AFL fans no longer feel welcome inside their own team’s home ground.

After a recent game at Marvel Stadium, several spectators took to social media to express their discontent due to the presence of newly-introduced “Behavioural Awareness Officers”.

This course of action was instigated after the Mathew Nichols incident, where a fan was escorted from stands after referring to the umpire as a “bald-headed frog”.

Speaking to the press, AFL Chief Executive Gillion McLachlan pointed out that there was no decision for a “crackdown” on fans and that the additional police force was an independent decision by the stadiums. He added that while it is not the AFL’s wish to make fans feel uncomfortable in any way but there was a need to monitor the behaviour of some spectators.

Another incident further agitated AFL spectators was when a hired security officer attempted to enter the pitch during the game between the North Melbourne vs. GWS Giants game last weekend in Hobart, as he saw two of the players tussling for the ball and mistook the incident for a fight.

The umpire was forced to intervene and inform the man that it was actually part of the game, with TV commentators expressing their disbelief at the man’s actions.

“The whole thing is just ridiculous”, said former champion Jonathan Brown, as fans on social media pointed out that security at stadiums lacks an “awareness of our game’s culture”.

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These ideas were pushed further by Hawthorn Hawks president Jeff Kennett, who said: “I’m not being racist when I say this, but when I saw some of the footage, the people who make decisions while they wear these authoritative coats are not people who appear to have a great knowledge of our game. And yet they make judgements about what’s correct and what’s not correct.” He dubbed the situation as “unacceptable”.

“Are we going to just employ security guards or people monitors without any experience at all to come along and sit in judgement of people who have been going to football matches all their lives?” he asked.

But McLachlan was quick to respond: “If you call someone out based on their appearance and not their ability, you’re racially stereotyping. And I have told Jeff that.”

The AFL boss however seemed to miss the mark entirely regarding the security issue, as he stressed that the “vests needed to go”. The comment signifies that, in his opinion, it was the “Behavioural Awareness” signs that had fans in turmoil, rather than the constant policing of their activities inside the grounds.

Further adding to the fuel of the increasingly strict legislation of the sport was the announcement of Collingwood Magpie player Jaidyn Stephenson’s ban after his involvement with a betting scandal.

The 20-year-old had gambled several times on his own team’s matches, an action that he described as ‘incredibly stupid’ when he made a public announcement regarding the issue.

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The AFL issued its harshest penalty ever for a gambling violation, banning the young player for a total of 22 matches (with 12 suspended) and fining him a further $20,000.

A lot of people came to his defence, claiming that that the Collingwood player was mature enough to own up to his actions, while others added that the punishment was too severe.

With all these events transpiring in less than a week, fans of the sport have been left feeling that they no longer have a voice, with the hashtag #boycottAFL becoming more and more popular on Twitter.

The next few weeks may prove crucial for the future of the sport and how it is received by its supporters.