A-league crowds have dropped off and some of the most dedicated fans are boycotting the whole season, so what will bring the supporters back?

The Football Federation Australia (FFA) thinks it'll be a safe and legal alternative to flares.

Active supporter groups - who are the most dedicated fans and chant and sing behind the goals at games - have been fined and sanctioned for using illegal flares at games.

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Whatsapp Wanderers fans light up flares in Parramatta

But with dwindling attendance, the FFA has said it wants to meet fans halfway and introduce smoke canisters which emit coloured smoke for 90 seconds.

"Flares are used in other parts of the world, banners, singing, chanting music and it's part of the fabric of what makes our game special," head of the A-League for the FFA, Greg O'Rourke told Hack.

We've had the very small incident rate of marine flares and they're illegal in this country so we're looking for a safe, environmentally safe alternative."

The NSW Police said they're open to the idea of the canisters as long as they're safe. The A-League said the canisters could be available as early as the next football season.

Hack spoke to numerous fans who are divided over the idea:

"I think it's good, if they're putting in a process to legalise them then they'll do it in a way to make it safe." "Look at the soccer games in Greece, Italy and all them they have a stadium lit up with flares." "It's a good step but I'm very skeptical as to whether they'll follow through." "It's just disrespectful to people who want to just go there and watch the game."

What makes people go to games?

"What Wanderers created really quickly was much more welcoming for people who live in Western Sydney like myself, people of colour, and other minority groups," said one member of the team's active support who didn't want to be named.

"I love everything... the noise, the colour, the flares, you feel like you're making a difference in the outcome of the game."

The Red and Black Block (RBB) is the Wanderers' active support group and the most high profile in the A-League.

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Whatsapp Wanderers supporters say the controversial active supporter area is safe for kids

When crowd numbers at games hit their peak two years ago, it was thanks to Wanderers games.

But the group's announced it's going to boycott the rest of the games of the season because there have been too many restrictions on fans.

"The FFA need to be doing a better job.. stop attacking active support, it's one of the most important parts of the game," the RBB member said.

The fans are the entire basis of the A-League without the fans it's nothing and we're being made to feel like we're not welcome.

Melbourne Victory's supporter group has also stopped organising to go to games together also citing heavy sanctions by the FFA.

The RBB has had a reputation in the media for being aggressive and not family friendly, something which the member Hack spoke to said was untrue.

"If I have kids they'll be coming to the RBB with me, I have no concerns for their safety," he said.

"I see little kids running around the RBB all the time they have an amazing time they march to the games.

"I seriously don't see that idea that it's this unsafe or hostile environment."

The A-League's Greg O'Rourke said the bad relationship with fans needed to be repaired and introducing safe smoke canisters was just the first step in saving the state of the game in Australia.

"We never suggested it'd be the panacea... there's many things we need to do," he said.

"The primary thing is to build the human relationship again and once we build that trust then it's about what are the other things that can bring that atmosphere back."