The Ballarat Football League has sent a reminder to all local football supporters of the boundaries surrounding player-supporter interaction after one spectator entered the field of play to give Melton South star-attraction Brendan Fevola a chip in the last quarter of its clash with Melton on Saturday.
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It may have only been a harmless gesture while the ball was at the other end of the ground – and Fevola was happy to engage in the over-the-fence banter. But Ballarat Football League commercial and regional operations manager Aaron Nunn said there were strict laws in place to stop that nature of behavior and it was simply “not acceptable”.
Nunn said while the league was unaware of the incident on the day, it would look into it. He felt this particular incident was harmless, but nonetheless he was quick to condone that type of behavior in the fear of possible escalation.
“Anyone entering the field of play while the game’s in process is not acceptable at all – absolutely not – so club’s need to be aware of that,” Nunn said.
“The league has rules and regulations around unauthorised people entering the playing surface during the course of the match. The incidents will be dealt with on a needs basis. If there’s something in it, whoever’s responsible will be held accountable for their actions.”
Melton South were not concerned about the incident.
As expected, the former Carlton spearhead copped more than his fair share of advice from the crowd throughout the match - something he has become accustomed to over the last five years in his country football career.
The incident occurred in the opening minutes of the last quarter as a group of supporters felt inclined to offer ‘Fev’ a hot chip, one of the more tame phrases thrown Fevola’s way throughout the match, and the key forward accepted.
