HUMILIATING AND EMBARASSING

[magpie joffa]

Way back in february i think it was when we all joined the cheer squad it was overheard during the sausage sizzle afterwards that this will never work that joffa is to much trouble.

It was one of those things you hear and dont respond simply because your too busy trying to pick yourself up from the ground.

But that night at home when thinking about it, it certainly did trouble me and to be honest it was pretty hurtful as a result i promised myself to steer clear of confronting police and security to put it in one sentence i do not want to bring trouble upon our squad and our club.

Football is such a high emotional game and i guess it doesnt get any higher when supporting our magpies.

And i can say truthfully with the exception of an idiot who several months ago was expelled from the cheer squad by using filthy vulgar language which resulted in a letter to the club and rightfully so, was the only time when we all cringed with horror.

No one in the cheer squad has ever gone looking for trouble but there have been many occassions when trouble has come looking for us and being collingwood i guess we will automatically be found guilty no matter what.

I believe the behaviour of the cheer squad has been excellent and is a credit to all but what took place on friday night was a kick in the guts and very disturbing because i believe we were singled out as in most games we hardly see security but on friday night within the first ten minutes they were in the squad area.

I have a bad habit along with many others of standing on the bench seat when collingwood score a goal its pretty exciting stuff to stand on the seats waving the scarf or just punching the air with absolute delight and i know and i try to avoid doing so because it is against ground rules fair enough.

So affter doing so down came security with the threat of eviction if i or anyone else stood on the seat again,i apologised and said i wouldn'd stand on the seat again.

Some minutes later i found myself involved with friendly and harmless exchanges with richmond people down below (keeping in mind that we were in the middle deck of the ponsford stand)
it wasnt violent and it wasnt threatening it was just a shit stir between two opposition supporters the sort of stuff which has been going on for one hunrded years or so.

In the corner of my eye i saw security gallop down to the front row of where i was sitting and to be honest im sitting there thinking to myself and wondering what the hell have i done.

Well security guard from chubb security number 142 seemed to think it was ofensive for myself to have a verbal chat down below to richmond supporters (keeping in mind it wasn't abusive or threatening)she gave me the 3rd degree and i told her we were at the footy and i have done nothing wrong we were just having fun well this didnt go down well with security guard number 142 infact i think she found it all rather insulting, so i was then threatened with eviction,in the heat of the moment i told her to 'thuck off'leave us alone we are here to watch the footy we are not here to cause trouble.

She found this all too offensive and got the cops and i was removed from cheer squad area now i know i shouldn't have told her to thuck off and im sorry for that but you got to remember we were at the footy and things were pretty emotional.

On the way out i appologised to security guard number 142 from chubb security and i tried to explain to the cops that she had no business running down into squad area.whilst i was pleading my case to the cops she is screaming 'REMOVE HIM FROM THE GROUND'

I guess im taking it personally and i shouldn't and i know that at the footy i have some trouble as coming across as a friendly sort of person as you all know i have 4 top teeth missing and when the game starts i have to remove my top plate because the buggers fly out when i shout so therefore and not meaning to i must look pretty scary at times but those who do know me know im not a violent person and never ever would i deliberately bring trouble onto our beloved cheer squad and onto our club.

But the whole thing was a kick in the guts and even now several days later it hurts ,it was embarrassing, and it was humiliating.

DONT BRING A KNIFE TO A GUNFIGHT...sean connery...the untouchables !!...DARREN MILLANE SIMPLY THE BEST...BETTER THAN ALL THE REST #42..GO OUR GLORIOUS BLACK AND WHITE MAGPIES FOR EVER UNTIL DEATH!!

[junkboy75]

This is truly a sad indictment on our great game. A game that, during the course of its history, has never witnessed or experienced any mass crowd violence or hooliganism. It is unlikely that it ever will. How then, can the powers that be justify making the outer even more sterilised? Aussie Rules is a fast, often free scoring game. Many goals are kicked, and the crowd cheers their team on accordingly, sometimes vociferously but always in good nature. To take this away is to be ignorant of footy passion. Part of the attraction of footy are the colourful comments from the crowd, the good natured taunting between opposition supporters. You find it wherever footy is followed with an intense passion. Removing this is to remove the soul of the game. Often, the crowd is cited as being the 23rd member of a footy team. This can’t happen if barracking and cheering are stymied. Obviously, you get your idiots who come to the game, become drunk and abusive and even throw missiles. But of all the times when I have seen the cheer squad, they have been nothing but impeccably behaved.

