This weekend, as we sit down on our ‘comfortable’ plastic tip-up seats, with a retractable roof protecting us from Melbourne’s perpetually fickle weather outside, accessing the free Wi-Fi on our phones to check the bank balance after ordering a lukewarm pie and a watered down beer, let’s remind ourselves that it wasn’t always like this.
There was a time when seats, if they existed, were wooden and hard and left the odd splinter in your numb backside. Where leaky grandstand roofs may have kept the rain out but offered no protection from the howling wind that tore through your duffle coat. The beer was full strength, as was the language and the toilets. Well, let’s not even go there.
Sounds bloody awful doesn’t it?
Looking back there were parts of the suburban football ground experience that were, shall we say, less than ideal, and things did need to change. But have we gone too far the other way? As you settle down at Telstra or Etihad or whatever it’s called this week for a match where you have genuinely forgotten if it’s your club’s home game or not, it’s time to reminisce about an era when that was never in doubt.
For all their faults these grounds had soul. They had character, and characters. They had identity. They had quirks. They had stories. But most importantly they were home. So let’s go around the grounds of past days, starting off this week with the club everyone loves to hate, Collingwood, and Victoria Park.
Victoria Park was a place akin to Mordor, where the local orcs would don their black and white scarves and leave their black and white houses to take the short walk to the ground beneath a sky of industrial smog emanating from the factories nearby.
It was from these factories in the staunchly working class suburb of Collingwood that the Magpies drew their support. These were tough men doing tough work and Saturday afternoon was the one time of the week they could ‘let off some steam’. It were these fans that gave Victoria Park its reputation as the most intimidating venue in the league.
And intimidating it was, the away support here was always much less than at other grounds across the city. Only the most committed, brave or some may say stupid supporter turned up in the opponent’s scarf or beanie. Stories even abound that during close finishes some of those said supporters secretly hoped their team would lose so as not to incur the wrath of the Magpie hordes afterwards.
This was a place where you swayed with the action on the terraces such was its cramped nature. Where those of smaller stature would stand on two full beer cans in an attempt to see at least some of the match. There was no nipping off for a quick pie or drink here either, once you had your place on the terrace that was it for the next three hours.
Empties rolled around your feet, the air was fresh with the aroma of cigarette smoke and stale beer breath and the sound of every profanity known to man, with a few unknown ones thrown in for good measure. It was rough and it was tough and you went home feeling as though you had played a match yourself.
The players didn’t have it easy though either. The opposition player’s race emptied the team onto the turf right in front of the famous Sherrin Stand at the railway end of the ground. For generations this was where some of the more vocal and famously one-eyed Collingwood supporters sat. Imagine for a minute the Manchester United team emerging from underneath the Kop at Anfield and you will get an idea of some of the abuse that was dished out here.
This was the end the ‘Pies preferred to attack in the last quarter and rightly so, as it always seemed as though they had a two or three-goal breeze behind them when they were kicking that way. Then win, lose or draw the players had to endure the infamous cold showers in the away dressing rooms. For some reason Collingwood never did manage to get those pesky things fixed.
So there you go, Victoria Park, on and off the ground it was hostile, it was intimidating and it was certainly not for the faint of heart. But it was what made it Collingwood. The tight terraced streets surrounding the ground, the old factories, the black, the white.
Don’t get me wrong, beating Collingwood anywhere, anytime is a fantastic feeling whether it be at Docklands, the ‘G, heck even on the moon.
But nothing can surpass the feeling of going behind the lines, deep into enemy territory and returning home with those four, oh so precious, points from Victoria Park. Even if you only let out a celebratory cheer and mini fist pump once in the relative safety of Flinders Street Station.
Floyd Calhoun
Guest
Even though I'm a Richmond man, that's good stuff. Footy the way it used to be.
Fond memories of Vic Park
Guest
My bad; Gordon Coventry was the Pies goal kicking machine not brother Syd who captained the side.
