Etihad Stadium - Why all the hate?

[Madtiger2006]

You really are a dumb **** sometimes.
Nobody has said it keeps them away from games. The thread is about why you like/dislike the stadium.
Seriously, it's not that difficult to comprehend, even for you.

It keep supporters away in their 1000s if you noticed
Fairweather supporters if you've ever seen them

 

[Tiger4Ever]

I have a strong dislike for the ground, but still go when we play there. I despise that we are forced to play home games against clubs like St.Kilda and the Doggies there, often when the 'G' is vacant, just to pump up the seasonal quota of AFL games played there.
It lacks the atmosphere of the 'G', and even though I am able to sit ground level with cheer squad at Etihad, it still doesn't compare.
We pay for reserved seating at the 'G' as part of our membership package, but refuse to pay for additional reserved seating at a ground we shouldn't even be playing home matches at.
As for T.V., big attendances look fine, but smaller drawing fixtures look ridiculous and really poorly attended because all of the general admission seating is on the upper level, so as the camera scans the crowd it looks as no-one is there.
Bad venue, even faces the wrong direction for grass to grow (runs north/south not east/west). I guess that is what happens when a television station builds a sporting arena though.

 

[JAKLAUGHING]

No matter what the place is like, if it keeps you away from watching a Tiger game because of these reasons, then as a supporter

you are:
souless
patchy
artificial
cheap
shit
commercial

Thanks

...your post is a completely different self righteous rant entirely...
...and avoids answering the question that most other posters on here myself included have taken the time and effort to reply to...
...which is....
...your own thoughts and/or personal experiences in regards to etihad stadium and ground as a football venue...hate it or love it?!?!......

 

[mcuzzy]

In 08 GA members were able to upgrade their seats for free to get a reserved seat behind the goals level 1. It made for a great experience with 6 bays of mainly Richmond supporters. Now you have to pay good dollar (even if you are a member) to sit in them seats so there is normally about a bay and a half of tiger fans.
So pretty much level 3 is the only GA at Etihad which makes it look like shit on TV if there is a small crowd at the game.

ahh i don't like sitting on level 3, where do the cheer squad sit?. i might just not go to jiihad stadium at all, sounds like a real buzzkill lately

edit: if you're a member (which i hope to be next year) do you get to sit anywhere else except level 3? i havn't been to etihad since last year and i just stood at the back on level 1 and in 08 i was on level 3 only because i wanted to sit with friends

 

[Tiger4Ever]

ahh i don't like sitting on level 3, where do the cheer squad sit?

edit: if you're a member (which i hope to be next year) do you get to sit anywhere else except level 3? i havn't been to etihad since last year and i just stood at the back on level 1 and in 08 i was on level 3 only because i wanted to sit with friends

Cheersquad sit groundlevel behind the goals, normally at the station end for home games. You can only sit there as a cheersquad member, for which you need to be a club member first and pay an additional fee to join. Seating is limited to one bay only and fills quickly on a first served basis. Don't know if you can still join this year, but you could certainly sign up to become a club member.
Club membership will still only get you a seat on level 3 unless you purchase reserved seating for a ground we shouldn't even be playing home games at.

That said, come on Mcuzzy, Be a supporter, not just a barracker!

 

[mcuzzy]

Cheersquad sit groundlevel behind the goals, normally at the station end for home games. You can only sit there as a cheersquad member, for which you need to be a club member first and pay an additional fee to join. Seating is limited to one bay only and fills quickly on a first served basis. Don't know if you can still join this year, but you could certainly sign up to become a club member.
Club membership will still only get you a seat on level 3 unless you purchase reserved seating for a ground we shouldn't even be playing home games at.

That said, come on Mcuzzy, Be a supporter, not just a barracker!

okay thanks for clearing that up, i'll just have to put up with sitting on level 3, i just prefer to sit near the cheer squad because i'm not a fan of getting death stares from mothers with children

i am a supporter, just one who needs to start a full time job asap

 

[Tiger4Ever]

okay thanks for clearing that up, i'll just have to put up with sitting on level 3, i just prefer to sit near the cheer squad because i'm not a fan of getting death stares from mothers with children

i am a supporter, just one who needs to start a full time job asap

Cool mate, I wasn't taking the piss or having a go. I just want to see us back as the powerhouse of the league, and memberships help fast track that growth through increased spending by the club. It's so important for all of us to dip into our pockets, even if it's only a three game membership and financially support the club we love. It's the only way we can compete with the facilities, football departments, coaching/recruiting staff, etc. of the other big clubs and the interstaters. Go Tigers!

