The National Club Identity Policy was the most recent in a long line of measures, dating back to the 1960s, aimed at "de-ethnicising" the code in order to make it more accessible to mainstream Anglo-Australian audiences. Although multiculturalism is the foundation of Australian football, those in power have always had an issue with it taking over the sport.
Of course, none of these regulations deceived anybody into believing that the game was not primarily fuelled by migrant contributions, nor did they prevent trouble-seeking supporters of various races from clashing.
The NCIP was implemented in 2014 by Football Federation Australia (FFA) in an attempt to completely eliminate ethnic roots in clubs. The policy prohibited clubs from using ethnic, national, political, racial, or religious implications in their team names, colours, or emblems. Clubs such as; Sydney United were disallowed to operate under the former name Sydney Croatia and Melbourne Knights, another fellow Croatian club, were unable to be sponsored by Melbourne Croatia Social Club. The FFA saw the use of ethnic-based clubs as a negative impact on football culture in Australia and were determined to “unite” all Australians without segregating them due to race or culture.
The policy stated in two accounts:
4.1 A Club must not use, advertise or promote (or permit any other person or entity to use, advertise or promote) any ethnic, national, racial, religious or political connotations, signifiers or associations in connection or association with the Club.
4.2 A Club must ensure that its Players and Officials do not use, advertise or promote any ethnic, national, racial, religious or political connotations, signifiers or associations in connection or association with the Club.
The crackdown of ethnicity and racial representation in clubs became a controversial topic amongst football supporters across Australia. These policies were believed to be unethical and caused a massive uproar within the community. It took an unsettling 5 years, but the constant pressure on the FFA by the community eventually forced the governing power to reassess its decision of the NCIP. It wasn’t till 2019, where the NCIP was discontinued and the FFA welcomed the Inclusive Principles for Club Identity, a newly proposed policy to allow such clubs to embrace their ethnic roots.
The new policy adds:
"Many clubs were formed and have developed from particular local communities who have made significant contributions to the growth and reputation of the sport of football as a whole.
"These communities are reflective of the multicultural nature of Australia and the vast reach of the love for the “World Game”.
The newly enforced policy shares similar values to NCIP, however are recommendations rather than rules to abide by. Giving all clubs the freedom to express their rich culture and history.
Since this, attendances have since risen slowly as the clubs and their respected fan bases shift back towards embracing their cultural background that once proved pivotal to their engagement levels.