There is nothing in life like witnessing a loud, united and passionate sporting crowd. Whether the specific team is top of the league or facing the possibility of embarrassment, sports fans are essential to the success of a club both on and off the field.
However, once the people turn up it is down to the media and marketing department to build the atmosphere and create a brutal home crowd intensity.
Just recently I have witnessed two brutal home crowd atmospheres from the motherland – Germany.
The first was a Bundesliga football match between Borussia Dortmund and their second placed opponents in VfL Wolfsburg. As much as the actual match was sensational, the brutal home crowd and the atmosphere created before the game was simply stunning.
Before the match started, Dortmund dancers performed in the middle of the pitch to famous German music. Then, 10 minutes before the game started, Dortmund staff situated themselves around the vicinity of the pitch in readiness for the famous tune You’ll Never Walk Alone.
Five minutes before kick-off and the teams were released into the arena. The announcer, however, would only read the first name of each Dortmund player before the 80,467 spectators at the ground would reply with a roar screaming their players’ family names. Then finally at kick-off, a 10-second count down would round down a normal home season game.
Let’s not forget this is a side who are coming second last on the Bunesliga table. Firstly, to pull a crowd like they did and secondly to build an atmosphere like they did is simply extraordinary for a club suffering its worst season for a number of years. The final result (much to the frustration of the BVB fans) was 2-2.
My second brutal home crowd experience in this sporting-mad country was a game of ice hockey between the little town of Iserlohn and Cologne in a massive rivalry match. The game hosted at Iserlohn was again a fantastic atmosphere built by the pre-match entertainment uniting all the Roosters fans as one.
Firstly, approximately 20 minutes before the start of play, Sweet Caroline was played around the stadium, building the atmosphere and tension within the small yet packed arena. After this a giant rooster was blown up, which the team would run through after another big tune – You’ll Never Walk Alone.
The lights would then be turned off as the players ran through the rooster to land in the rink. Like the football, the announcer would again only read the first names of each player and the crowd would respond with the second. After this, the away side would run not through the rooster, but through a normal standing area for spectators, as the brutal home crowd wolf whistled their hated rivals.
It may be no surprise that the final result of the match was 7-1 to the hosts.
After witnessing these two magnificent atmospheres, I have given thought to the home crowd atmospheres created at Australian sporting events.
Many events come to mind that create enormous tension and build up on our sporting calendar. These include the tension before the Melbourne Cup, the national anthem on AFL and NRL grand final day, as well as the last post on Anzac Day in the same codes.
Possibly the build-up to a Boxing Day Test and the build-up to a massive international rugby game could be counted. However, apart from rugby, all these atmospheres are usually built up from supporters from different parties joining together.
There is no doubt the new look Adelaide Oval has built the atmosphere significantly for both Adelaide and Port Adelaide in the AFL. The introduction and instant early success of the Western Sydney Wanderers has also created a dramatic atmosphere at their home games and the new and improved Twenty20 Big Bash League has certainly changed the way in which a home crowd reacts at a cricket game.
Although, are these atmospheres created by the way in which we build-up a match?
I would argue it certainly isn’t. In Australia, we are lucky to have such a passionate and usually knowledgable and sensible sporting crowds, yet it has come to my attention that our crowds should and could be better than what they already are.
The introduction of anthems is a method which is very effective overseas and which could seriously benefit sporting teams. I am not talking about theme songs, but rather chants and metaphors which over time could stand for what the club want to be portrayed as.
There are some examples of this, although their isn’t an example of this at enough sporting clubs in Australia. Port Adelaide and Collingwood come to my mind quickly with Never Tear us Apart and the famous Collingwood chant, and these have both worked fantastically with big home crowds.
In some matches in Australia the announcers do say the first name of each player before the crowd responds with the family name, yet this strategy could be imported in sports such as AFL, cricket and tennis.
After goals in overseas matches within sports such as football, ice hockey and handball, songs are played in which the whole home crowd knows and sings. As well as this, after the song is played the announcer states the goal scorer’s name three times with the crowd echoing.
Team mascots can also be used to attract mostly the younger fans attending the sporting game.
With these ideas in mind I feel it is not as though Australian crowds are poor, rather the way in which an atmosphere at a ground is built-up is.
