/19 season tickets for recently resettled refugees and people from low socioeconomic communities in the Wellington region serving as a recognition of the important role sport plays in building bridges between individuals and across communities.

The Phoenix are inclusive - Are the Fans Inclusive.

The uptake and use of these passes may be a little slow from what I have heard.

Credit where credit is due, the Nix will jump on any opportunity to get different groups in.  

Free tix to refugees and lower socioeconomic groups, free tix for women during that event, etc.  Unfortunately they can only do so much, if people don't want to go for free there isnt too much more they can do.

I think the 'crowd is too white' idea is absurd as the only solution is for white people to not turn up one week so non-white people can enjoy the non-whiteness and decide if they want to keep going when white people turn up again.  If people don't like being around too many white people then there isnt a lot more than not going that fans can do to help there.

But the "yellow Fever" comment in that other thread had me intrigued.

I would really like to know how the YF Execs (or whatever term they use) justify it these days.  Sure Yellow Fever is a disease, but it's a term that has become a racist one over time.  Whether intended or not, it has that meaning.

The YF tends to lean towards the more inclusive version of racism with no benefit of the doubt (Andy Martin was said to be racist despite not using racist language when it came to Peru, etc.)  so surely words that do have racist connotations would be concerning for them.

If not I would love to know why having a group with that name isnt racist.  Or at least how they justify it.

Fudge the BBC better change its name then.

Is BBC a racist term?  If so I havent heard that one.

I am not going to tell him !

Still either way I wasn't suggesting YF has to change.

I am asking about how they justfiy it.  If the reason is because the BBC hasnt so we don't, then so be it.  Though that would be a weak reason.

An important factor here is to realise that people don't always say what they mean.

Asian construction workers might not want to come to Nix games because the Nix fanbase are a bunch of white folks. That can't really be handled unless some enterprising existing Asian fan wanted to start their own fangroup and try to build it. On the other hand, maybe what they really mean is that they're Premier League snobs and the A-League is beneath them, but they don't want to say so.

Let's put it another way: when the Nix play Auckland the local Fijian community turn out in droves to support Roy Krishna. I wonder if we'd see more Asian faces if we got some superstar from the Chinese/Japanese/Korean league.

They're not changing the name of the disease because a small corner of internet weirdos has adopted the phrase, why would the people who run this place?

Get a grip.

The Bloodhound Gang had a song about it in 1996 which was considered offensive, so it's at least 22 years old so probably more than just a small corner of the internet.

But again, I'm just asking about the execs justification.  I'm not suggesting they change it.

I remember when the YF was started it was brought up, it was offensive from the start. We just call ourselves the fever anyway so, meh.

But anyway, why the angst? Did the offseason start and I didn't notice it?

We've got a winning team, let's enjoy ourselves.

You can't ignore the context though. The Bloodhound Gang song was explicitly about the the usage of the term in its racially sexualised context.

That's not the case here, and the Fever has never said or done anything to give an impression that the name is to be used or viewed in that context. The idea was to give a sense of an infectious football fever spreading over Wellington, especially given our tropical climate.

The team is going okay so people can't whine about that so diving into other things. Some people just aren't happy unless there is something to complain about.

Amusingly it seems it's nearly always people who sit outside Wellington.

Anyone who listens to Bloodhound gang should have their opinion privileges revoked. What a steaming pile of shark those cods were.

We must burn everything down.

With flares. 

I'll be out quicker than you can say 'tonight's going to be a good night'...

No angst from here.

It was brought up in the thread about removing homophobia, sexism, and racism from the supporter group and encouraging more diversity among fans.  

When it was brought up I realized I didn't have an answer in my mind so thought it would be a good question to ask the leadership group.

Admittedly some responses to what I saw as a simple question have been a bit angsty, but to each their own.

I make an exception for that one song which was set to the tune of "Hungry Like The Wolf".

Sorry, to be clear I was pointing out that it has been a racist term for a while, not that the Bloodhound Gang song and this group are similar in any capacity.

OK, so that's an interesting response thanks.  

In the context of say the Red Skins which didn't originate as a racist term, but has become one over time, where would Yellow Fever line up there.  In context there is no intent to be offensive, but it has become offensive because of how people take it now.

If people are finding YF offensive now, what is the stance?

And I suppose a better question is when someone suggests it's a  racist name, what would be the appropriate response that a Nix fan could give to remove that mentality?

It's one of these tough things where as a white dude a common repsonse to discussions like this is to "stay in your lane", or to point out I havent been the subject of racist terms like yellow fever, so I'm just wondering how it could be justified to others.  If that makes sense.

Honestly, I want to hear directly from people of East Asian background whether they are put off supporting the Nix because of the possible racist meaning of Yellow Fever. If and only if so, then we have a problem.

That's what made me wonder about it.

The last time I saw this brought up was when a white lady was offended by it, but in the other thread Oska said people of Asian decent found it offensive, which is why I'm interested in the answer.

The answer to whether or not it is racist is in the context in which it is used surely? 

I don't think the red skins is a good example as that's probably always meant one thing.

This is the key point - the term Redskins has only, and clearly a very racist, meaning.

Oh, as I understood it it became a pejorative term later on.

Uh.. Krishna's Fijian. 

Plus, there was that whole displacing them and exterminating them thing which means that pretty much any name given by white folk to indigenous Americans was always going to be a loaded term.

BTW, is there a digital version of the rainbow fever flag?

Got one of the sticker...

I remember one of the Knights games when there was a  Chinese appreciation day. Leilei Gao was playing well for the Knights. There was quite a big turn out of Chinese. They were welcomed.
I also remember Miyazawa playing for the Kingz and the crowd embracing his Japanese heritage.

I've still got stickers on my windshield. Should probably remove them before tomorrow's forecast rain.

He’s Fijindian, people of Indian descent make up a sizeable portion of the country. One of Fiji’s best players is Alvin ‘Singh’

Uh....is he not Fijian Indian?

Who similar to people of an Indian immigrant background in much of the world, keep many of their Indian traditions and celebrations alive. Like Diwali.

I note his wedding was a four day affair. Reported as mixed cultural. Not sure what that means. His wife definitely of Fijian Indian descent.

I imagine you could call Sapreet a Kiwi Indian.

Do the Nix, ever try and link Chinese NY celebrations into a game? They should

I'm pretty sure that she's Indian, but not Hindu.