AFL BOSSES hope footy fans will continue to stand up against bad behaviour at matches, following the lead of the Hawthorn fans who pointed out the racist abuse being directed at North Melbourne's Majak Daw in Launceston last weekend.
The League launched its new crowd behaviour campaign at Etihad Stadium on Thursday, the centrepiece of which is a video featuring six senior coaches.
The video will be played on the scoreboard before every game, with the message delivered by premiership coaches Chris Scott, John Longmire and Mark Thompson and first-year coaches Alan Richardson, Justin Leppitsch and Adam Simpson.
"(Some) people think that when you pay the price of a ticket that you can leave your morals or ethics behind for the two hours of the match," the AFL's general manager of football operations, Mark Evans, said.
"That's just not on, and you can see by the response in Launceston last weekend that the public have had enough of it as well.
"We don’t want to discourage spirited barracking or banter that's good-natured.
"But we do need to make sure that we stamp out the inappropriate comments towards our players, towards the umpires and towards the people in the vicinity.
"I'm sure each player and coach would say that the crowd element is a vital part of the match-day experience, but there has to be zero tolerance for inappropriate language and misbehaviour.
"And it's up to the adults in the crowd to show the way, particularly for those younger people in the crowd."
The AFL Coaches' Association worked in conjunction with the League to develop the video.
"Coaches are essentially in the profession to win games of football, and we all understand that," AFLCA chief executive Danny Frawley said.
"But one of the key criteria of coaching at the highest level is to have an overall look at the game, and I think the welfare of the game is super-important.
"The coaches' association is really passionate about all facets of the game. I think the education to our public, through our coaches, is going to have a really strong message."
Scott's acting ability is unlikely to win him in Logie, but he is confident the message he delivers will have an impact.
"I'm really proud to be involved in this campaign," Scott said. "Less proud about my acting skills.
"But I think the most important people in our game, and the ones we need to recognise the most, are our supporters.
"And it is important to acknowledge that virtually all of our supporters go about it the right way.
"But we do need to be vigilant. We're trying to protect our players, trying to protect our indigenous players from abuse, but we're also trying to protect the young supporters in our game.
"We need to encourage young people to come and feel comfortable watching their idols play on the weekend, and all the adults need to make sure it is a safe and enjoyable place."
