crowd support at our games

[iwantmeseats]

Maybe we need a bit of this sort of organised stuff. It would need more than just the moorabbin wing though!





Dunno, who the hell these guys are supporting, but its our song damnit.


I like it though.

[Mr Magic]

Maybe we need a bit of this sort of organised stuff. It would need more than just the moorabbin wing though!





Dunno, who the hell these guys are supporting, but its our song damnit.


I like it though.

I thnk it is
Djurgardens IF Soccer Club
from Sweden.

[mick13]

How about this:



Send tingles down my spine lol.

[iwantmeseats]

How about this:



Send tingles down my spine lol.

Jesus! You would think they wouldnt allow that wouldnt you? As in, the stands could well fall down.

I think they stop the vitcory fans at dome games doing that. Not sure why, Im pretty sure 36 people jumping up and down wouldnt cause a collapse.

[gooner]

Having been a football (soccer) boy all my life growing up in London the crowd noise is one of the biggest differences between the two spectacles.
One thing you have to remember is that in their dimensions soccer stadiums are about 1/3 the size of footy grounds. This means that soccer crowds are closer together and so more intense and noisier. At Highbury we used to chant songs to the opposite wing who used to reply back. This is an impossibility at AFL grounds.

Another thing I have noticed and very rarely gets mentioned in these debates is that at least half of the chants at soccer games are about the fan's hatred of other teams. And not only the teams. I can give you a dozen examples of songs or chants about how sh*t the North of England is, how poor they are and how they've no jobs. This is common in soccer but I cannot see it being accepted in the AFL.
Imagine a song where we are singing about Port Adelaide fans not having teeth. It would have a few people join in maybe and a few wry grins. In the UK this would get the whole stadium on its feet.
At the end of the day it comes down to culture. People here do not come to sing and chant (abuse or otherwise). At the soccer you stand out if you don't.

[iwantmeseats]

thanks goner, interesting insight.

[SaintWal]

Love It!

I would offer to be the leader but I think the Record boy in aisle 29 has a louder voice than mine

[esaint66]

Having been a football (soccer) boy all my life growing up in London the crowd noise is one of the biggest differences between the two spectacles.
One thing you have to remember is that in their dimensions soccer stadiums are about 1/3 the size of footy grounds. This means that soccer crowds are closer together and so more intense and noisier. At Highbury we used to chant songs to the opposite wing who used to reply back. This is an impossibility at AFL grounds.

Another thing I have noticed and very rarely gets mentioned in these debates is that at least half of the chants at soccer games are about the fan's hatred of other teams. And not only the teams. I can give you a dozen examples of songs or chants about how sh*t the North of England is, how poor they are and how they've no jobs. This is common in soccer but I cannot see it being accepted in the AFL.
Imagine a song where we are singing about Port Adelaide fans not having teeth. It would have a few people join in maybe and a few wry grins. In the UK this would get the whole stadium on its feet.
At the end of the day it comes down to culture. People here do not come to sing and chant (abuse or otherwise). At the soccer you stand out if you don't.

Yes great insight, but AFL isn't like this. I realised this half way through reading Nick Hornby's Autobiography 'Fever Pitch' about Arsenal and football, i realised that most of the chanting at english soccer games is against the other side rather than their heroes on field, it is more violent and Reputaions are the main driving force behind this. How many AFL fans have you seen having turf wars and chanting derogitory songs to the other team ???? little to none. Each to their own i say. AFL fans can come to the game with a friend supporting the other side, in soccer terms this is blasphimy or sleeping with the enemy.

[Cairnsman]

Maybe we need a bit of this sort of organised stuff. It would need more than just the moorabbin wing though!





Dunno, who the hell these guys are supporting, but its our song damnit.


I like it though.

That is awsome. We could definetly get that going at a saints same and should. Who has the organisational skill to make this happen.

Imagine that happing at TD with the Roof Closed.

[St.Kenny]

we are far too Americanised and politically correct to allow anything remotely provocative at a game. Inevitably the Caroline Wilsons of this world will criticise it and everyone will get on the bandwagon and its dead in the water. As the atmoshpere at an AFL game gets more and more stifled its no wonder we look in amazement at what they get away with at the soccer games in Europe. And to think you cant get a beer at game over there.

[matrix]

we are far too Americanised and politically correct to allow anything remotely provocative at a game. Inevitably the Caroline Wilsons of this world will criticise it and everyone will get on the bandwagon and its dead in the water. As the atmoshpere at an AFL game gets more and more stifled its no wonder we look in amazement at what they get away with at the soccer games in Europe. And to think you cant get a beer at game over there.

i cant get a beer at a game over here!!!
friggin aami stadium

[Armoooo]

IMO all this talk about atmosphere at games is a load of crap...

I know this is a common argument and a lot of soccer lovers disagree (I am one myself, mind you) but there is less going on in a soccer match, you have to find a way to keep yourself entertained, at footy there is usually something going on on the field to keep your attention.

