Shed End Perth Charter
Open Letter to the APL, Perth Glory, VenuesWest, and the Australian Football Community
April 2026
Football in Australia stands at a crossroads.
We have witnessed first-hand the growing disconnect between the game and its most loyal supporters. In recent years, this divide has only widened. Active supporters in this country are engaged in a constant battle with governing bodies, one defined by distrust and a fundamental misunderstanding of football culture.
The message must be clear; active support is not a problem to be managed; it is the lifeblood of our game.
We are tired of constantly responding to the same issues as they arise, incident after incident, with no meaningful action taken. Supporters are repeatedly forced into a reactive position, addressing symptoms rather than causes, while the underlying problems remain unresolved.
This cycle is no longer acceptable. It is time to stop managing individual incidents and start addressing the system that continues to produce them.
Shed End Perth, alongside active supporter groups across Australia, represents communities that bring colour, noise, atmosphere, and identity to football in this country. Supporters invest time, money, and energy into their clubs with no expectation of return. The atmosphere they create cannot be manufactured; it comes from genuine passion and loyalty.
These supporters are often met with disproportionate restriction, inconsistent enforcement, and a matchday experience dictated by heavy-handed security. Too often, fans are treated as risks rather than stakeholders, as liabilities rather than contributors to the game’s success.
These issues were once again evident during our recent match against Macarthur FC. Following a goal, supporters celebrated by removing their shirts, something that would have quickly passed without incident. Instead, security responded with a significant presence inside The Shed, escalating a minor moment into a confrontational situation. Individuals were singled out and removed from a large group, turning what should have been a positive and memorable win into a negative experience.
This is not an isolated incident; it is a symptom of a broader, systemic problem within Australian football.
The current reliance on private security creates division. It fosters alienation, unnecessary escalation, and a matchday environment that feels controlled rather than collaborative. Many security personnel lack the cultural understanding and training required to engage effectively with active supporter groups. Often accustomed to different sporting environments, they misinterpret passion and atmosphere as hostility and respond accordingly.
This approach is not only ineffective, but it is also damaging. It erodes trust, discourages engagement, and contributes directly to declining atmospheres and supporter disengagement across the league. The continued failure to address these concerns at a structural level reflects a lack of accountability from those responsible for the game. Without meaningful reform, these incidents will continue, and the relationship between supporters and the game will further deteriorate.
There is a better way.
Australian football must move towards a stewarding model, as seen in England and across much of Europe. These systems demonstrate that supporter culture and safety can coexist. They have helped produce vibrant atmospheres, strong attendance, and sustainable matchday environments.
Stewards are not simply enforcers of rules. They are trained in communication, de-escalation, and engagement. They understand the game and the culture surrounding it, and in many cases are supporters themselves. Their role is to facilitate the matchday experience, not control it.
A steward-led approach would not weaken safety; it would strengthen it. By prioritising communication, understanding, and partnership, it would rebuild trust between fans and authorities while reducing unnecessary conflict.
We recognise that security has a role to play in ensuring safety, particularly in situations involving genuine threats to public order or violence. That responsibility is important and necessary. However, the routine presence of security within active support areas, particularly in response to normal supporter behaviour, is where the current approach fails. Active support should not be treated as a security issue by default. This is where a shift is needed, with a reduced reliance on security in these spaces and a transition towards a steward-led model that is better equipped to manage atmosphere through communication and understanding.
If Australian football is serious about growth, it must also be serious about how it treats the very people who create its atmosphere. Supporters cannot continue to be excluded from decisions that directly affect them.
Shed End Perth therefore calls for:
Empty stadiums and disengaged fans are a far greater threat to the future of Australian football than those who support it with passion. The game cannot claim to value its supporters while continuing to ignore them.
We recognise that change of this scale will not happen overnight. However, continued inaction is no longer acceptable. The responsibility now lies with governing bodies, clubs, and venue operators to acknowledge these failures and commit to meaningful reform.
Shed End Perth is ready to be part of the solution. We want to work with clubs, governing bodies, and fellow supporter groups to create a more positive, sustainable, and respectful environment for the game.
We call on the APL, clubs, and venue operators to publicly acknowledge these issues and commit to a clear path forward. Silence and inaction can no longer be accepted.
We also call on supporter groups across the country to stand together on this issue. A united voice is harder to ignore.
If you care about the future of the game, do not let this be another statement that fades away.
Share it, send it to your club, raise it with your supporter groups, and demand a response.
Change will not come from waiting. It will come from pressure.
Meaningful reform begins with a shift in mindset.
It is time to move away from control and towards collaboration.
Signed,
Shed End Perth, The Bay Perth