Fond memories of Vic Park
Guest
I remember well in days of yore, the palpable feeling of excitement when as a young teenage Orc, our Hurstbridge line train approached the epicentre of Orcdom on match day during the late 1960’s; Victoria Park station in Abbottsford. These were salad days for Pies supporters, when our team would challenge for the ultimate prize on no less than six occasions during a decade plus one seasons, and despite never managing to hoist the cup aloft on that one day in September, we remained ever hopeful as one. Alighting quickly from the train, it was our practice to assemble on the corner of Turner and Lulie streets sometime around 11am, in order to buy a ticket, hurriedly pass through the nearby turnstiles and secure a [standing room] position in the RT Rush stand, as close as possible to the newly erected Sherrin stand, in time to view the day’s hostilities beginning with the ‘seconds’ Only in later years did we manage to avail ourselves of such amenities as seasons tickets, newly installed pre-paid seats and ultimately full membership of the mighty Magpies football/social club. At that point in time it was still possible, albeit with a bit of squeezing through the crowds and excuse me’s, to buy a piping hot Four n’ Twenty pie and [as the years wore on] icy can of Victoria Bitter with relative ease; despite the seeming incongruity of consuming cold beverages in such Wintery conditions, and all of this without having to secure a line of credit from the local banker. The bone numbing cold and sometimes icy winds, which often beset Saturday afternoons in the grip of a Melbourne Winter, did little to deter Pies supporters, who happily endured the conditions as the ground filled to its capacity of up to 30,000 souls, in order to fete our heroes. This was an age of Magpie champions, when a mop topped, would be singer/television personality named McKenna regaled the Magpie army, with the thrilling spectacle of him kicking more than 10 goals on thirteen occasions throughout his career, achieving now unheard of sky scraper season tallies of 143, 134 and 130 goals during 1970-1972, including a bag of 16 goals 4 behinds against the Swans during season 1969, when McKenna whose weapon of choice was a drop punt executed with laser like accuracy, unleashed a prodigious spiral torpedo from the wing at Vic Park directly in front of the Ryder stand, which flew through the goals much to the delight of the assembled members throng. The atmosphere at the ground was electrifying and intimidating for Pies supporters and the opposition respectively, as the chant went up for Magpie legends; Thommo, McKenna, Price, Richardson, Greening and later the mercurial Carman, whose white boots and indefatigable bravado were to write another chapter in Magpie history, when during an away game against the Saints at Moorabbin round 19 of 1975, ‘Fabulous’ Phil dominated proceedings, kicking 11 goals and sparking a 6-goal burst in the dying minutes of the game to seize victory for the Pies. The old Vic Park was hardly a showpiece of engineering, with the roof of the Bobby Rose stand [originally named after Magpie goal kicking legend Syd Coventry] requiring replacement in order to rectify leaks resulting from shoddy workmanship during its construction in 1959, and when the heavens opened the playing surface became a sea of mud, prior to the installation of industrial strength plumbing during 1980-81, and subsequent enlargement of the field by some 15 metres at the Eastern end during 1983; making it one of the then largest playing surfaces in the competition. By the time that the Pies ultimately achieved a gut wrenching, 32 year drought breaking premiership win during season 1990, the writing was already on the wall for the grand old lady Vic Park, with the number of games being played there that year reduced to seven. The post-match premiership celebrations at the ground were unparalleled, and continued through Saturday night only to resume the following day, as the gates were flung open to accommodate the boiling seething mass of Magpie faithful who more than filled the playing surface. Nine years later it was all over for Vic Park, with the Pies suffering a demoralising 42-point final round loss at their home ground to the Brisbane Lions, compounded by the ignominy of winning the wooden spoon for only the second time in the proud history of the club. Nowadays with the RT Rush stand demolished along with sections of the perimeter fencing and other decrepit former facilities, Vic Park provides an amenity for the local community and sometime VFL venue. The ground which served as Magpie headquarters for 107 years until 2007, sits as something of a ghost of its former self, patiently waiting for the return of the Magpie legions shouting COLLINGWOOD, COLLINGWOOD, COLLINGWOOD; which sadly will never come.
Rob
Guest
Went there twice in the later years... Saw the pies beat the eagles and then the crows pipped them by a point in the second game - don't barrack for the pies but loved every minute of it... This article brought back some good memories - can't wait to read the rest!
bryan
Guest
The problem is,that the old VFL was a suburban competition,just like the old WANFL in WA,but it got too big for it's boots & became the AFL. Wanting to have their cake & eat it,too,they kept all the old teams,& added Interstate ones. The upshot was a disruption of the old routine,as extra games had to be fitted in,somewhere. Everything conspired to make the idea of several central venues attractive. In WA,new AFL teams were formed,& the (now) WAFL was not disrupted,(apart from losing good players),continuing to play out of suburban venues. The WCE & Dockers played home games at Subi,which didn't clash with the occasional WAFL need for that stadium. Many of the old venues are still there,& you can watch Footy in them. Of course,East Perth are gone from Perth Oval (now NIB Stadium),moving to the old enemy's home at Leederville Oval,with West Perth moving from there to Joondalup. So if you have a yearning for retro-footy ,come to WA & go to a WAFL game !!