 

[sante]

As in Interstater, I would love to live in Melbourne and have the chance to see us play most weeks, whether it be at the G or ES.

 

[tucker777]

There's a few things that I hate.

1-Soulless. Like a coffin.
2-If I pay $20 for some chips I want to hand fed them one at a time by Kristen Bell sitting on my lap. Etihad staff disagree with this.
3-Nazi Staff.....see #2....I didn't make a scene....bastards
4-That bridge from Spencer Street Station....yeah that's right Victorian Government I called it Spencer Street ****ing deal with it. In winter crossing that bridge there is always "that wind". The wind I speak of is damn cold, and wipes the very flame of joy from your being. The same wind can be seen in black and white movies of Communist Russia, usually assaulting an old peasant woman collecting cloth from the bodies of shot deserters....or something similarly poignant. It's besides the point, put a roof on the bridge.
5-Those buskers. I've had to deal with them playing nearly all the club songs except ours for many a moon. So when we did win, on the rare occassion I don't want to hear it played with the same gusto as other clubs. I now ratify that if we win a game at Etihad those buskers be joined by a large big band, dressed in finery. Not a lot to ask for really.
6-Seats. I'm 6'3"/4" depending on the weather. In this day and age, people of my height are not paraded around village to village as freaks in a travelling fare, as Etihad management believes but makes up a large section of society. An ever growing number. So is it too much to ask for to have the seating made for someone over 4'.
7-The trains. Let's be frank 1 Belgrave to 20 Glen Waverley is not an awesome ratio. In fact non sensical is what it is. And what's with having like 4 tvs 10 inches in diameter on the platform. One IMAX screen per platform get on it Metro...project it onto the roof or wall if necessary.
8-No PlayStation challenge.....what a ****ing amateur half time set up really.
9-Those random birds. Like I went to an ODI once and there were 20 odd parrots on one of the gangwalks on the roof. Get a falconer in, flood the place with falcons to kill the other birds. Then get a guy that trains eagles to get them to kill the falcons. Then get some panthers in to patrol the stadium and kill the eagles, who will at some point have to land and take a break from flying. Lions to kill the panthers, tigers to kill the lions. Rhinos to kill the tigers. Then big game hunters to kill the rhinos. Problem solved.

I'm sure there's more but...that's all I got right now

 

[Infamy]

1. It's not our home ground
2. The ground is dangerous, I don't want our players risking injury on it

 

[Omegaville]

My brother reckons that Richmond should host a game against Fremantle at Punt Road Oval, because the crowd would be small enough to fit.

I suggested we should consider it for other low drawing teams, like Port Adelaide and North Melbourne.

 

[telsor]

Simple: It's not 'home'.

It's like being around a someone else's house...Might be a nice place, and the host might be welcoming, but you're still a guest.



Lesser issues.

Yeah, the staff suck.

Reserve seats are awful...I don't think I'm too fussy, but when my A reserve seat is behind 10 rows of people who got their seat for that night ( generally opposition fans ), I feel ripped off.

 

[tugga]

My brother reckons that Richmond should host a game against Fremantle at Punt Road Oval, because the crowd would be small enough to fit.

I suggested we should consider it for other low drawing teams, like Port Adelaide and North Melbourne.

Punt Rd oval is the size of a hockey rink.
Your brother is an idiot.
Even for Freo games we still draw 25,000.

 

[tigerdan]

My brother reckons that Richmond should host a game against Fremantle at Punt Road Oval, because the crowd would be small enough to fit.

I suggested we should consider it for other low drawing teams, like Port Adelaide and North Melbourne.

Too many things to stop this from happening.

Firstly the AFL have contracts in place limiting where games can be played. Docklands and the MCG have requirements that x games are played there each year. Just like the when Adelaide Oval tried to poach teams across to play games in SA, the AFL will stop it.

Secondly, to enable ticketing you'd have to install turnstiles everywhere and probably put a giant shade cloth along the punt road wing to stop people on the other side of the fence for free.

Thirdly there's the issue of adequate seating, toilets, advertising, catering, TV camera access, the quality of opposition change rooms, coaches boxes, commentary access, security....

I'm all for the ressies to be played there before the main game at the G, and I am all for praccy matches to be played there (though it's pretty much off limits at the start of the season due to the cricket pitch).

We'd have to have the MCG or Ethiad burn down before they played games at punt road, and even then, they'd probably play games at Princes Park if something crazy like that happened.