With the fantastic range of numbers we generally accumulate in a variety of different sports, there is no reason that we cannot build up crowd intensity even further, to build sporting memories that remain with us passionate individuals for a lifetime.
RG_25
Guest
I love spontaneous crowd noise, but I hate how stadium management try to 'whip up the atmosphere' with booming announcements and short bursts of loud music. I recently went to the Hopman Cup tennis at Perth Arena. Before matches and then during every break in play, the stadium PA booms with advertisments, pop songs, crowd giveaways etc. The volume is so loud that it physically shakes you. They use the stadium for rock concerts, so I guess the PA is designed to be very loud and clear. The noise was so loud that I couldn't chat to my neighbour or think clearly. I just sat there, pinned to the chair, paralysed by the noise. So for me, the announcements detract from the atmosphere because I can't reflect on the match, or soak in the tense moments during breaks in play. I am not alone in wanting silence from stadium PA systems, here are some articles I found: http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/quiet-i-cant-hear-myself-think-20120518-1yvty.html http://www.bigpondsport.com/fans-know-when-to-cheer/tabid/91/newsid/72295/default.aspx But, as The Magic Man said about the Big Bash, kids seem to love it! Usually at a night session of the tennis, you will see bored kids who are either falling asleep or begging to go home. But this year the kids were pumped - screaming, dancing and singing along, even to the advertisments. I guess if you try and concoct the atmosphere using the stadium speakers, then it will be a trade-off between pleasing children vs. pleasing adults. In 2015 Australia, stadium organisers choose to appeal to kids by playing short, loud blasts of music at ADHD pace. This inevitably means that adults will have less 'quiet contemplation'. Will, I think your article proposes a different approach, where the fans organically build the atmosphere through singing or chanting etc. If the fans get this right, then hopefully the atmosphere will please both the adults and the kids. But stadium management should silence the PA system, and let the fans make noise when the moment is right.
Adam Smith
Guest
Will I think you're just jelly, mmmkay...
AR
Guest
I think it's also relevant to acknowledge that whilst Australian crowds may be less parochial (and certainly less organised) than other countries, we are arguably the fairest. Now, people may argue that's a good or a bad thing. But at the Australian Open, every year, the players comment on how the local crowd is among the best and fairest in the world. The spectators applaud not just the local player, or the most popular player - they applaud good tennis. The Melbourne crowd is often referred to as "the most knowledgable crowd" in tennis. I think that's a good thing. At the US Open, the crowd boisterously cheers for the American players, and rarely anyone else. Same applies at the golf in the States. Of course, it's all varying degrees, as local support can easily give way to blind parochialism. In Chile, the Australian Davis Cup players contended with having mirrors shone in their eyes every time they served. At the World Cup, Russia was bundled out after the Russian goalkeeper had a laser shone in his eyes moments before Algeria scored. Other more extreme examples can lead to violence, such as Serbia v Albania recently. So there's degrees of 'good ' and 'bad' - and while we can probably get off our backsides a little more, I think generally we're pretty good.
nickoldschool
Roar Guru
Great post AZ, and some very valid points too from AR, the bush and mushi. And yes I agree that our very comfortable lifestyle, relative absence of tensions (economic, social etc) means we are probably not as passionate as others elsewhere as we are used to this kind of numbness. It took me a while to enjoy it but I have to say it is a very comfortable feeling detached (and slightly indifferent) from reality, whats 'really' happening (in the world, on a football/rugby field) etc. Imo there is nothing wrong with being like that as long as we are aware of it. No we aren't the 'sports mad nation" we think we are, and do not have "such a passionate and usually knowledgable and sensible sporting crowds" as the author says.
The Magic Man
Guest
The kids love the Big Bash Rocco... and the crowd numbers, no matter how manufactured they seem are clearly pushing up towards the super side of unexpectedly awesome. Look, I understand no one is attempting to jump the fence and bash the on field playing talent... but I guess if that's the only downside, then all is not lost for Cricket Australia and the BBL.
Rocco75
Guest
I'm not trying to denigrate the supporter culture in Australia, but I find the T20 Big Bash to be the worst when it comes to manufacturing atmosphere and engagement. Perhaps because the people who go and watch the T20 have no strong affiliation with the franchises. well that's what I have found when compared to AFL, NRL and A-League. T20 has that exhibition game feel to it.