I also love the culture of footy over soccer, I love how I can go to a footy macth with mates that are supporting the other team and I know we can sit together, have a laugh, get stuck into each other based on the results and you don't have to fear for your own safety.

Sport is like a religion, and european soccer fans are the fundamentalists, I wouldn't swap our situations in a million years...

[Cairnsman]

IMO all this talk about atmosphere at games is a load of crap...

I know this is a common argument and a lot of soccer lovers disagree (I am one myself, mind you) but there is less going on in a soccer match, you have to find a way to keep yourself entertained, at footy there is usually something going on on the field to keep your attention.

I also love the culture of footy over soccer, I love how I can go to a footy macth with mates that are supporting the other team and I know we can sit together, have a laugh, get stuck into each other based on the results and you don't have to fear for your own safety.

Sport is like a religion, and european soccer fans are the fundamentalists, I wouldn't swap our situations in a million years...

RACIST!

[hilairehinshelwood]

Having been a football (soccer) boy all my life growing up in London the crowd noise is one of the biggest differences between the two spectacles.
One thing you have to remember is that in their dimensions soccer stadiums are about 1/3 the size of footy grounds. This means that soccer crowds are closer together and so more intense and noisier. At Highbury we used to chant songs to the opposite wing who used to reply back. This is an impossibility at AFL grounds.

"Clock End Clock End do the job"


I felt safer at the Soccer, because the crowd was segregated, and you were able to say or chant at the opposition or their fans without any fear.
At an AFL game invariably fans of one team are sitting to my left and fans of the other team to the right. One lot comment about the game aloud and the opposition fans sitting to the other side snipe back. The antagonism builds up and sometimes there is trouble. It's just that Europe won't put up with that, and fans are segregated.
It's this segregation that adds to the atmosphere, no lame cheer squads needed.

So maybe one day we will hear the Coventry End (North Bank) give encouragement to the Lockett End (clock End). No problem unless you are a member of the thin blue line.

[plugger66]

Having been a football (soccer) boy all my life growing up in London the crowd noise is one of the biggest differences between the two spectacles.
One thing you have to remember is that in their dimensions soccer stadiums are about 1/3 the size of footy grounds. This means that soccer crowds are closer together and so more intense and noisier. At Highbury we used to chant songs to the opposite wing who used to reply back. This is an impossibility at AFL grounds.

"Clock End Clock End do the job"


I felt safer at the Soccer, because the crowd was segregated, and you were able to say or chant at the opposition or their fans without any fear.
At an AFL game invariably fans of one team are sitting to my left and fans of the other team to the right. One lot comment about the game aloud and the opposition fans sitting to the other side snipe back. The antagonism builds up and sometimes there is trouble. It's just that Europe won't put up with that, and fans are segregated.
It's this segregation that adds to the atmosphere, no lame cheer squads needed.

So maybe one day we will hear the Coventry End (North Bank) give encouragement to the Lockett End (clock End). No problem unless you are a member of the thin blue line.

Tell me you are joking. If we ever have to be segrated like those losers at the soccer in England well that is the end of this great game as we know it. The great thing about footy is the banter between spectators. Never had ant real trouble at footy in 40 years of going. I would suggest if you dont like how we Aussies go about in the great game of Aussie rules then maybe you head over to England and watch that other stupid game.

[saint66au]

They sell finals tickets in supporrter blocks now, the tickets that are made available to Club members on the Monday and Tuesday. You only have to look at a GF crowd to see that they do technically segregate . Not for that reason though, Im sure its just logistics mixed with it looking pretty on TV

They DID segregate the crowd at a Port-Crows final a couple of years ago

What we DONT do however, and hopefully never will, is make each group of supporters use a seperate route and entrance pre and post game... a common occurance in English soccer and starting to beused to a lesser degree at A-League games..what the hell IS IT about soccer fans that they have to abuse and thump the fans from the other team???

[gooner]

Whilst there was a problem with soccer crowds in the uk in the 80s there is nothing like that now. I think people on this forum are over playing it. Most of the jeering of other fans is light hearted, witty and tongue in cheek.

The truth is that the 'segregation' is a hang-over from those days and it is not enforced. You buy a ticket as an away fan through the club to sit in the away fan's end. But if you bought any other ticket you could sit anywhere without too much abuse. Obviously a little ribbing but that's normal.

The reason it seems otherwise is that all clubs still have their own stadium (unlike the corporate world of AFL) so 90% of the tickets get sold to home fans. It means you don't get bullsh*t situations such as when it's your home game but you are outnumbered and outshouted by opposition fans. It's also a reason for the great atmosphere.

Whilst I like the fact that all fans sit together it does inhibit the atmosphere because most people are more likely to sing or chant when surrounded by fellow supporters and not when glared at by Collingwood or Essendon filth.
In fact I've often been made to feel uncomfortable by a group of opposing fans for loudly supporting the team.
I've seen and heared more obnoxious situations between fans than hilarious banter.

