Opinion 'Active Supporter area' to replace Cheer Squad?

[TheFreshBanana]

[mod edit]

The topic of the cheer squad came up during the fan forum, and Ed floated the idea of rejuvenating the cheer squad into what he referred to as an "active supporter area" (not sure that he was sold on the name himself)

Relevant posts from the fan forum thread moved here

[mod edit]


Peter Sidorkiewicz

- Eddie described the active supporter base as more of a cheer squad that is reliable, will turn up to games, won't be doing stupid shit drunk, and will do organised chants, even when we're 3 goals down to 30 points up.
- On the Pendles alternative therapies, I think it was said that he only gets chiropractic done outside of the club. Don't think that says anything about Pendles lack of trust in the medical department.

Other than that, well reported. Got a better memory than me.

They also did touch on the dance troupe (nothing on the kiss cam etc. that I can recall) and Eddie was actually quite defensive about it. They didn't give an absolute answer as to why they do it, but I think it is staying. My impression was that they do it because it's from sponsor requests (to drum up money, to allows memberships to stay at the price freeze) or I think he meant that it's used to get younger kids attracted to coming to the football (or enjoying it). Or it could be both.

 

[PonsfordMagpie]

Peter Sidorkiewicz
- Eddie described the active supporter base as more of a cheer squad that is reliable, will turn up to games, won't be doing stupid shit drunk, and will do organised chants, even when we're 3 goals down to 30 points up.

Personally I haven't reached a clear and decisive position on this idea of a proposed 'active area'. To be honest I'm quite wary of how it will work and I'm fearful that it may backfire and drive passionate supporters out of the Ponsford end if people don't necessarily want to be a part of the active area but nevertheless want to sit in the Ponsford end because they're passionate about the club in general. For example, I'd find it quite difficult to move elsewhere apart from level 1 of the Ponsford end because a lot of my mates sit in the same area as I do and strangely enough it seems like heaps of people know each other around here hence there's a little community that's developed in this area of the ground.

In regards to the idea of an actual 'active supporters' area I think we need more consultation and information about it until we can provide a more informed and rational opinion on this initiative that Eddie is discussing. I like the fact that Eddie acknowledges that the cheersquad is in need of a serious revamp and that we need a buzz in the Ponsford end but I attribute the decline in numbers in the Ponsford end is because of poor team performance especially in the second half of the year and the fact that many don't show up whatever it may be. I also attribute this to crap scheduling of matches this year and some may feel disillusioned about the wider AFL competition which is much more evident this year amongst the average footy supporter. I would be very annoyed if I lost my privilege to sit in the Ponsford end despite attending nearly all Victorian games in this area at the MCG so I'd like to think that those who've attended a certain number of games are entitled to retain their seats at the very least if Eddie wants an overhaul of the area. I hope our membership scans have been kept on record to demonstrate that some of us have sat in this area rain, hail or shine to support the team whether they've played good, bad or ugly football. I know that I've had a whole row to myself at certain times this year as well so my loyalty and passion for the team shouldn't be questioned.

Personally I think the cheersquad needs to be expanded, requires more flags than it does and for crying out loud at least make some noise. The boys up the back do a way better job with chanting and creating passion which always gets the heart pumping when I hear them getting the faithful pumped up. I wouldn't even mind seeing the CS expand a bit into either m31 or m33 if it needs to occur just so we have more floggers and it looks a lot bigger in size and presence.

If the club allowed members who sit in the bottom deck a vote on this right now I'd be voting 'no' based on the current idea that we don't know enough about this 'active supporters' idea. Also I'd hate to see passionate and devoted fans lose their reserved seats in the bottom level of the Ponsford end because other members don't grace their presence at the game regularly and the Cheersquad is unable to do anything about its decline and ineptness to match opposition cheersquads.

I'm open-minded about this but at the moment it's too ambiguous for me to support this initiative despite hearing that the majority were in favour of this initiative last night at the meeting. I'm also a massive fan of soccer (football) but I don't think an 'active supporters' group necessarily works in an Aussie Rules crowd environment as opposed to a soccer crowd environment. Eddie needs to be careful about this as this could result in disillusioned members if they lose their reserved seats in these areas.

 

[Vicky Park]

What is meant by an 'active' supporter area? Colourful, noisy, organised chanting? Bit like the large groups of supporters who sing and chant at the soccer?

Like the idea in principle, but not sure how it would get up, or how the club could ensure it happens. Presumably the current (remnant) cheer squad would form the core. The seats behind the goals would have to be reallocated to the new group. Maybe the club could offer a discounted membership, in tandem with cheaper seats to get this going.

Something needs to happen. The bottom level of the Ponsford looked desolate at some games this year.

