The aura and significance of a ‘home game’ has very much diminished in modern times.
Apart from the occasional visit from interstate opposition, the only thing that makes it feel like a ‘home game’ is the fact that we see our team on the left side of the scoreboard.
Regardless of whom the opposition may be, a home game should feel like a home game. There is nothing better as a supporter than walking out of that train station and seeing a sea of people with your colours en route to the game with the one thing on everyone’s mind being the four points.
We as supporters play an integral role for without us there would be no team. Fans have been credited many times for providing unwavering support towards their team embodying the cliché of ‘getting the team over the line’ more often than not.
Having not grown up in the era where every team had their own ground, one can only wonder of the hostility and ardour demonstrated by the home supporters, making it known to the opposition that they were trespassing on home soil.
Since then it has been a blessing that the AFL and society in general have done their best in nullifying the extreme tribalism and trouble that often lingered at these suburban grounds.
Has it come to a stage where a match between two Victorian teams feels more like a neutral game rather than a home or away match?
Unlike many other sporting nations our teams do not own ‘their’ stadiums; this has resulted in ground rationalisation as a means of cost control and the scheduling of games to maximise crowd access.
I am not suggesting for one moment that we bring back the intimidating anti-social standing-room terraces from Victoria Park or Moorabbin but to integrate little things on match day that makes the home team actually feel as though they are playing at home.
Teams outside Victoria may not feel as though this is much to fret about having a side from interstate visit every second week. It really is an incredible sight seeing the home supporters filling the stadium whenever West Coast or Port Adelaide play at their respective grounds.
These supporters have every right to create an atmosphere that is hostile enough to make opposing players and fans quiver. A team from the other side of the country comes to your town to try and take points so why not make it difficult for them?
Playing a side from another state is always good fun regardless of what side of the fence you are on. As a home supporter a greater sense of unity is encompassed being a part of the 99% of supporters at the ground supporting the one team.
Although it can be equally as exciting as an away fan, feeling like a real underdog and making the win and the trip home feel all the more sweet.
The players can only do so much but a full chorus of passionate fans can have such a profound impact during the course of a match.
This can be achieved to greater effect when the opposition is from another state. The problem lies where two teams from the same state face off.
Rationing the grounds in this instance completely diminishes the premise of a home ground advantage. So to resolve this why not have teams play every home game at their listed home ground?
Why is a Collingwood home game against St Kilda set to be played at Etihad giving the away team the home ground advantage?
It is also even more peculiar seeing Carlton host Sydney at the MCG when the two sides meet in Round 6.
Not only will this allow for a potential sell out but every club is also entitled to play their home games at their home ground. It’s common sporting logic.
The same can be said about Geelong.
Geelong should not be playing home games at the MCG. It may hold a few extra seats but is some 100 kilometres from where the team is actually based.
Imagine how incredible that atmosphere would be if Geelong play a home game against Hawthorn at Skilled Stadium as opposed to not only playing this at Hawthorn’s home ground but in a completely different city.
This can also encourage and benefit travelling fans with the allocation for away fans increasing from less to thousand to five thousand should a Hawthorn or Collingwood play in Geelong.
Isn’t it a bit absurd playing a home game at the opposition’s home ground?
Carlton play their home games at Etihad and should not be forced to move to the MCG to play Collingwood to merely fit a bigger crowd in.
This system will almost guarantee a sell out more often than not as well as alleviating the significance of home matches.
Now this is all quite farfetched as AFL always opt for the chance for bigger crowds and clubs have been known to request to play matches at the MCG due to the finals being played there.
Moreover a more plausible suggestion could be to only play the home teams song at the start and end of a match. Why are we hearing the GWS song played at the MCG against Collingwood when there are only 47 travelling fans?
If anything this is what will make it feel like a home game.
The atmosphere and general vibe by nature should be in favour of the home team. Nevertheless this ultimately motivates away supporters to galvanise their team further and go one up on the home fans.
It is understood that the ambience of an AFL match is unique in its own right and vastly contradictory to that of football in Europe, or the NFL in the US.
This does not mean however that we shouldn’t tweak the match day experience to create excitement everywhere you look.
john millsJohngrwat picture og hawthorn
Guest
Great picture of Hawthorn at the start of the article...the team that only has a few away games... but has home games all year..and double advantage home games in tassie..:-).
Leonard
Guest
How to measure crowds across the decades? Answer: averages, not aggregates - averages are the only apples-v-apples measure, independent of how many games, rounds and clubs there are. Remember that: AVERAGES. For two interesting pairs of seasons, look at 1924 + 1925, and 1986 + 1987, in the V-AFL.
Leonard
Guest
"This is also a good argument for a Tasmanian side" - no, it is not. Statistically, demographically, and geographically, there is no single "good argument" for one Tasmanian club. Here's why. Tasmania has about 500,000 people. Good, you say, but about half are in the North and half in the South - separated by 200km of quite empty space. (Victorians, think of your State with half its population in the West centred on Warrnambool or Hamilton, and half in the East centred on Traralgon or Sale, and nothing in between including no Melbourne.) Where would this Tasmanian club go? In the South, a 750 km round trip from Burnie in the NW, but which has the capital? Or in the North, more spread out, but more central for the whole island? Then there's Bass Strait, which is a bit different from the Geelong Rd or the Gold Coast Fwy.