I'm not comparing the two codes, i am just reporting from my own perspective as a life long Arsenal season ticket holder until I swapped that for a St Kilda membership. The whole pace and rhythm of the games are totally different and so are my highlights of going to a game. From getting tingles standing at Balaclava station in my scarf to hearing the team song at the end of the game (sometimes) its a totally different day. The only thing they have in common is that both are brilliant.

[fonz_#15]

i still get a shiver doqn my spine listening to the whole of anfield singing you'll never walk alone before a liverpool home game (and i am only watching om t.v)

[hilairehinshelwood]

Having been a football (soccer) boy all my life growing up in London the crowd noise is one of the biggest differences between the two spectacles.
One thing you have to remember is that in their dimensions soccer stadiums are about 1/3 the size of footy grounds. This means that soccer crowds are closer together and so more intense and noisier. At Highbury we used to chant songs to the opposite wing who used to reply back. This is an impossibility at AFL grounds.

"Clock End Clock End do the job"


I felt safer at the Soccer, because the crowd was segregated, and you were able to say or chant at the opposition or their fans without any fear.
At an AFL game invariably fans of one team are sitting to my left and fans of the other team to the right. One lot comment about the game aloud and the opposition fans sitting to the other side snipe back. The antagonism builds up and sometimes there is trouble. It's just that Europe won't put up with that, and fans are segregated.
It's this segregation that adds to the atmosphere, no lame cheer squads needed.

So maybe one day we will hear the Coventry End (North Bank) give encouragement to the Lockett End (clock End). No problem unless you are a member of the thin blue line.

Tell me you are joking. If we ever have to be segrated like those losers at the soccer in England well that is the end of this great game as we know it. The great thing about footy is the banter between spectators. Never had ant real trouble at footy in 40 years of going. I would suggest if you dont like how we Aussies go about in the great game of Aussie rules then maybe you head over to England and watch that other stupid game.

Both codes are great, in their different ways. But an important element is atmosphere to the experience of watching a sports event. Any sports action won't seem half as good played in front of a dispassionate empty crowd. i think Collingwood are the most supported club, because of the passion and the roar of their crowd. A self perpetuation of their fan base. It could hardly be their last half century of success accounting for their support.
St kilda have a problem in comparison in creating an as passionate fan base. So what has been done to create this, a St kilda fans only section of Telstra dome, an initiative from a couple of years ago to get a bit of an atmosphere at saints games. I notice Carlton do this as well at telstra dome.
To me this is segregation, and being used by the club to add to atmosphere. So plugger how come youare still with the Saints still, as they have borrowed an element from that "stupid game".

Incidently at my last 3 AFL games i've seen people get nasty with each other as they have not liked what has been said around them. This i think inhibits the AFL crowd from making noise, but in a segregated area there is no inhibition and freedom of speech takes its course.

But then Plugger you wouldn't like that, as you believe in the dictatorial line a la demetriou, where Fans, players coaches cannot comment on anything against the AFL.

[spert]

I suppose you need lots of crowd noise at soccer, as the game itself is so goddam boring.

[gooner]

I suppose you need lots of crowd noise at soccer, as the game itself is so goddam boring.

So boring that the AFL are sh*tting their pants about its rise in Australia.

It's not an either/or situation.
I love both and have seen boring games in both.
To outsiders who don't care about this club last friday's game was boring but to me it was exciting to see the kids play cos I give a sh*t and had something at stake. Horse racing is boring to watch if you've not had a bet.

People who constantly bag soccer really come across as having 'little man syndrome.'

[Kate]

Good point about crowd involvement.

For some reason this is area where are losing ground.

At Moorabbin we were able to create a hostile environment for visiting sides. Surprisingly, in the wide open spaces of Waverly, we were still able to get a good chant going.

But, for some reason I cannot fathom, at the Dome, as a crowd, we are p'weak.

I know that I am preaching to the converted, but we all need to make a noise, and claim our homeground. When an incident occurs, such as Luke Ball being crunched last week, we should raise the roof. Kick a goal, make a noise. Opposition player gets tackled, "BALLLLLLL!"

At the moment we're limp, and it wasn't always that way.

[gooner]

The thing that annoys me the most is how limp we are in the first 5 minutes of a game. No roar as the umpire bounces the ball for the first time and it seems like half the crowd need to get warmed up.

[saint-stevos56]

our crowds are boring and lacking numbers, we need a new game plan to attract interest and new board for that matter.

[plugger66]

Always wondered how Soccer people walk straight with that chip on their shoulder. The only reason people chant in soccer is they have time on their side because no one scores. In the AFL there is constant scoring. Its like cricket, the mexican wave starts when it is boring but if someone goes out or hits a 6 it stops.

Our game doesnt need chanting because of the constant action. I have always said when people say how good the soccer was the they usually always say the atmophere was great but never mention the actual game where as we always mention the game which is what we are going to see not the singing. Go to a concert if you want singing.