I was getting the train home from work the other day and it went via Jolimont. It happened to be just before the Collingwood v GWS game and my carriage was full of black and white. I felt a weird vibe, I’ve only ever been on a packed Essendon train and this felt nothing like that, I felt a scungy vibe here, I had to change my wallet pocket, I was seeing face piercings and multiple prams being pushed by kids.. This was a vibe that actually matches the toothless stereotype.
But it did get me to thinking, clearly a lot of the stereotypes are hammed up, or easy kills but each clubs supporter base does actually have their own overarching quality that defines them. Whether it be via socio economic suburb boundaries, blood lines, or just the rolled over history that the club has endured – this vibe definitely exists and endures generations.
Even at work.. There are some people I don’t even know by name, I only know them by who they support… there’s that collingwood bloke in the break room trying to hock car radio.. There’s something about him I don’t trust.. or that Richmond guy, always talking shit, trying to steal butter from the fridge…
Anyway, overarching club fan vibes, what are they?
Adelaide
In my limited exposure to Adelaide fans they seem to have a bit of an elitist attitude and a huge chunk of misguided optimism about how good their club is at any particular time – and they are booers, huge booers and swayers of umpires. Enjoy sipping chardy out of a plastic glass in the car park.
Brisbane
I get no real vibe from this mob – maybe because they are out of sight and never really exposed down in the big time
Carlton
Where do you start? They will be constant cellar dwellers yet still strut about at games like they are top of the tree because they won the #1 again… they actively encourage and promote buying flags in the day because it makes them seem badass, they never actually deny it, in fact they wish it still happened. They are disproportionately arrogant against what they actually achieve, zero humble traits. They love singling dum da dum da dum to the start base line of their club song like it’s a lyric, not a description.
Collingwood
As mentioned they are definitely feral but ill give them one thing, they absolutely idolise their team and its players, maybe that’s a problem because the actual players are in fairy land, like rock stars before they achieve. The cooooooooolligwood chant (if you could call it that) is so them.. just a little slow and Neanderthal but they are all doing it together so it makes them feel a part of something big. They always feel persecuted but its self-fulfilling, do enough wrong stuff and it will happen, Trade in enough tattoo wearing knuckle heads and itll come back at ya.
Essendon
I don’t think ive ever seen a set of fans that gets so over confident so early then turns on their own just as quick – rampant booers of their own team when things don’t go to plan… even though the plan in their heads was way over expectant in the first place. Expect they are owed success due to history, always quick with a head wobble. Smack bang middle class, privileged but not overly so.
Fremantle
Massive inferiority complex, not just because they are squeezed as far away from the AFL big smoke as is possible but because they live in the shadow of the bigger WA club. They have a working class wharfie ethos but their whole town was run over long ago by the micro-brew beer set. Also perennial umpire booers and swayers.
Geelong
Insular as they come, huge one team town mentality – they love their team to bits. Generally seem like good fans however and don’t really rub people the wrong way at games
Gold Coast
Never met one
GWS
Never met one
Hawthorn
Arrogant, moral pedestal standers, fair weather (to be fair their weather is fair more often than not) .. elitist, likely to sprout liberal party propaganda at half time, drinks the great northern from the footy bar cause its not ‘swill’.
Melbourne
Pretty harmless fans, usually wearing a shirt under their jumper rolled up at the elbow, most probably haven’t met a fellow fan not born into their mcc membership. Pretty used to accepting losses so don’t get too upset when it happens. Think they have enough family money in life to mean footy isn’t the be all for them, losses don’t really sting like it may for other clubs. Even when they are flying there is a sense in the crowd that it won’t last – itll happen again….
North Melbourne
They are that guy you know that can never catch a break… jumped off the poker machine 30 seconds before the jackpot hit, has everything in common with Alanis Morisettes Ironic. Massive inferiority complex, mistakes being feral and poor and scratching through life for shinboner spirit. You never see two of them in the one social group so they are always extoling their past successes to nobody who cares. All their fans are there 100% , not enough other fans to fill a band wagon. Fan to membership ratio is probably near 100%
Port Adelaide
Probably the Collingwood of Adelaide, assume their past success in the back water league translates to the now and them being a big club. Always whinging, always have a chip on their shoulder, living in the shadow of the other club, lot of band wagon hoppers, who two and fro from the sanfl side to the AFL side depending on form, Big booers and in game ferals. David Koch is their smartest fan.
Richmond
Win two games and their fans fly out from the wood work, they are unstoppable, flag favourites! – lose two and they halve their membership, want a coach sacked. They are terrible winners, smug - think they have this army behind them, when they get on a roll it turns feral. Huge in game drinkers. The bulk of their fans jumpers were probably stolen off the back of a Dimmeys truck. Top notch band wagoners.
Sydney
Fair weather fans who boo at the wrong times in games. The AFL knows they wont show if the team doesn’t perform, so they need to stay relevant. Up there with the very best bandwagoners the league has.
St Kilda
Pretty big band wagoners but I sense a fan base who are resigned to defeat at all times, they happily celebrate small things because they know it’s all they might get. Pretty quick to call their own club shit after a loss – never really sure when to go the crow or take the lid off because they are never far from failure again. Have lost their feral edge.
West Coast
A perfect combo of shoulder chip and elitism… they constantly refer to the VFL when complaining how bad they get it (despite not accepting the fact we do have to fly over there every second week too) and how bad the vic media portrays them yet happy to look over their poor neighbours with a nose in the air. Absolutely feral in game with their rampant booing to sway umpires.
