Saints to light up the dome

Whitebluestripes

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Lol AFL

Saints to star in footy light show
Stephen Rielly | April 5, 2007

EVERY football club seeks the spotlight, St Kilda appears to want a new stage.

Inspired by the animated tribalism which made so many of Melbourne Victory's biggest games at Telstra Dome over the summer a boisterous experience richer than the actual play itself, the Saints are expected to introduce a series of theatrical touches to their first night home game, against Carlton in round six on May 4.

Darkening sections of the ground, if not the playing surface, to bring a stage-like focus to important moments in the game or to encourage greater crowd interaction during breaks or quieter moments in the game have been considered, as has the idea of a limited form of crowd segregation which, if agreed to, would be to encourage fans to mass in their colours and share in the experience of being united against the opposition.

It is understood that thought has been given to highlighting goal-kickers or huddles by dimming lights in parts of the ground and brightening them in others.

St Kilda president Rod Butterss first spoke with the AFL about the concept of creating a spectacle-like football-going experience last November.

The positive response he received then led him to discuss in January the idea with Channel Seven and Telstra Dome, specifically the stadium's chief executive Ian Collins, who had also been impressed by the sense of occasion he witnessed at the A-League champion's bigger matches last year.

"That's where the idea came from. At times during those matches I found myself just watching the crowd which was as much a participant in the experience as the players and the game were. It was fantastic," Butterss said.

St Kilda, the AFL, Telstra Dome and Channel Seven have since had a small committee working on the innovations for round six.

Butterss said the "touches" planned for the game would, at first, be "built around the game but later they may involve the game itself", and he said that logistical issues such as reserved seating might at first make the encouragement for fans of either persuasion to congregate problematic.

"One of the objectives is to create the sort of experience where a young boy or girl will, after being a part of it, nag their parents to come back not merely to see the Saints but to be a part of something bigger than the game itself," Butterss said.

"Our meetings with the AFL and then Channel Seven and Telstra Dome have been really positive and everyone is keen on the idea of producing a new or different type of AFL experience.

"It still has to be footy but we want it to be unique and capable of enhancing the experience, of adding to game."

Butterss said it was not only the at times euphoric spectator experience at Victory games that prompted his consideration of how St Kilda could enhance its matches, but the realisation that heavily coached AFL football is at times offering fewer moments of high drama.

"It's our observation at St Kilda that because the game is becoming more clinical, with fewer one-on-one contests and numbers behind the ball and tempo football, at times that takes away from the spectacle," he said.

"So at those times we need to give our supporters and people at the game another or additional experience.

"And at Telstra Dome we've certainly got more of a staged environment available to us.

"Combine that with the available technology and I think there are some possibilities and ideas worth exploring.

Good work on copying the game you supposedly hate, dont want to emulate, and all. It seems like that "What has better atmosphere" thread has been owned by an AFL man himself saying that quite obviously, soccer has.
 
Sep 9, 2004
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Had to check the date of the article

Sad sad ideas and one unfortunately that the AFL and some muppets on here will embrace as being ''good for football'' and to make it '' more exciting when I watch it at home''

:rolleyes:
 

Groater

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http://www.realfooty.com.au/news/news/saints-to-light-up-dome/2007/04/04/1175366325775.html

Would you as a supporter like to see this happen? Or is it overdramaticisation?

I think it's an ok idea. i like the idea of the supporters not being in so much light, but then again, i don't think the sponsers would be (considering the signs that are plastered all over the one side of the dome for the TV).
Not sure i'd like to see contests be highlighted either, wouldn't it be a distraction for the players???
wouldn't it make harder to study the game more closely?
 
Mar 18, 2003
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http://www.realfooty.com.au/news/news/saints-to-light-up-dome/2007/04/04/1175366325775.html

Would you as a supporter like to see this happen? Or is it overdramaticisation?

