Roast The WCE Subi Experience

[Carbine Chaos]

Apologies if some of these points have been raised in the past, but given I don't attend many games, I was shocked by how lame the experience was.

First of all, the crowd. I have been to local footy games with more atmosphere than that. I understand the crowd being deflated late when we were being pumped, but the start of the game was so quiet and flat that you could have heard a pin drop. It was pathetic. Compare it to the noise levels and excitement you get at Dockers games and it is even more humiliating.

The average age must be about 50. Surrounded by a bunch of old fogies who shook their heads when I yelled and tried to get into the game, half had their headsets in and just sat there for the whole game. It may sound incredibly harsh but the games will be much more fun when the generational changeover is complete at the new stadium.

The general lack of knowledge from the crowd was staggering. The lady behind me was very harsh on 'Xavier Clarke' all night, especially when he was subbed out for 'Tony Hill'.

What's the Eagles name? Rick? That s**t they had him doing at 3/4 time on the big screen was laughable. Dancing like an absolute dick and making an absolute fool of the brand.

'GO EAGLES GO' had about as much success as playing hip hop at an old folks home.

As for the cheer squad, they were easily drowned out by the Norf counterparts for the whole night. The one time they tried for more than one minute to pump up the crowd was at the start of the 4th, when the game was gone, but the fearless leader obviously got tired from all that banging after 20 seconds and gave up.

It honestly felt like amateur hour. Nothing about the night got me excited for the game and while I was there, the atmosphere was more like a funeral than a football game. Won't be upset if I don't return this year because it was a pretty horrible night.

Security walking up and down my row every two minutes didn't do much to add to the welcoming feel either.

/rant

So what can we do to improve the match experience? Can we actually get some decent pump up music? Get a mascot who looks better and doesn't prance around like a twat? Any ideas?

 

[larrikin]

Some valid points.

Have to admit I did prefer attending Eagles games in Melbourne, even though we did lose most of them for the 5 years I was there.

 

[russ]

couldnt agree more. it is a horrificaly lame experience. no crowd intensity, the 'eagles' clap clap clap chant is worn out & embarrassing and quite pathetic actually, the crowd is reactive instead of proactive and is generally full of clueless knobs, our cheer squad well just take 1 look at them and make your own minds up, mid strength cups of beer at 7.50 a pop, shithouse food, much prefer watching on telly these days with a fridge full of full strength and the comfort of my own amenities

 

[russ]

and agree with larrikin, much prefer going to an away fixture

 

[Scotland]

Yeah, the atmosphere at Freo games when they meekly lose by 7 goals is electric.

 

[Carbine Chaos]

Yeah, the atmosphere at Freo games when they meekly lose by 7 goals is electric.

Been to a Freo game lately? Never been to one where they have been as quiet as our fans were at the start of the match last night.

As I said, if you're getting belted it is understandable if the crowd is off. But at the start of a big night game?

 

[W.C. Fry]

Yeah its so lame. Its like its targetted to kids under 10 years old. Wait.....

Took my 4yo son to his second ever game. He perked up when he was able to see Rick or when he could wave his flag when we kicked a goal.
Thank god for Rick else he would have been asleep by 3 quarter time.

 

[Biggie]

Scotland I understand what you're saying, however the atmosphere at Subi is awful, even at the starts of games. Then when momentum swings against us, oh dear..

CANNOT wait for the new stadium, hopefully there will be new blood in those seats.

 

[Pat_Footy]

If you don't go with a few of your own mates to Subi, it's awful. The oldies are so routine driven, you'll get abused if you get into the game.

 

[W.C. Fry]

What's the Eagles name? Rick? That s**t they had him doing at 3/4 time on the big screen was laughable. Dancing like an absolute dick and making an absolute fool of the brand.

To be fair, nothing Rick did at 3 quarter time did anything to damage the brand as much as the other 22 dicks did earlier.

 

[Dusky]

Come to a Storm game at AAMI if you want atmosphere

 

[lyall]

To be fair, nothing Rick did at 3 quarter time did anything to damage the brand as much as the other 22 dicks did earlier.

And at least Rick isn't doing it on live TV

 

[Spoon_Man]

If you don't go with a few of your own mates to Subi, it's awful. The oldies are so routine driven, you'll get abused if you get into the game.

Totally agree. The oldies just sit there with their old school headset radios, footy record and a blanket. They offer nothing in terms of cheering and hardly clap for a goal (too busy trying to enter the scorer into the footy record). FFS, you can do that sh*t at home... And then you get the death stares when you try to get loud.

 

[TheGhostOfJohnBelushi]

It's been that way for years. Since the 90s. The crowd is definitely a take it for granted breed.

I went to the game against Carlton in 2006. The crowd was pathetic until late in the 3rd quarter. I went off my tit, yelling, "C'mon, let's do our job and inspire the boys." But nothing. Middle aged to elderly men and women in their 90s bomber jackets just sitting with ther arms folded. When the team came storming home, the noise was amazing. Almost the best I've ever been to. But for over a half of football, one of the worst.