Western Bulldogs
Used to be everybody’s second team so they had a little bit of little brother syndrome amongst the fans, generally a pretty defeatist set of fans but fiercely loyal. Hard to dislike them as a whole but they can have a few feral attributes.
anyone have any? or any opposing view?
But it did get me to thinking, clearly a lot of the stereotypes are hammed up, or easy kills but each clubs supporter base does actually have their own overarching quality that defines them. Whether it be via socio economic suburb boundaries, blood lines, or just the rolled over history that the club has endured – this vibe definitely exists and endures generations.
Even at work.. There are some people I don’t even know by name, I only know them by who they support… there’s that collingwood bloke in the break room trying to hock car radio.. There’s something about him I don’t trust.. or that Richmond guy, always talking shit, trying to steal butter from the fridge…
Anyway, overarching club fan vibes, what are they?
Adelaide
In my limited exposure to Adelaide fans they seem to have a bit of an elitist attitude and a huge chunk of misguided optimism about how good their club is at any particular time – and they are booers, huge booers and swayers of umpires. Enjoy sipping chardy out of a plastic glass in the car park.
Brisbane
I get no real vibe from this mob – maybe because they are out of sight and never really exposed down in the big time
Carlton
Where do you start? They will be constant cellar dwellers yet still strut about at games like they are top of the tree because they won the #1 again… they actively encourage and promote buying flags in the day because it makes them seem badass, they never actually deny it, in fact they wish it still happened. They are disproportionately arrogant against what they actually achieve, zero humble traits. They love singling dum da dum da dum to the start base line of their club song like it’s a lyric, not a description.
Collingwood
As mentioned they are definitely feral but ill give them one thing, they absolutely idolise their team and its players, maybe that’s a problem because the actual players are in fairy land, like rock stars before they achieve. The cooooooooolligwood chant (if you could call it that) is so them.. just a little slow and Neanderthal but they are all doing it together so it makes them feel a part of something big. They always feel persecuted but its self-fulfilling, do enough wrong stuff and it will happen, Trade in enough tattoo wearing knuckle heads and itll come back at ya.
Essendon
I don’t think ive ever seen a set of fans that gets so over confident so early then turns on their own just as quick – rampant booers of their own team when things don’t go to plan… even though the plan in their heads was way over expectant in the first place. Expect they are owed success due to history, always quick with a head wobble. Smack bang middle class, privileged but not overly so.
Fremantle
Massive inferiority complex, not just because they are squeezed as far away from the AFL big smoke as is possible but because they live in the shadow of the bigger WA club. They have a working class wharfie ethos but their whole town was run over long ago by the micro-brew beer set. Also perennial umpire booers and swayers.
Geelong
Insular as they come, huge one team town mentality – they love their team to bits. Generally seem like good fans however and don’t really rub people the wrong way at games
Gold Coast
Never met one
GWS
Never met one
Hawthorn
Arrogant, moral pedestal standers, fair weather (to be fair their weather is fair more often than not) .. elitist, likely to sprout liberal party propaganda at half time, drinks the great northern from the footy bar cause its not ‘swill’.
Melbourne
Pretty harmless fans, usually wearing a shirt under their jumper rolled up at the elbow, most probably haven’t met a fellow fan not born into their mcc membership. Pretty used to accepting losses so don’t get too upset when it happens. Think they have enough family money in life to mean footy isn’t the be all for them, losses don’t really sting like it may for other clubs. Even when they are flying there is a sense in the crowd that it won’t last – itll happen again….
North Melbourne
They are that guy you know that can never catch a break… jumped off the poker machine 30 seconds before the jackpot hit, has everything in common with Alanis Morisettes Ironic. Massive inferiority complex, mistakes being feral and poor and scratching through life for shinboner spirit. You never see two of them in the one social group so they are always extoling their past successes to nobody who cares. All their fans are there 100% , not enough other fans to fill a band wagon. Fan to membership ratio is probably near 100%
Port Adelaide
Probably the Collingwood of Adelaide, assume their past success in the back water league translates to the now and them being a big club. Always whinging, always have a chip on their shoulder, living in the shadow of the other club, lot of band wagon hoppers, who two and fro from the sanfl side to the AFL side depending on form, Big booers and in game ferals. David Koch is their smartest fan.
Richmond
Win two games and their fans fly out from the wood work, they are unstoppable, flag favourites! – lose two and they halve their membership, want a coach sacked. They are terrible winners, smug - think they have this army behind them, when they get on a roll it turns feral. Huge in game drinkers. The bulk of their fans jumpers were probably stolen off the back of a Dimmeys truck. Top notch band wagoners.
Sydney
Fair weather fans who boo at the wrong times in games. The AFL knows they wont show if the team doesn’t perform, so they need to stay relevant. Up there with the very best bandwagoners the league has.
St Kilda
Pretty big band wagoners but I sense a fan base who are resigned to defeat at all times, they happily celebrate small things because they know it’s all they might get. Pretty quick to call their own club shit after a loss – never really sure when to go the crow or take the lid off because they are never far from failure again. Have lost their feral edge.
West Coast
A perfect combo of shoulder chip and elitism… they constantly refer to the VFL when complaining how bad they get it (despite not accepting the fact we do have to fly over there every second week too) and how bad the vic media portrays them yet happy to look over their poor neighbours with a nose in the air. Absolutely feral in game with their rampant booing to sway umpires.
Western Bulldogs
Used to be everybody’s second team so they had a little bit of little brother syndrome amongst the fans, generally a pretty defeatist set of fans but fiercely loyal. Hard to dislike them as a whole but they can have a few feral attributes.
anyone have any? or any opposing view?
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