I think it's an ok idea. i like the idea of the supporters not being in so much light, but then again, i don't think the sponsers would be (considering the signs that are plastered all over the one side of the dome for the TV).
Not sure i'd like to see contests be highlighted either, wouldn't it be a distraction for the players???
wouldn't it make harder to study the game more closely?
Can't see how it could work during game time, would be a distraction to players.
During huddles maybe.
Might be a ploy to save on the light bill :p
 

Groater

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sorry about that, but i couldn't see it in the headings

Still i reckon the lights being on the ground would give a real sense of focus, and i reckon i'd like that, if only for a novelty.
 

Catteract

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Re: Lol AFL

Had to check the date of the article

Sad sad ideas and one unfortunately that the AFL and some muppets on here will embrace as being ''good for football'' and to make it '' more exciting when I watch it at home''

:rolleyes:

I also thought I must have missed the article on the 1st April.
 

stokesy

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Who do St Kilda think they are? They have only won one premiership. There is no need for them to be putting on a light show. What a ****ing **** idea.

As a Carlton supporter I for one don't want to be attending the game and the lights are flashing on and off and people are carrying on.

In fact, if any club should be flashing lights on and off it should be a club with 16 Premierships.
 
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Who do St Kilda think they are? They have only won one premiership. There is no need for them to be putting on a light show. What a ****ing **** idea.

As a Carlton supporter I for one don't want to be attending the game and the lights are flashing on and off and people are carrying on.

In fact, if any club should be flashing lights on and off it should be a club with 16 Premierships.
Who do you think Carlton are Stokesy? We all know who Carlton are :eek: As a Carlton supporter you should be ashamed rather than bagging StKilda.

Carlton would probably turn the lights off all together..they've cheated before.
 

Z_K

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Bloody hell. This will be up there with Sky Cam.

It's footy. 44 blokes chase a ball, hit each other and try to kick it through two big sticks. People have been watching these events for 100 years. Instead of getting a bloke to play with dimming switch, how about the AFL put together focus group to work out how to stop the gaming sucking balls more often than not?
 

kahuna71

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Worth looking at - and then worth probably rejecting, too.


Exactly right, it'll probably suck and we'll get slammed for doing it but I'm happy my club is an innovator even if some things fail.

Better to be laughed at for trying than to be called *s for thinking that black stripes on white is a clash jumper that's different from white stripes on black.
 

always right

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What about the idea of massing supporters of the one team in the same area? Yes it can look dramatic but why would we ever want to encourage this? By all means continue to mass the cheer squad together (it does us all a favour) but isn't one of the great things we laud over other sports, particularly soccer, is the fact that supporters from both sides sit together. If we go down a path of segragating supporters from each other for dramatic effect, we are on a slippery road. I love the fact that I can sit amongst opposition supporters. Sure it's difficult when you're copping a thrashing but it sure is fun when we're winning which thankfully nowadays is more often than not.

As for the lighting idea, what's next? A spotlight on the player shooting for goal? Imagine how Richo would go with that sort of pressure.:D
 
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What about the idea of massing supporters of the one team in the same area? Yes it can look dramatic but why would we ever want to encourage this? By all means continue to mass the cheer squad together (it does us all a favour) but isn't one of the great things we laud over other sports, particularly soccer, is the fact that supporters from both sides sit together. If we go down a path of segragating supporters from each other for dramatic effect, we are on a slippery road. I love the fact that I can sit amongst opposition supporters. Sure it's difficult when you're copping a thrashing but it sure is fun when we're winning which thankfully nowadays is more often than not.

As for the lighting idea, what's next? A spotlight on the player shooting for goal? Imagine how Richo would go with that sort of pressure.:D
I'm tipping Akers would like his own spotty throughout the game ;)
 

Z_K

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Exactly right, it'll probably suck and we'll get slammed for doing it but I'm happy my club is an innovator even if some things fail.


Not worth being innovators. If it takes off, Collingwood and Essendon will take it over and you will be playing sides lilke Freo on Sunday afternoons with no lights at all.
 
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