Football Park Horror Stories

[Drakey]

I've seen under the "most hated teams" topic a couple of sledges for footy park & crows supporters. I'm a crows supporter who goes to 10 or 11 home games a year plus the odd melbourne game when i get a chance. I've never seen any problems other than the odd punch up in the crowd during the game (maybe 3 or 4 in 10 years) and the usual slanging matches. I've never seen any problems after a game either (I dont leave early & I hate the *#@*& that do).

I've only had 1 incident in melbourne, with a north supporter during the 98 GF who was loud & obnoxious during the 1st 1/2, shell shocked during the 3rd 1/4 & looking for a punch up during the last.

We hear stories about cars with SA plates being vandalised in melbourne during crows games, supporters being abused & assaulted etc, etc etc.

I would like to hear any 1st hand Football Park horror stories.

 

[Bloodstained Angel]

Drakey

I lived in Adelaide 1981 - 1994 but have always supported the Swans. In 1994 I went with my wife (born and bred Adelaide and a Crows fan to boot)to see the Swans play the Crows. Now Drakey you might be aware that the Swans have an OK record at Footy Park (we won there in '91, 94 and 95)so I went along in great expectation of a good Swans performance and a great night out at the footy. How wrong I was !

I was constantly abused from go to whoa. The language from the Crows fans was enough to make your eyes water (and I ain't no shrinking violet) . As the game wore on and the Crows looked like losing I had a cup of beer tipped over me with a snarled "take that w**ker" at the same time and yes you guessed it, these so-called Crows fans left the ground in droves after 3/4 time.

After the game and outside in the car park we had to rescue a hapless Swans fan (lady about 50-60 by herself with Swans scarf) who was being abused and sworn at by about 4-5 young male Crows fans (gee real tough guys)and yes we also saw a car with NSW number plates with a dirty great coin scratch on the bonnet, this vehicle was in fact a rental car so I guess the point was probably lost on the driver.

Drakey the stories going around about Crows fans are closer to the truth than they are to rumour and I urge all Crows fans to take a good long hard look at yourselves because your behaviour is more akin to British Soccer Hooliganism than good old Aussie Rules.

 

['FAAAAAAAAAAAAAK']

No horror stories but listening to the rabid mob scream 'HOLDING THE BALL" 15,527 times in one afternoon is enough.

 

[Shinboners]

Horror stories about Football Park and Adelaide fans? Is Robert Shaw and his family on this bulletin board?

I have not been to Football Park to see a match, but I've met, and know, plenty of people who go interstate to follow their teams. I cannot recall any horror stories from trips to Perth, Sydney, or Brisbane, but nearly everyone I've spoken to who has visited Football Park to see Adelaide has told of similar stories to Bloodstained Angel's.

No-one is saying that all Adelaide fans are like the thugs that B.A. described. But you do have a problem element in your fan base and your club should do something to fix it.

 

[Don]

Married to a crows supporter, isn't that reasonable grounds for divorce?

 

[Bloodstained Angel]

She has since seen the error of her ways Don ...

 

[Drakey]

Bloodstained Angel

I'm sorry to read about your "enjoyable" night at the footy. It shames me to know people like that "support" my club. I like to think that they are in the minority.

I think that there are 4 reasons for this behavour.

1. It's easy to be brave when you outnumber the opposition 100/1.

2. Sections of the press here are parochial to the extreme. They incite hatred of the opposition.

3. Alcohol.

4. Some people are just arseholes.

 

[Pessimistic]

Don't forget the one about when as a new crows player, Tony Hall had his car vandalised becuse it had VIC plates

John Platten said he had a bunch of dead flowers thrown at him in a Crows-Hawks game

Nice to see 'yoiuse' guys at the bottom where yoiuse belong.

 

[Bloodstained Angel]

I think you have put your finger on the problem Drakey with your comments on the Adelaide Football media.

I don't know what these guys are like these days but when I lived in Adelaide during the Crows early years in the AFL, I thought the general tone of the Adelaide Footy Press was absolutely dreadful in its parochialism and just plain incitement to hatred. Its no wonder the less discriminating among us take our cues from this kind of press coverage.

But I just think there is more than a whiff of the good old paranoid xenophobia about being a Crows fan and this manifests itself in alot of things.

- The bad behaviour of some of your fans
- The way over the top gloating and celebrations for the 1997 flag (not so bad in '98)
- The rabidly one-eyed press coverage

etc. etc.

 

[Crowfan]

I was at that carlton/crow game in 1994 and yes, Tony Halls BMW did get keyed that night. However, and this might seem a bit harsh, considering I met Tony Hall that night and he looked down his nose at me like I was turd on a stick, (I worked at footy park as a uni student) I have never felt sorry for him. In fact I laughed my head off, and I support the crows! His wife however, was a very pleasant lady, I am very sorry it happened to her.

Anyway, I am actually kind of sick of this one way bagging you guys are handing out. Note please I am not trying to defend the crowds, they are quite savage. But after listening to you guys, anyone would think travelling to Victoria Park or Windy Hill or Morabbin was a pleasant experience with their charming and witty supporters. How about some balance in the arguement please.

 

[rewind]

Crow supporters are the worse by far at FP, they complain about every decision that does not go their way, not just the 50/50's

 

[Bloodstained Angel]

Hang on a second there Crowfan

This topic is specifically about 'Football Park Horror Stories' Nobody is denying that it gets 'ugly' at other grounds around the place (I remember some pretty boisterous displays at Moorabbin, Arden Street and even the old Lake Oval in years gone by)

If you want to talk about how fans behave at other grounds or when following other clubs then fine, open up a seperate topic and lets talk about it. - But this topic is about Football Park in Adelaide - nothing else.

 

[Shinboners]

Crowfan

There's a difference between away fans going to Football Park as opposed to the old grounds like Victoria Park, Moorabbin, Windy Hill, Arden Street et al. At Footy Park, the crowd is something like 95% Crows...nice and intimidating for away fans going to and from the ground. At these old Victorian grounds back in the VFL days, the ratios were more like 60% home and 40% away, so more even numbers meant that home fans wearn't as likely to be as intimidating as they are at Footy Park these days (although that's not to say that going to Victoria Park or Moorabbin was ever a picnic in the sun).

This isn't to say that there were problems at the old grounds....I've seen enough stupid things happen.....but you wearn't as likely to see incidents like the one Bloodstained Angel wrote about.

 

[birdman]

Seems to me that some people cant take it we hear about the stories at Victoria Park,Moorabin and it is told with some sort of gloating about the rough fans and the spitting and fights these stories are told with smiles on faces.If it is ok for them it is ok for us if you cant handle the heat dont come into the kitchen.
For me Adelaide is like delivierence with churches.