Joffa, I know a little of how you feel. I have also had a bad experience with security guards before at uni where I was treated as little more than a common criminal. Know what I did? I wrote letters to the student union and the various uni associations and expressed my extreme disappointment. I believe action was taken as I have not seen that particular security guard since. Mate, it’s all about appearances. I sometimes go to the footy in a suit because I go straight from work, and the security is “sir this, sir that”. When I go in civvies, they tend to keep a closer eye on me, thinking that I’m trying to sneak into the members section or something. Perhaps you should write a letter as well. We live in a democracy, not a police state. We have rights, and you’d be surprised at how a well-worded letter can have an effect on the powers that be. Often, they are prepared to at least explain the situation. I know, because I work for the Government and I write a lot of Ministerial correspondance. Any letter, no matter how crackpot it appears to be, will still have to be answered in a rational and non-patronising manner. This is how democracy works.

I don’t despise all security. I know that they have a job to do, and it also depends on the individual. Of course, rules and procedures have to be put in place to ensure the safety of the crowd. But often, it is in the interpretation of the rules that is contentious. No rule is so inflexible that it has to be followed to the letter; not even the law works like this. If I were you, I would clarify the rules regarding crowd behaviour, or get the AFL or MCG to do so. For example, I know that swearing at the MCG could now lead to fines or eviction, but where can I access the actual policy that says this? Learn the rules; I would even go so far as to photocopy a version because you are constantly in the “hotspot”. If you are challenged, then you will be well informed of whether you are actually contravening anything. If the security and police still kick you out despite you not breaking any rules, cooperate with them (it is futile to resist when it comes down to this, but afterwards, you should seek redress from the AFL, or whoever.


"everyone's a winner hot pies"

[JLC]

As you know Joffa i got kicked out last year at Colonial against the Kangaroos in the first quarter. You have nothing to be sorry for Joffa. The security take themselves too seriously and get involved when they shouldnt. I never apologised if anything i insulted them more by saying "i have more intelligence on my little finger than you do". I simply walked around the ground and watched the game from the other end

I would never apologise to an over zealous power hungry security official. Dont change for anyone Joffa, be true to yourself.

APA

EVERYONE IS A COLLINGWOOD SUPPORTER ITS JUST THAT SOME PEOPLE ARE IN DENIAL

[B&W Phantom]

Joffa we all luv ya mate. We all know how passionate you are and it sounds as though these sec guards get a bit of authority and feel it is their right to stop passion and love for the game. Maybe they want it to be like Brissy where the crowds only make a noise if goals are kicked. Keep cheering mate because we all need to give our boys the support they need.

GO PIES!!!!!!!!!!!

[Legga]

Joffa, Those who know you will no doubt stand by you and know that you have only the Pies best interests in mind. Consider the reputation that Chubb security have because of their stupid and heavy handed tactics this year. They have been embroiled in controversy this season, and they have yet to discover the line between passionate support and being a troublemaker.
Although you may find this situation embarrassing, don't take to heart. The cheer squad has been sensational this year, so keep up the good work, keep the pies firing and next time you see security guard 142, give her a big smile and a wave, and let her know you are bigger and better than to let her 15 seconds of power get to you.

[Spidergirl]

im pretty sure that 142 bitch was the one next to us at the race for the last quarter at the Melbourne game oh and wasnt she sucking up to all the Dees supporters. One who fair dinkum sweared his head off throughout the whole game commenting on everything with rude comments and F words but he did not have a collingwood guernsey on so what did she do....smiled at him the whole time...oh and by the way this was sitting right behind the Melbourne cheersquad surely that isnt allowed in our cheersquad?


hmm and on Friday nite if u think that was bad ya shoulda seen at the Lions game the blasted security all lines up on either side of the outer cheersquad blockading us in! and when the Brissy bitched came and sat in our cheersquad spitting and swearing at us who got thrown out...the Collingwood ppl of course!




[This message has been edited by Spidergirl (edited 06 August 2001).]