 

[Black_White]

By Ed's own definition, this area will be occupied by paid personal.
A bit like a dance troupe that don't have any allegiance to the club, or even the game, but can act in the required way on cue.
Every time the red button is pushed.
If Ed thinks the cheer squad lacks heart, he only needs to look back a few years when he oversaw the gutting of the squad.
The lack of energy the squad displays today is the result of Ed's own good guy policy.
He shouldn't complain.

 

[Gone Critical]

Must say I am very wary about orchestrated support. Our game sells itself on the continuous action and excitement it produces. I watch a bit of soccer and like that game but understand the chanting etc forms a part of crowd entertainment when there are lapses in play. Good football produces enough highs to promote spontaneous crowd reaction. Give us good footy and good crowds and the experience will look after itself. We dont need dance troupes, kiss cams or orchestrated support areas.

 

[DAWESOME!!]

Find organised active groups a bit cringey to be honest. Not a fan of the Fanatics for instance, and I find the Barmy Army irritating. Do we need soccer style choir groups or just people able to come to games and sit in the seats that are available?

Edit: agree with GoneCritical.

 

[Bring_Back_Brad]

Free beer will do the trick guaranteed!

 

[THATSGOLD]

Put a heaps of kids in there to enjoy the experience together and create an atmosphere. I think that would be a terrific idea.

 

[Shellz]

I hate the name.

Could it be buckleys brigade?! Haha a lot of us started out that way!

 

[Anzacday]

Ed is keen to have that end of the ground dominated by our supporters.
There are two issues:-
1/ the (alleged) poor behaviour by some - lets face it, we would have to be one of the most scrutinised supporter bases around and they jump on anything to paint us in a bad light.
2/ empty seats

That's why he wants to have it somewhat organised

 

[jjsmitty8]

I hate the name.

Could it be buckleys brigade?! Haha a lot of us started out that way!

Better than Thommo's team lol.

 

[speedytiger]

I read in the article by SCPaige that Ed compared this idea to the new set up by Melbourne Victory, can anyone elaborate on how that works?

 

[mattys123]

Personally, I'll never sit in the Ponsford stand bottom deck again, don't like the location for watching AFL (ok for cricket, rugby and soccer though).

I've said all along Ed should have waited 12 months and got the Olympic Stand area, the bottom deck of that could be full of Pies fans all sitting together, no need for an active area at all.

In truth I'm about to throw in my reserved seats within the next year or two anyway and just sit in the AFL members area every week, it's cheaper and the atmosphere is the same, if not better then the Pies reserved seating areas that have become very sparsely populated anyway.

As for an "Active area", it could work but to me with the scrutiny that our fans are under every week at the first sign of trouble the whole thing would be bagged mercilessly by the media.

 

[jjsmitty8]

I was in the cheersquad once upon a time. In 2009 after they overhauled it. That year, there was about 10 people who consistently cheered and chanted (I was one).

There is way too many people who a) stop cheering, speaking, supporting, encouraging when the game isn't going our way, b) who don't show up and leave the cheersquad and that whole bay looking atrocious and c) who only buy cheersquad tickets so they can have seats behind the goals and complain about the noise of other supporters.

Not to mention that everything that happens is dictated by Joffa. I distinctly remember my first game in the cheersquad, at Etihad. Someone in charge asked him to share the load and get people involved, he didn't want a bar of it and he didn't want to release his grip on the cheersquad.

I won't name names, but anyone with some sort of power down their is a dictator. From people who like to lead chants, to those who get to choose who holds the banner up, to who waves the big floggers. It's a big boys club and what I felt was a pretty bitter and disappointing environment.

I've still got some friends down their who are actively involved, but personally I feel it needs to be revamped again and heavily targeted at people who want to make as much noise as they can from the first ball up to the final siren, result aside.

 

[MyManLynch]

I think that cheer squads or whatever we call them only work if they are truly organic & full of passionate supporters that are willing to commit.
To try & orchestrate or create some type of atmosphere with a bunch of strangers is not easy.
The empty seat issue lower deck Ponsford can be solved by moving all the reserved seat holders to others areas & open up the lower deck Ponsford to 'first in gets the seat' by simply flashing your membership card, hence the area fills up with Colingwood members (who don't have a reserved seat).
The Ponsford lower deck would fill up fast & should create a good atmosphere.

 

[PonsfordMagpie]

I think that cheer squads or whatever we call them only work if they are truly organic & full of passionate supporters that are willing to commit.
To try & orchestrate or create some type of atmosphere with a bunch of strangers is not easy.
The empty seat issue lower deck Ponsford can be solved by moving all the reserved seat holders to others areas & open up the lower deck Ponsford to 'first in gets the seat' by simply flashing your membership card, hence the area fills up with Colingwood members (who don't have a reserved seat).
The Ponsford lower deck would fill up fast & should create a good atmosphere.