Joanna
Roar Rookie
I love this, your writing placed me smack bang in the middle of Vic Park, I'm unsure if I should thank you for that or not...
brendan dower
Roar Rookie
I agree but disagree Slane. The majority of clubs in big cities around the world have outgrown their neighbourhoods however they still manage to remain in them, with grounds to call their own. This is the case here in London, in Buenos Aires, Madrid etc. Playing at a centralised ground that everyone shares would be unthinkable. Home ground advantage is still cherished around the world, this is not the case in Melbourne anymore and I do think that's a shame. However I do agree that certain matches are simply too big for the old grounds and those matches belong at the MCG, the blockbuster games are special there, although I still can't see the benefit of Footscray or St Kilda playing GWS or Fremantle for example at Etihad. Half full stadium, poor atmosphere, an opposition who plays at the ground a few times a season and to top it off the home team losing money on the day! These home grounds were great levellers also- I'm sure Freo would be less comfortable going to Moorabbin or the Whitten Oval than playing under a roof at Etihad.
slane
Guest
The teams outgrew the suburbs that spawned them. Everybody has a team but only a fraction of those supporters live in the community around their old home grounds. Makes more sense to have an easily accessible ground at a central location.
lester
Guest
Great article. AFL became incredibly boring when they got rid of the home and away atmosphere and is a major reason why i quickly lost interest. It all just feels incredibly fake and stale at games now, there is no intimidating home atmosphere and a good bit of tradition worth keeping was lost. I'd imagine if you asked all of London's football teams to play out of Wembley then the same would happen. I don't care for all the fancy modern stadium nonsense, give me the proper atmosphere that the terraces brought.
Gurudoright
Guest
My best mate lived across the road from Victoria Park about 10 years ago. Every time I flew down and stayed there, after a night on the town and few beers under our belts we used to jump the fence and have a game in the dark. Good times. I know the Collingwood and Fitzroy police station have an annual game against each other there, kitted out in the magpies and old Fitzroy jerseys
Gyfox
Guest
In the 80's Collingwood had plans to expand & improve facilities at Vic Park. They bought all the houses in Abbot St with a view to doubling the size of the old grandstand, & were interested in making the local school part of their redeveloped headquarters. They had plans to expand the Outer Stand all the way to the scoreboard. This would have made Vic Park one of the best suburban grounds & was only possible because the Football Club managed the ground, not the cricket club (as with most other VFL grounds). However the local council became antagonistic to the Football Club. As with a lot of inner-city areas, trendy professionals moved in who had no interest in football. Led by an ex-Sydney mayor, C/wood Council threatened to kick the Football Club off the ground. I knew one of the councillors at the time. She was happy to get a ticket to the 1990 Grand Final, but wanted to get rid of the Football Club. The Council even had the mayor's live-in boyfriend act as a lawyer against the Club. The deal Eddie got for C/wood at the MCG solved the problem & was a great outcome for the club. Better facilities for members & club functions at home games & also other games at the 'G. Average attendances now 55,000 & membership over 80,000 - & great new facilities at the old Olympic Park. Vic Park is now a nice community oval. All is good!
cm
Guest
Cheers Brendan. Of course money is the issue which makes the central stadiums attractive in our situation... and that's a shame to me... but probably not much that can be done about that. There's a lot of new stadiums in the UK but you are also spoilt for choice when it comes to old charm the further down the ladder you go!
brendan dower
Roar Rookie
Cm it seems you are a kindred spirit and I do agree that unfortunately I think we are in the minority these days. I understand sport is about entertainment, maximising revenue etc but it should also be about history, tradition and soul. And fandom to me, as you have stated, is all about community and that sense of identity and belonging and it was the home grounds that provided these as much as the actual team itself. Great example with the US situation- I think the new retro ballparks are the way forward as they provide character, quirks and proper home ground advantage whilst still providing all the amenities the modern sports fan seems to need/want. Another example of where they have got it right are the football grounds in Germany, once again new and modern but utilising safe standing areas to create a bit of that atmosphere of old. I live in the UK now and many fans here still pine for their old grounds. As they say 'it might have been a shithole, but it was our shithole'. .
cm
Guest
Just a comment on the article, and I chance you could add a few photos in your other installments and possibly a bit more on the physical features of the ground? Good read all the same - thanks!
cm
Guest
To me it's a bit about what you follow a team for. It makes less sense to me without the sense of belonging and community, and an idiosyncratic home, that is YOUR home, is part of that. I love the sense of community you get through making your way through suburban streets as more and more fellow fans join you, the feeling that you are not a customer but part of something else. You get that less at a big central venue. You know that the next day there'll be a new set of customers. I tend to think that I'm in something of a minority but I also enjoy a bit of decrepitude (character, I call it). History seeping through brickwork and wood. And i can't for the life of me work out why you need free wifi and massive screens and the ability to order food to your seat and advertising at 200 decibels.... what's the point? Stay at home and save your money for goodness' sake. In the US they went through a phase of cookie cutter stadiums designed for multiple tenants. But they've gone back to purpose built venues that are jam packed with personality and a real sense of place, while making sure to add on modern conveniences, keeping everyone happy. I'm not from Melbourne so didn't get to see these grounds in their prime in the flesh. Sydney still has a few and I'm making the effort to get round to them before it's too late. I've been to the VFL at Victoria Park and I remember more about that afternoon than I do about the afl match attended at the mcg the same weekend! It might have been more or less empty but the ghosts were impressive...