Opinion What was the most hostile Victorian suburban ground in the old days?

[Seattle Mariners]

Apparently the old southern stand was a bit of a zoo.

 

[Cyclops]

Would be interesting to know the hostility of grounds in the VFA, SANFL and WAFL days

There were stories of culture clashes, as I say we welcomed Crows and Eagles to Vic Park, they were treated as bold intruders to be welcomed for their courage.

I've read stories on here of different experiences in WA and SA, stuff about marbles being thrown in Adelaide, and Eagles fans asking police to remove Victorian Club supporters for cheering too loud.

 

[blueboy25]

Exactly.

This is the image modern day idiot Carlton fans cling to. They actually think they are Australian Rules football royalty.

But it’s all an allusion. They are poor deluded souls.

Essendon and Collingwood and Richmond fans are much more realistic about their origins and history.

We’re more humble. But celebrate significant victories with subdued enthusiasm.

Hahahahaha........Essendon supporters.......they are the worst of the lot.

Always someone else's fault

 

[allrighty]

Who were the Bentleigh Bashers? Sounds like one of those football firms you hear about from England in the 70s.

Also, I love hearing these stories. I was born after suburban grounds were pretty much discontinued and have basically only been to the MCG, Marvel, Kardinia, and Carrara.

BB were a group of young thugs 18-25yo, some I went to school with. Not to be messed with in retrospect.

 

[Big_Birdy]

Would be interesting to know the hostility of grounds in the VFA, SANFL and WAFL days

I could only imagine what Elizabeth oval would have been like in the 80s.

 

[Pres]

Great thread.

I started going to the footy in the mid 70's and recall sitting in the Lake Oval Grandstand with my South supporting uncle hearing and seeing some absolute feral behaviour. My Mum used to reckon they were not a nice supporter base.

Someone asked about VFA grounds and Port Melbourne (I was a Caulfield fan and only ventured there once as a kid) was the absolute worst. Heaps of aggressive macho beer swilling types and you felt unsafe the whole time.

Went to that 1993 North win over Collingwood at the start of the Pagan/Carey era when McAdam kicked the bag. Pies fans back then turned on their own a bit when things were going bad. Mick McGuane from memory was in their sights that day.

Super memories. The club supporting experience was very unique back then.

 

[terrybull]

Moorabbin was the only ground my old man outright refused to take me to, "they are animals" he'd say with a troubled look on his face

On SM-A225F using BigFooty.com mobile app

My dad took me to Moorabbin once.

Felt pretty safe, the only incident I saw was a kid sitting in front of me pick-pocket another guy’s wallet and then hand it to his dad. The father responded by rubbing the kids head and said “good boy”.

Was once at Victoria Park and never wanted to return there again….

 

[Rail King]

BB were a group of young thugs 18-25yo, some I went to school with. Not to be messed with in retrospect.

Do you mean the Bentleigh Animals, who mainly lived in Ross Street off Jasper Road?
I went to Bentleigh East PS and McKinnon High with some of them, but have never heard of Bentleigh Bashers.

 

[allrighty]

Do you mean the Bentleigh Animals, who mainly lived in Ross Street off Jasper Road?
I went to Bentleigh East PS and McKinnon High with some of them, but have never heard of Bentleigh Bashers.

Could be the same mob. I went to the same PS then Bentleigh HS. Lived up near Tucker Rd IIRC though.

 

[Rail King]

Could be the same mob. I went to the same PS then Bentleigh HS. Lived up near Tucker Rd IIRC though.

Ok. There were certainly a few bogans in the East Bentleigh area in the 70s and 80s.
Surprised by some of the comments about Moorabbin on here, even as a Collingwood supporter I never felt unsafe at Moorabbin during the many games attended there in that era.

 

[HawkMongrel]

Vic Park by a mile. Saw my first game there as a young man, Pies v Fitzroy. Never seen anything like it since.

Feral.

 

[Rail King]

Apparently the old southern stand was a bit of a zoo.

The only big fights I saw were at the MCG and VFL Park. Big games with huge drunken crowds.
Went to all the suburban grounds from 1970 onwards without any trouble.

 

[brutus76]

Vic Park was feral

Footy Park was scary. If you had a Victorian plated car it'd get keyed or have something broken on it when you got back to it.

If the locals won there would be groups looking to rumble with anyone in opposition or even neutral colours or normal casual clothes.

When we went to Windy Hill my parents always made us sit opposite the player's race on the other side of the ground as it was safest for us kids regarding language, missiles and unruly behaviour

 

[Whiskers]

Exactly.

