Wayne Unwin

Fandom in any sport can be an exercise in extreme excitement followed by chronic frustration. Profound commitment to a team and its players is what possesses someone to drive over two hours one-way to attend a game week in, week out in the middle of a cold winter. Every NPL club is made up of unheralded souls who give their all to the club, with very little recognition other than playing a behind the scenes role in the success of the team.

They perform some very simple roles such as ensuring kits are clean. These people are parents of players, younger siblings, ex-players or people trying to break into the sports industry.

Here at Football is… we want to tell these stories, the ones we feel need greater recognition among the wider footballing community.

Which brings us to Green Gully SC, a club with a long history, one that some people believe has seen better days. Well almost coincidentally with the arrival of Arthur Papas over the last two years, things have noticeably changed on and off the pitch. The club has developed a voice with an ironic sense of humour and attending home games now has a distinctive look to them. This is largely due to the tireless efforts of Wayne Unwin – one of those volunteers most clubs would love to have, but one this particular northern suburbs club is lucky to have.

Can you tell me how you got involved in the club?

It started when my local team FC Bendigo folded after a season and a new board took over the club licence. The direction the new club decided to take wasn’t really for me so I called it quits. A group of the senior players actually signed with Green Gully. It started with me going to watch them, I just wanted to watch them take part in games. Pretty quickly, I found myself going to watch Green Gully rather than the ex-FC Bendigo players playing for Green Gully.

When I went to watch games the people were really nice and welcoming to both myself and my brother. Also, I could see the passion and pride the people had in the club and their determination to be successful. I guess this rubbed off on me. That, coupled with their history and the potential for the club, it was and still is an exciting combination for me.

Were you familiar with the origins of the club when you joined?

Not exactly. I knew of the club before I first went there and I knew they were one of the bigger, more successful VPL clubs, but that’s about it. How they started and the name Ajax I knew nothing about. I had done a little research, but a friend at the club gave me their 50-year history book and I have learnt a lot off the older guys at the club that have been there since the start.

One of the amazing things you’ve achieved especially over the last 12 months is the placing of hand painted banners around the ground. What was the motivation to do these? What is your process? Why do you do it?

I guess my original motivation to produce the banners was as a creative outlet. I produce other artworks and projects, but there’s always pressure to sell or please clients in those kinds of gigs. The banners gives me freedom to be creative about something I actually care about and have fun with it. I guess my other motivation is it helps me connect to the club, and others connect to the club. I really enjoy learning about club histories and fan culture and imagery. Hopefully with my actions, they will inspire others around the club to do the same. It’s no secret that the Green Gully fan base isn’t huge and it’s a bit older than some clubs. I want to inspire those young kids coming through, to make them feel that Gully is their club. 

I’ve come across a number of people that had no idea Green Gully used to be called Ajax. If I can help pass on that history and people start asking questions about certain banners, and gets the Gully name out there, then it’s a step in the right direction. Some people have thought and suggest I’m trying to create some ‘ultra/active’ movement, but I’m not. It’s about adding colour and sharing the club’s history with people. I want to show people that it’s OK to support and care about a community semi-pro club. A lot of people seem to think if a club’s not playing at a professional standard, then it’s not a real club worth supporting. That’s crap. Some of the most passionate fans I’ve met are at small clubs like those in the NPL. You can’t buy and create passion like that.

Wayne, we first met properly during Gully’s 2016 FFA Cup campaign. Tell me a little about your experience with the FFA Cup. What was it like as a fan?

It was amazing. First the Central Coast Mariners game and then getting to travel interstate was incredible. I had travelled interstate to watch Melbourne Heart before, but to do it with a local team was so much more special. The comeback win against Central Coast is easily my greatest night in following sports. I’ve been lucky to experience other great moments in sport with teams I follow and involved with, but the moment when Liam Boland scored that goal, I still get emotional thinking about it now. It’s just the way it happened. It was like a cheesy Hollywood ending!

What did it mean to you?

For me, I don’t know if I can put it in to any other words than general excitement and happiness. I guess since I haven’t been with the club for a long time, it kinda felt like being in the right place at the right time. I almost feel guilty to be able to experience the moment. What does it mean for the club though? Looking at it from an outsider’s point of view, it’s the night the club came alive again. Looking around the club and talking to people, it kind of felt like the club had lost its way over the last few years, but from that moment, there was a new energy and buzz around the club. Everyone seemed to be getting a little swagger back. To see how much it meant to them and share it. You can’t buy that! It still doesn’t feel real.

Back to the banners, what is your process? Why do you do it?

I would love to say I do them all free hand. They are all made by hand, but I cheat a little and use stencils, projector and trace designs I have made on the computer. I learn something new with each banner I produce and I enjoy the process. I have a few more complicated designs I want to do next, so we’ll see how they go.

Outside of football what is your story? If anyone was to ask about you what would you tell them?  Who is Mr Duke and Crooked Loft?

I make stuff! When I’m not helping to look after my parents, I make clocks under my ‘Crooked Loft’ label. I want to move in to other homeware products and artworks, but right now I’m just focusing on getting my clocks out there. I also make artworks under the ‘Mr Duke’ name.

How did you get in to making clocks?

I guess it evolved from earlier art projects I was doing. I didn’t have an art background, but saw something I liked that gave me an idea and thought to myself, “I could make that!” So I did. I am self-taught and it’s all evolved from there. Clocks came about the same way. I saw a basic clock someone made and developed it to my own style and tastes and then realised others might like them too. I never really planned it, just evolved out of seeing something I liked and then developing it.

What is the fascination and what influences the designs you make?

I don’t really know exactly. I guess I like older, industrial things that are made modern. I like it when things are transformed and seen in a new light. Like my clocks, they have been inspired by the old European train station clocks and have been given a colourful twist. I also like it when larger items are made smaller and vice-versa.

Is there any connection to the football banners?

I wouldn’t say in terms of art style there is, but in terms of how I was inspired and the process, there is. The banners have come about the same way. I would see these huge banners and Tifo at games overseas and wondered why they made them and then decided I could do that. They have developed the same way as my other art projects. The motives are different, but the learning and development process are very similar.

 

Wayne, complete this sentence, Football is…..Community, and where my interests all come together.