AZ_RBB
Guest
Yeah I agree. I'm not trying to say there is a right and wrong way to show strong sporting culture. In Europe, ultras/active support is their way of creating that culture. You sum up the US culture quite well. But for them it goes beyond that with the culture involving tailgating, student sections, marching bands and noise levels beyond belief. All of this is often unrelated to success. This morning I watched Dallas win only their second playoff game in 18yrs yet they are one of the biggest teams in world sport. But for a nation of 23 million spread across a vast continent, we do fairly well. I think active support will grow in the coming years across all sports. The US way has been institutionalised over many decades and is almost unattainable here. At the very least I would like to see more teams keep attendances and atmosphere up during lean times.
Shaun
Guest
Why can't I just sit there and enjoy the contest for what it is? Why do we have to manufacture an 'atmosphere'? Seriously, I work my guts out all week and look forward to rolling up, settling back with a few ales and enjoying the game. I don't have an issue with applauding and cheering for something special (stood and clapped and yelled for 20 minutes after S. Waugh's final ball of the day century against the Poms at the SCG) but carrying on for no apparent reason is not my idea of fun.....
AR
Guest
Good post AZ. Historically, in many parts of the world attending a sporting event was, as you say, escapism. (Mostly) young disenfranchised men could come together, away from their lives, and feel powerful, part of something, and be recognised...even feared...if only for a couple of hours a week. The US experience is slightly different, in that Americans are actually raised as cheerleaders. This culture is honed at Highschool, becomes professional at College, and is big business family entertainment in Pro sports... and even politics. In Australia life is very different, and so is our national personality. The overarching attitude to life here has a laid-back quality ingrained into it - hardly something that makes people want to shout about. Also, our spectator behaviour was historically informed by sports like cricket, golf, tennis and rugby - seemingly benign spectator experiences compared to the organised active support of modern football around the world. Whilst I think we can do 'better' for some national events, I don't feel we need to copy other countries to ensure we "measure up". I also don't think that the support at the rugby needs to be identical to the support at the soccer, or the tennis. The sports are different, the ebb and flow of the games are different, the experiences are different. What we don't want is a dull experience. If you attend sport you should not only see and hear the atmosphere - but feel it. That's the challenge to administrators and patrons - to engage in the moment, come together, and create a lasting, powerful, unified experience. And that can be silence, as well as deafening roar.
The Bush
Roar Guru
Each to their own. I certainly agree that Australian's need a chill-pill when we talk about being the most sports obsessed people on the planet - as you say, supporters from lots of places around the world are just as passionate. Having said that, I don't see why things like "active" support(ers) is "better" or "proves" that others are more passionate. Personally I find a guy who doesn't watch the game and instead faces the other way screaming into a loudspeaker a very odd way to enjoy sport. I also don't understand why people need all this extra entertainment at a game - if you're only going for the singing and dancing, then go to a nightclub. But like I said, each to their own.
mushi
Roar Guru
Not sure if that is cultural cringe after all you are saying that because we live a somewhat comfortable and egalitarian society and that down plays our need to seek success and value vicariously from our sports teams. I can’t see the way we support sports teams getting "better" without cultural and economic change that personally I think would be a hefty sacrifice for having a more entertaining experience at the ground.
AZ_RBB
Guest
I may be accused of cultural cringe here but I feel strongly about this opinion. Australia, for all its self-proclamations of being a 'sporting nation', in reality lacks sporting culture. In our own right, yes it is wonderful that so many different sports are popular here. But when you compare the way we support sport and sporting teams compared to what you see in the examples given in the article as well as those across Europe, North America and South America, we aren't even close. Going to a sporting event in Australia involves little more than arriving at your seat, applauding good play, swearing at the referee and then leaving, Across the rest of the world you see stadiums singing together, putting on pre-game visual displays and overall creating an extravaganza at each game day. Part of this may have to do with our comfortable lifestyle. We have little to escape from. For a lot of the world, sport is escapism. For most of us it's purely entertainment. The growth of active support in the A-League has brought along some change but there still a long way to go before we have much at all to brag about.
strayan
Guest
the "colling-woood" chant was copied from the "eagles" chant by the west coast supporters who have been doing it for yonks