Oh how i wish!!

[joffa corfe]

Now before I read Oh my God here she goes again please listen to me.

If you have Foxtel switch it over now to the Liverpool V Man City match. For those who saw the opening minutes when both teams entered Anfield Stadium you will know what im about and what im trying to say..I don't think ever have I seen so much passion, Yes granted, it was made more special with the tragedy of the ninety six who were tragically killed twenty five years ago but let me tell you the passion and noise was incredible, The size of the flags alone went a long way in creating this atmosphere. The manager quoted before the game either by Choice Fate or Birth we are ONE..

WOW im falling of the couch here..Its beautiful. As im watching I feel empty that our beloved Ponsford Stand cannot replicate such noise and passion..Some will say different sport move on and get over it..I say terraces are terraces and terraces don't sing and chant the people the fans in the terraces create the noise and sing and chant...spine tingling stuff.

I believe we're screaming out for it..So lets not create tension between the codes, Rather lets discuss the topic at hand.
Lets make it a Ministry of Passion Topic!

I say lets lobby to be allowed to have bigger flags at the MCG

Lets be free thinking and a little radical.

Thoughts Please ??

[WarrenerraW]

I'm watching it now too - very entertaining game. We could and should have that style of atmosphere but it's not easy to create and I'm not sure it suits our game, but anything is worth a try. The atmosphere created by 'ultras' at european football games is pretty amazing and great to be a part of. It's very organized and everyone in their designated sections gets involved with banner and flag waving and chanting. I for one would like to see the ponsford end turned into a sea of black and white with large banners and flags. We could start a 'Collingwood Ultras' group. A few flares and some friday night hooliganism. This could be one step towards supporters reclaiming their game. Bring it on!

[Neil Appleby]

Me too Joff; I was listening to that and wishing we could replicate it. For whatever reason, the last few years have seen dwindling numbers and loss of atmosphere at our social club end.

Nice result tonight though. To my great surprise, Liverpool did not do the flaky Richmond thing and lose the unloseable.

[RudeBoy]

I'm still pumped after Liverpool's glorious victory.

While I admire your sentiment Joffa, it just won't work, for one main reason. The English terraces are 99 per cent male. It's a totally different dynamic. Still, I like the idea of the large flags and banners.

[Donny]

You can't 'create' passion. It's there or it isn't.

Do you really want the manipulated 'passion' of soccer crowds at the G for Aussie Rules ? Please, no.

[1061]

Carlton hating threads are moved and this soccer thread stays?

[Donny]

Yeah. Valid query. It was a toss-up.

The OP does refer to the Ponny and the MCG - our home ground - so I left it, for now.

[MOTR]

[Brown26]

They're mostly on Talking Carlton now

which has been renamed Sack Mick

-Ben

[John Wren]

why don't they make part of the ground level of the ponny standing room or "active area" only? create a terrace in one bay of the ponny.

[yin-YANG]

Not a fan of big flags at the footy... they look good on TV however when I am at the game I want to see the game and I feel sorry for those caught behind massive flags!

The cheersquad wave flags after a goal etc and that is fine... but those huge flags could only work in a game like soccer where the game is so dull (sorry) a lot of fans just go for the singing, drinking and biffo etc.. and often don't watch the game.

You just have to accept Joffa that Aussie Rules has a different supporting culture to soccer. There are a lot of factors and I think having everyone seated does control the 'mob mentality' and losing yourself in the crowd. The other major thing is Aussie rules games move more quickly in terms of ups and downs. Whereas in soccer you cheer a rare goal and bathe in the glory for much of the game!

[sixpoints]

Perhaps the best comparison is not the English football (soccer), but that of Germany. The German fans have organised themselves into a powerful player in German football. They have a voice that is listened to by the football authorities and they work hard on upholding what they believe to be their 'fan culture'.
They opposed what they believed to be inconvenient starting times to matches. They en masse turned up when they wanted to. Eg the ground is half full at the start, but the rest arrive at the time that suits them.
They also lobbied hard to have standing room sections re-installed. They believed that standing creates a better culture/atmosphere. So again en masse thousands would stand on their seats (many with their back to the game!) in protest. The end result, German football again has large sections of "safe standing" (unlike England). The atmosphere is better than in English games.
Fans recently agreed to make no noise at all for the first 12 minutes of league games. This is because they see themselves as the "12th man" of their team and have a beef over allocations of tickets for away fans at games. So games with 60,000 in attendance began in complete silence and then a deafening roar as all fans cheered in the 12th minute.
The fans also lobbied for a reduction in ticket prices and working with the German FA have almost halved admission prices. The results of better starting times, standing room sections being reinstalled and cheap prices has German grounds packed to the rafters and advertisers/ TV falling over themselves to get involved as it is such great theatre. So the game is booming.
If people think the; atmosphere, timings, lack of standing areas, pricing and force fed cheerleaders etc at our games is not what is wanted, then clearly the answer is to do something.
http://espnfc.com/news/story/_/id/1243312/german-fans-begin-silent-protests?cc=3436

[Member 7167]

Very informative and lets hope that the AFL Fans Assoc can eventually gain this level of support.

My perception is that to date, despite the AFLFA attempting to build momentum the complacency and lack of support by people such as those on this forum makes their job very difficult.

[WarrenerraW]

[Cam]

Half pissed blokes sing at the pub, fight over nothing and are 'passionate' too. The average Aussie male will not sing for long unless they are tanked. You can't have one without the other I'm afraid. I'm sure most of em are plonked at the soccer in Europe as well.