Those who sit in the Ponsford end every time we play at the MCG should be rewarded and retained. A lot of members I know are quite sceptical of this proposition and so am I to be honest unless we get some clear answers about what this active supporters area entails. Also those who are reserved seat holders but don't attend often could be moved elsewhere but again those people are paying at least $300 so the club needs to be careful to not alienate those supporters either.

I understand this idea of having a 'general admission' area but passionate reserved seat holders should be retained and rightfully so. The problem currently is the cheersquad and the club's overregulation of it. That's where the problem lies primarily so the cheersquad should be overhauled rather than removing passionate people from the Ponsford end as a whole.

 

[MyManLynch]

Those who sit in the Ponsford end every time we play at the MCG should be rewarded and retained. A lot of members I know are quite sceptical of this proposition and so am I to be honest unless we get some clear answers about what this active supporters area entails. Also those who are reserved seat holders but don't attend often could be moved elsewhere but again those people are paying at least $300 so the club needs to be careful to not alienate those supporters either.

I understand this idea of having a 'general admission' area but passionate reserved seat holders should be retained and rightfully so. The problem currently is the cheersquad and the club's overregulation of it. That's where the problem lies primarily so the cheersquad should be overhauled rather than removing passionate people from the Ponsford end as a whole.

You raise some good points regarding Ponsford reserved seat holders who do attend most games. They should not be punished, so perhaps the Ponsford could have 2 areas, reserved seat holders & the free seating fan zone?
I am a reserved seat holder at Ponsford & am guilty of not attending all games as I live outside Australia.
I would give up my seat if the club wanted it for a fan zone (or I could move elsewhere), as I contribute to the 'less than full' lower Ponsford stand.

 

[PonsfordMagpie]

You raise some good points regarding Ponsford reserved seat holders who do attend most games. They should not be punished, so perhaps the Ponsford could have 2 areas, reserved seat holders & the free seating fan zone?
I am a reserved seat holder at Ponsford & am guilty of not attending all games as I live outside Australia.
I would give up my seat if the club wanted it for a fan zone (or I could move elsewhere), as I contribute to the 'less than full' lower Ponsford stand.

I've worked out in the past two years that I've attended 27 out of 35 matches so that's nearly 80% of Victorian matches I've attended in the past two years and many I know have attended over 90% of games who sit in the Ponsford end so I'd be annoyed to see fans like these leaving and being moved elsewhere. You're entitled to your seat in the Ponsford end as I assume that you've paid at least $300 for them so the club needs to be careful to not alienate supporters like you who don't attend but invest in the club nevertheless.

On Nicks Bulletin Board (Collingwood forum), I have asked Joffa several questions on this issue and he's promised to let me know in the next few days regarding the details of what the active supporter area entails and what will happen with reserved seat holders and whether they're able to retain their seats or not. I'll be interested to see how this transpires but let's just say I won't be giving up my seat in the Ponsford end too easily if I'm not persuaded that this is the right move for the passionate members and supporters of this area.

Without doubt something has to change in the cheersquad area but I'm not sure the current proposal in the answer, but I'll keep an open-mind to it.

 

[jmac70]

Think I'll stick to the inactive area.

 

[TheFreshBanana]

Hey cool, I made a thread!

 

[Markfs]

I love this topic. It's a bit like wanting to have your cake and eat it.... or maybe a better analogy is wanting to have all-you-can-eat burger shops where the burgers taste like they have low-fat fillet steak in them.

Everyone is talking about having all that singing etc that they have at the soccer, but does anyone mention the kind of chanting that these mobs get into? We all know "you never walk alone", but how about the stuff these mobs let loose when they dont like a particular player or coach etc?

You can't let loose a genie in the bottle and expect all the synchronised chanting to be cleared by club lawyers and EEO specialists. At some stage, the chanting will sail pretty close to public perceptions of acceptability ...if past experience is any guide.

I have an idea of what Eddie wants. It's the equivalent to what you get at baseball games in the US. I've sat at a baseball game in new york and sang along with "take me out to the ball game" and, besides feeling like an idiot, had a great time doing it....but I probably wouldnt do it the third time...and certainly not the tenth time. Maybe the current generation, given that they're easily led into throwing buckets of ice on themselves, might embrace a nice clean round of synchronised chanting and singing. Personally, I like to rely on the old standards of abusing the umpire and yelling out "Ball!"

 

[GreekLunatic]

What we gonna start singing you will never walk alone

 

[TheFreshBanana]

What we gonna start singing you will never walk alone

I wish

 

[Markfs]

I wish

I would love to do renditions of "there'll always be an england"..... "scotland the brave" ...."danny boy".....I would get goosebumps singing these songs and holding our scarves above our heads.... just a wonderful image...

 

[TheFreshBanana]

I would love to do renditions of "there'll always be an england"..... "scotland the brave" ...."danny boy".....I would get goosebumps singing these songs and holding our scarves above our heads.... just a wonderful image...

Same