Being excellent at and away from KP has been Geelong's biggest advantage this century. Not that the venue one day magically gave the side a capacity to lift its win rate at all stadiums and become a successful club.

And that's a good point with your latter statement. How many premiers have Geelong even hosted in Geelong over the past 15 or so years? We are much more likely to host bottom 4 teams. All the strong MCG teams we play at the G. Then the interstate sides have been shocking travellers.

I don’t get this sentiment.
Teams that don’t play in Geelong like Carlton, Richmond, Essendon have been consistently terrible over the years.
We aren’t hosting the worst sides because they are some of the worst.

When it comes to Pies or Hawks who don’t play here, we beat them anyway.

 

[Mr Meow]

I don’t get this sentiment.
Teams that don’t play in Geelong like Carlton, Richmond, Essendon have been consistently terrible over the years.
We aren’t hosting the worst sides because they are some of the worst.

When it comes to Pies or Hawks who don’t play here, we beat them anyway.

We've played plenty of bad or average Richmond and Essendon sides in Geelong this century. When Richmond got good, they moved the games to the G.

Melbourne are an MCG team we play a fair bit at Geelong. But again they've mostly been terrible in that time outside of a few years.

Hawthorn, Collingwood, Carlton and Richmond in the seasons they've played finals - the games are basically all at the G.

 

[Forever North]

I am of the vintage where I was lucky enough to have watched games at all the traditional suburban grounds in the 70’s and 80’s. Was great fun, scary at times and very different to today’s environment. A lot of drinking, vulgar language and punch ons out on those concrete terraces. Worst by far was Victoria Park. The place was feral and very unwelcoming. Back then grounds were mainly filled with white working class males. It was a cheap day out. From around the mid-late 80’s, the suits took over and things began to change, for the better I might add. Much better venues, facilities, marketing and product now which has attracted more females, families and people from migrant backgrounds to the game. But yeah sometimes I do yearn to catch the train to Windy Hill and cop abuse all day standing in the rain eating a cold pie….

 

[LuckyBounce!]

Victoria Park for sure. Saw us get flogged there many times but did I enjoy 1993 when we finally won there and did the Collingwood supporters cut up rough. I got a can of beer in the back of my head for my troubles on the way out!

 

[Cleric]

Would be interesting to know the hostility of grounds in the VFA, SANFL and WAFL days

Alberton was pretty hostile to visting teams, and then Centrals took over after Power went into the AFL.

There was an instance at a Port Magpies vs Central Districts game where a number of Centrals supporters got dead Magpies and impaled them in sticks and paraded them during the game

 

[ThatsjustDappa]

Honestly, reading this thread... I know it's not the whole story, but it really puts a lot of the "good old days" per se into perspective.

Good old days also extended to the pubs of the era, was common to see blood stains on the footpath out front of the establishments. Had to be real careful which local you stepped into especially ones near the grounds on gameday.

 

[Port 2004]

Alberton was pretty hostile to visting teams, and then Centrals took over after Power went into the AFL.

There was an instance at a Port Magpies vs Central Districts game where a number of Centrals supporters got dead Magpies and impaled them in sticks and paraded them during the game

I regularly went to Alberton during the 80s and 90s and also since the Port Adelaide Football Club went from the SANFL into the AFL and only ever saw one fight. Norwood Oval was full of ferals and as an opposition supporter you had to be careful at times.

 

[Eatosk]

All grounds were pretty hostile back in the day but Victoria Park was where I had a few of my mates confronted by some Collingwood supporters looking for trouble after the game. That was the day McAdam kicked a bag on Gayfer and we won by 80+ points, I think it was 1993.

 

[Hollow Knight]

These threads are always a morbidly fascinating read as someone who didn’t grow up in Victoria.

Reading about the behaviour in this suburban grounds it’s always wild to me when I consider…

1. People were allowed to bring in their own booze
2. People took their young children.

 

[windyhill]

Went everywhere with Dad, he absolutely spoiled me. We even had our own spots at the away grounds. Going to Windyhill you would know everyone within a 30 yard radius.
Those grounds were absolute eye openers on and off the field.

 

[Handsuper47]

These threads are always a morbidly fascinating read as someone who didn’t grow up in Victoria.

Reading about the behaviour in this suburban grounds it’s always wild to me when I consider…

1. People were allowed to bring in their own booze
2. People took their young children.

not only did people bring their own booze, I've heard stories from my dad that some folks would throw full cans of booze.. makes me glad I grew up in the 90s lol

 

[Rusty Brookes]

Track down Matthew Hardy's awesome book Saturday Afternoon Fever, if you can. His description of his first time at Moorabbin is something else. Some great recollections of the suburban grounds.