[the president]

Joffa, Kerrie and all of our fantastic cheer squad.
I can assure you that since reading the above post from Joffa I have advised the administration of the Collingwood football club to conduct an investigation into what appears to be a constant harrassment of our people.
The Collingwood cheer squad has been one of the shining lights in what we are all about in season 2001 and that is to rebuild the club on and off the field and return a sense of pride and community to those whose hearts beat black and white.
We will never (please God) be a army of suit wearers.
I get around in a suit these days because that is the garb that I wear in my role in the magpie army just as bib and braces and Collingwood jumper has been and always will be the look of the supporter with everything in between.
Joffa I will speak personally with you but rest assured the club stands by its own first and foremost.
If in other cases we find that Collingwood supporters have transgressed the line of decency then get ready for the proverbial tonne of bricks. But if for one second we feel that one of our own is being victimised we will respond as if it was a player king hit from behind.
It's one in, all in at Collingwood.
Eddie.

[magpie joffa]

Thanks ed and to everyone else for your most kind words of support and encouragement, it has touched us all in the cheer squad.

GO PIES !!

DONT BRING A KNIFE TO A GUNFIGHT...sean connery...the untouchables !!...DARREN MILLANE SIMPLY THE BEST...BETTER THAN ALL THE REST #42..GO OUR GLORIOUS BLACK AND WHITE MAGPIES FOR EVER UNTIL DEATH!!

[stik35]

Joffa, I was shocked when you were kicked out on Friday night.
I couldn't believe this could be allowed to happen.
You have the full support of the cheersquad and I hope Eddie can manage to do something about security before they start scaring supporters away with their tactics.

[cobood]

Joffa, you have nothing to apologise about.... Chubb security has a lot to apologise to you though....... Dont feel bad we all know that you did nothing wrong....... we are all with ya Joff
so keep on doing wot you do best and that is passionately supporting Collingwood......and please don't ever ever change....
In my thoughts........

BE LOUD.......BE PROUD

[foxy]

cheers eddie mate. i love ya work. we're tryin' our best in the cheer squad.

[London Dave]

Sorry to hear of your 'eviction' Joffa, and its nice to see the support you've got from all sections of the pie family. I think Legga had some good advice, blow her a kiss next time you see her (when we are playing in finals, no doubt). Its just an unfortunate trait some people who put uniforms on, and happens the world over. They seem to think that by wearing a badge they have a right(or responsibility) to exercise power in a confrontational manner. The small mindedness of some people never ceases to amaze.

[Clemo]

Joffa,

We all know why you were evicted and it was not for swearing or your stoush with the bitchond supporters. Redcoat number 69 was a secret agent of the Fashion Police. White bow-ties and black shirts went out in the seventies

I reiterate my previous reply to Alf's post
"That redcoat has shit for brains, maybe she should be ushering the ballet instead. For crying out loud (or should that be shouting out loud) there was no harm in any of it. This is against the spirit of football and the man (sorry, person) in the outer. What do they want us to do, yell out "Yay Team" and finger tap? I really could not beleive this shite took place.
One consolation in this was the promotion of Alf as cheif chant leader. Although he had to move from his customary position, did a splendid job. Well done ! It was good to see Joffa make a comeback for the last quarter. But no passionate Magpie Supporter deserves this."

_____________________
Collingwood Forever !
clemo@magpies.net
http://www.netspace.net.au/~clemo

[ed healey]

Chin up Joffa,you are the victim of compound ignorance!
The cheer squads are what makes the game.
They enhance the telecast,stir up emotions and are just plain good for footy.
Cheer squad areas should be allocated as such and people buying tickets nearby have to be told that this is a SERIOUS barracking area and security people (that in my day were not needed)as we are now in the soft sensitive society should be told by authority to chill out or even thuck off.
Seems to me that butch 143 or whatever was on an ego trip and spoilt the night for you.
Mr President,its good to see you stick up for our supporters,please get in touch with chubb and let them know what footy is about!
Its not a marbles game in a library for GODS sake.
Go joffa.

[MagpieMark]

You are a legend Joffa.

I have yet to experience the really amazing and emotional supporting of other around me and can't wait until I do. You are inspirational from all of the way up here in Brisbane!
The INsecurity guards are wrong and just out to get themselves bignoted.
Keep up the good work and we are all behind you!
Magpie Mark