And Subi, the ground itself, can be awesome when the crowd is pumped. Went to a WA v Allies SOO game in 97ish (where Cummings starred). Small crowd but infinitely way better atmosphere than an Eagles home game of the time.

The first international rules game here also was an amazing atmosphere.

Our home crowd is seriously crap and even when the team is going well, it's just polite clapping rather than awe-inspiring noise. So complacent and while it's not the only factor in our side doing s**t, it doesn't help either.

 

[Cuzdup]

Got dragged to a dockers game about a year ago and I must admit, those guys know how to have fun.

The last time I went to an eagles game some dickhead eagles fan was laying into a saints fan and then went up to security and had a young girl kicked out. Poor girl did nothing wrong.

Watched the game on tele last night and shook my head when I saw the old women clapping and cheering the boys as they left the ground when they needed to be heckled and abused

 

[TheGhostOfJohnBelushi]

Another thing, the entertainment is seriously lacking. Piss pretty much all of it off and do something better to get people pumped. Who seriously cares about Wolfmother going into a crappy countdown clock? The club song needs to be overhauled as well, it's just so meek and doesn't get anyone excited and proud.

 

[lewigie]

Rick the Eagle is a boss

 

[TheGhostOfJohnBelushi]

Oh, and I should also add. I took my son to a pre-season game last year and was disgusted by literally a crowd of cigarette smokers outside the ground. You couldn't walk past them without inhaling a butt tonne of smoke. There was simply no way to avoid it.

I emailed Subi, and both the Eagles and Dockers about it. Only the Dockers admin bothered replying to me.

Our club seriously cannot give two hoots about the supporters. But that's another issue.

 

[The Dodger]

I don't know if its the huddling masses queuing for food or the toilet or just the soviet style cement feeling to the place but it is shiite. The crowd are oldies who barely manage a "cmon Eagles" and their knowledge of player names is horrific.

Then you see the shiite that is served up on the field...

and yes the SGIO thing is perhaps the stupidest marketing idea I have heard. Slightly beats the fake crowd noise through the speakers just before the bounce.

 

[mattsea]

I agree with this.

The problem is that most people who attend the games at Subi are members. And the only way you get to be a member is either by sitting on a waiting list for 5 years or by signing up in 1989 or thereabouts. So most members are people who've been going for 20+ years and are araldited to the spot. A lot of them take the footy for granted. There's not a heap of enthusiasm.

 

[jaxxon]

What, you guys don't enjoy watching people stack milk cartons?

 

[Scotland]

Scotland I understand what you're saying, however the atmosphere at Subi is awful, even at the starts of games. Then when momentum swings against us, oh dear..

CANNOT wait for the new stadium, hopefully there will be new blood in those seats.

I don't think the atmosphere is anything special at all, and to be honest a lot of our members are just embarrassing - but people get carried away when comparing us to the crowds of other teams. I've been to plenty of Freo games, as well as footy games outside Perth plus other sports in Perth and elsewhere. You'd think Freo home games were like Anfield before and during Liverpool vs Manchester City a month or two back. They aren't.

Remember when we beat Geelong and North? According to the Scott sisters our crowd is the most parochial in the country. Subi Oval is not somewhere you want to bring your children! Fast forward and we're playing like arse again and we're back to being champagne sipping theatre goers who only clap if Naitanui takes mark of the year. FFS.

 

[Wosh]

The stadium is jaded, the supporters are jaded and the players are jaded. It wasn't that long ago that Subi was awesome fun to go to..it will be again. Well, hopefully the new stadium will be..but I'll believe that's actually being built when I sit in it.
I go to all the games in Melbourne, love it here..a big vocal following and its fun being the minority.

When we win.

 

[mick06]

The only time the crowd gets excited is ifs a night game its close and 2 minutes to go. Other than that scenario its a snore fest. Unless naitanui handballs it and the grannys get wet.

 

[WCEFan81]

I went to my first Freo game the other week, Pav's 300, and the crowd were buzzing from the warmups before the match. They were cheering the players on, giving the players encouragement and the players were responding to it. All before the game had even started. During the game, it was electric and loud. How it should be when going to the footy.
Compared to my last Eagles game that I could manage to get to, against Port. The crowd was flat, silent, boring. The "entertainment" was lame as s**t. When Darling kicked that goal off a deflection in the goal square, I went nuts, jumped off my seat and pumped the air and cheered like a crazy man. When I looked around, I was the only one standing, and everyone else was sitting on their fat arses giving a pathetic clap. It was embarrassing to be an Eagles fan. The guy to my right was more interested in his iPad, and the guy to the left was the most irritating moron I've ever encountered. Complained every possession, every single possession, and he couldn't even get the right players names right.
Can't wait for the new stadium to be built, hopefully by then we have a new supporter base that actually wants to see and cheer on our boys, and boo the opposition