Anthony Broomhall
Guest
Carlton play more games at the MCG than they do at Docklands How would Geelong have to pay the MCG for a crowd of 45000 when the break even figure at the MCG is just over 25000? A lot of this would be heresay if Waverley was retained and modernised along with Optus Oval to a certain extent
Republican
Guest
......all 'clubs' are at the mercy of the corporate dollar today - truth be told.
Leonard
Guest
Didn't find it "soulless" early this century - the view from the front rows of level two was exhilarating if the Bombers were on song and on target. Reckon "soulless" meaningful only in a Forest Gump sort of way.
Brian
Guest
Different culture no tall poppy syndrome over there
Macca
Guest
Not sure he played much of a role in getting us to move (the AFL made it pretty clear staying wasn't an option) but he did get us a reasonable deal to go - it still wasn't great but it was better than the other teams.
Reservoir Animal
Guest
What role do you feel Ian Collins played in getting you to Etihad? There was talk from the start that he was too conflicted to be your President in those circumstances?
Macca
Guest
The blues are already moving more games to the MCG, the play 6 one games at the MCG this year.
Wilson
Roar Rookie
How can Essendon/Carlton change their tenancy? Does anyone have any insight as to whether or not this is possible in the near future? Essendon in particular will be unable to accomodate all of their fans at Etihad should they rise up the ladder and become an on-field success. In 2016, a depleted and last-placed Essendon already had more members than their home ground has seats. Should they crack the top 4 and consistently play footy at or around the top 4 level, I would imagine it will become quite difficult to obtain tickets to Essendon games at Etihad given the inevitable increase in attendances.
Slane
Guest
I know you won't see it this way, Macca, but to everybody else you are just proving my point.
Macca
Guest
Elliott certainly got the Blues offside with the AFL and perhaps if he had been more co-operative they might have helped the blues renovate and stay (although from memory the AFL made some promises to the blues before they built the Legends stand that were then no upheld) but the idea the blues got a worse deal by holding out doesn't stack up.
Reservoir Animal
Guest
St Kilda were silly not to fight harder for the MCG like Hawthorn did- geography stated they should've gone there and like Hawthorn they had been kicked off their home ground and the contract they had to play there. Similarly, if St Kilda had tried as hard as Hawthorn did to make Tassie work for them, they'd be in a better place now. The comparisons between Geelong and Carlton are too big a debate to have here. I'll admit that in some ways you have some valid points with your comparison, but I think in return, you have to admit that Carlton dug their own hole given that their President spent 20 years thumbing his nose at just about every aspect of the AFL's operations, constantly acting like Carlton was bigger than the game.
Macca
Guest
And St Kilda, North & the bulldogs all moved to Etihad before the blues - how much better a deal did they get than Carlton?
Macca
Guest
RA - I wasn't saying the blues were worse off than anyone else, just that it wasn't their choice to leave. My point is that Geelong have benefitted greatly from their "beliefs that it was still the 20th Century VFL" and staying put and getting govt's of all stripes to build them a new stadium. Essendons and Carlton's problem wasn't that they didn't abandon their homes fast enough (after all they both play plenty of home games at the MCG) but that they couldn't find a way to stay.
Reservoir Animal
Guest
Macca, a few points: *Few Melbourne clubs did leave their home ground 'by choice'- they were told by the AFL that suburban grounds were on the way out so they'd better start dealing with it. *Carlton stuck around at their suburban ground longer purely because John Elliott liked thumbing his nose at the AFL. *In 2000 the AFL offered the MCG to Carlton- again John Elliott thumbed his nose. *By 2005 the MCG was taken by clubs who'd had the foresight to move there earlier. Carlton learnt that if you're the last to choose, you'll have less to choose from. Carlton and Essendon- through their own arrogance and beliefs that it was still the 20th Century VFL- have made a lot of mistakes the last 20 years. I'm no Hawthorn fan but they must be laughing at the behaviour of the old "power clubs."
Macca
Guest
Emre Green - the blues didn't leave Princes Park by choice. They invested heavily in a new stand in 1995 (finished in 1997) and by 2005 they played just 1 game there after being pushed out by the AFL. There was no govt or AFL investment being thrown at the blues to redevelop the ground - Etihad had been built and tenant's were needed.
Wilson
Roar Rookie
RA, in just one sentence you have painted a masterpiece. Completely agree. I hope/think clubs like Carlton & Essendon realise their mistakes and make amends moving forward.
Wilson
Roar Rookie
Collingwood has previously floated the idea of building their own stadium and playing there: http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-magpie-stadium-no-pie-in-the-sky-20141124-11ssco.html Furthermore, the AFL has happily spent endless sums on clubs that didn't even exist when the money starting tipping in (Suns/Giants), it frustrates me that they won't spend much on existing cubs, like Brisbane, St Kilda etc etc etc, because they do not deem them to be important enough with regards to their potential for financial profit. Overall, I agree it's an economical issue. But I am speaking as a fan. A fan that does not care about the AFL's profit levels... I care only about maximising the experience for players and fans.