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Here is a review of the latest in the AFL this week.
I’ll call it, the AFL Three.
1. The cost of a bucket of chips
When Gillon McLachlan was announced as Andrew Demetriou’s successor as AFL CEO, he did his utmost to distance himself from his mustard jacket-wearing, polo-playing, son-of-South-Australian-pastoralist-royalty, blue-blood image and show that he was in touch with the common man.
It was much the same way Jeff Kennett tried to show he was a man of the people. When he became Hawthorn president he told the story of his dad taking him to Glenferrie Oval, where they stood on the wing, in urine from the overflowing toilets, among all the other “bogans”.
Gillon stepped up to the plate, so to speak, and declared that $6.60 for a bucket of chips at an AFL game was just too steep.
Well, not to nitpick, but the AFL’s main ground, the MCG, doesn’t actually sell buckets of chips. They are in fact boxes of chips, but we shall let that slide. Much like the ‘Big Mac Index’ comparing the price of Big Macs from countries around the world, it is time football fans around Australia started a ‘Bucket of Chips Index’. We need to help out Gil in his quest for more affordable footy food.
So calling all footy fans on The Roar – it matters not which code, what level or where in the country – tell us how much a bucket, box or whatever other container of chips costs where you go to the footy. Together we can build the ‘Stadium Appropriate Container of Chips Index’.
To kick things off for Gil here is the first entry into the ‘Chip Index.’ Richmond played Geelong in the VFL on the weekend at Punt Road Oval, just a couple of drop punts from the MCG. The cost of chips there? Five dollars for a tray and you could get a full strength VB or Carlton Draught can for $5 too. Food and drink for thought, but let’s take it one step at at time for Gil – chips first, then beverages.
Andrew Demetriou couldn’t hlep but get his opinion in about the cost of food at the footy. The outgoing CEO suggested that if fans didn’t like the cost of food at the footy they should bring their own from home. Hmm, it seems fans have been choosing to do something along similar lines due to another contentious cost issue – variable ticket pricing. With crowds down compared to last season, noticeably at some marquee matches, it seems the public has been following a Demetriou-esque mantra of, “If you don’t like the cost of a ticket to the footy, stay at home”.
2. AFL in Canberra
There were some low, low numbers at Canberra’s Manuka Oval, sorry, Star Track Oval, on Saturday for the Giants versus Power game. The crowd was a paltry 6,549, the temperature was a brisk eight degrees and the water in the showers was even cooler according to Port Adelaide’s Kane Cornes.
Cornes called on Gil McLachlan to fix the hot water service as his first point of business – doesn’t he realise Gil has to fix the price of chips first?
At least the playing surface was in better condition than for the Giants’ first game at the venue in April against the Western Bulldogs. The shifting surface resembled a giant sand pit due to late-season cricket commitments. Perhaps the AFL should take a closer look of when they fixture games and against who (some big Melbourne based clubs with a fan following in Canberra might be an idea). It would be a good idea if they want to make a success of the Giants’ 10-year deal to play four games per season in the nation’s capital.
3. Star Wars
From Star Track Oval to Star Wars, there were some unusual sights in AFL circles last week. Star Wars characters were turning up to AFL training sessions and press conferences and the highpoint was Saturday night’s Essendon versus Western Bulldogs game.
The players ran out to a guard of honour of Stormtroopers, and Stormtroopers and Darth Vader were on hand to pose with Auskick kids at half time. The AFL even released Star Wars-themed club merchandise during the week.
The explanation for all this?
Well, Sunday was May the Fourth – International Star Wars Day. If I knew more about Star Wars I could make suggestions about which Star Wars character would be best suited to each club. But I don’t, all I know is that there is seemingly no bounds on how the AFL will sell out.
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