 

[JR#8]

LOL, Just reading the live chat with Robbo and some poster has worked out that Etihad are making $160 profit on a slab of VB.

 

[camsmith]

Punt Rd oval is the size of a hockey rink.
Your brother is an idiot.
Even for Freo games we still draw 25,000.

lol bit harsh! I'm sure his brother just got a bit confused and mixed up Richmond with North Melbourne.

(Is Punt Road that much smaller than the SCG?)

 

[Omegaville]

LOL, Just reading the live chat with Robbo and some poster has worked out that Etihad are making $160 profit on a slab of VB.

Yeah, if only we could buy VB from the outlets around the ground, that might be right...

 

[turtle27]

Only thing I like about it is it's closer to home (Footscray), and it has the bar behind the goals (Coventry end maybe?)

Apart from that, shit of a joint.

 

[camsmith]

tucker777's post not getting enough respect on here.

 

[TigersBoy]

The major problem with Etihad is its Staff. I might only be young but ive worked at the MCG since I was 17 cheaking tickets at the bays.

MCG rally hard to insure there staff treat the General Public and its Members how they would want to be treated. You have two different training sessions a year in different feilds. In Febuary I did Special Needs for example. At Etihad the Customer service is just plain dead. Theres none. You ask how to find an ATM in the ground no one knows. You ask where the First Aid is, no one knows, You ask where can I upgrade my ticket for behind the goals, "We arnt told this information". Its basic things that let them down. All the staff at the MCG have a passion for sport, be it AFL, Cricket and even Soccer when its played there once a year and the staff get right involved. Most have been working there for 20+ years.

Security......Where do you start.....Concession cards. I had to profide 4 different forms of ID once inside the ground cause he didnt believe my student card cause my hairs a different colour and not long anymore. Footy fans dont get treated as bad. Go to a Melbourne Victory game and they think there the Secrit Service. Being told to leave soon as they play the song for the last time is harsh as well. The MCG was still buzzing after the siren on Sunday for a good 30minutes.

As for Atmosphere. The ground can generate it. Go to a Soccer match there and with 22,000 it does sound like 60,000 at the MCG. However you dont have to pay top dollar to sit behind the goals or the pockets for A-League. You look at the St Kilda v Melb game. 31,000, there was no one apart from the Melb Cheer Squade sitting behind the Coventry End Goals. Compare the atmosphere when we beat Brisbane in 2008 and what will be there on Saturday, same crowd of 31,000 ish but wont feel the same or look it.

But a true Supporter should be there no matter which ground. We got 39,000 there on Sunday which I thought was an unreal crowd. I hope we get the same on Saturday night!!!

 

[#32kingcuz]

You ask how to find an ATM in the ground no one knows. You ask where the First Aid is, no one knows, You ask where can I upgrade my ticket for behind the goals, "We arnt told this information". Its basic things that let them down.

If those are the answers you got then that's really disappointing.

ATMs gate 1, 2, 7, level 2 aisle 6, level 3 aisles 8 and 32
First aid level 1 and 2 aisle 40, level 3 aisles 17 and 41
You upgrade your ticket back out at the ticket box/customer service 'minidome'.

Seriously this information is literally hanging around the staff's neck.

I've had crap customer service at almost every place I've been to, but sometimes it's not fair to generalize, we aren't all bad!!

 

[TigersBoy]

I've had crap customer service at almost every place I've been to, but sometimes it's not fair to generalize, we aren't all bad!!

Guess it is a bit unfair, AAMI stadium has the worst in the Country. Old 50yr old woman who love the power (not the Club). Yes I have asked all them questions and they were the answers.

 

[SteveoTheTiger]

I don't mind Etihad because it's comfortable and easier to get to for me. However like others have said I find it very sterile with no atmosphere. I hate it when the roof is closed, unless it's pelting down outside. At the G I always sit behind the goals and it sucks that you can't do that at Etihad unless you upgrade your ticket.

But probably more than anything I don't like that we have to play our home games against teams like St.kilda at Etihad when it is their home and not ours. It effectively gives them more home games per year.

 

[#32kingcuz]

Guess it is a bit unfair, AAMI stadium has the worst in the Country. Old 50yr old woman who love the power (not the Club). Yes I have asked all them questions and they were the answers.

Very poor form then! Oh well no one can blame me I haven't worked a Tiges game yet. Will be on Saturday night though, answers at the ready, BRING IT!!

 

[rfctigerarmy]

You say it like you want me to write a list and bring it to the match, kingcuz.