Telestra stadium Australia and the record crowd

[footyhead]

I am not in the country and will not see the televised version for some time.
please I am very interested to know obout the atmosphere at the game with such a big crowd. Obviously the would have been a little quite because as has bee stated on another thread, thats what sydney crowds do when the swans are loosing.
But I would love some more details of things like , how the stadium vibed with the capcity, did it compare to the olypics at all?, did everyone get in before the first wistle?, were there huge lines at the front trying to get in? any drama like at colonial?, what was the temp, what was the average age of the crowd what demogrpahic ?? could it be bigger? were there no shows?, did every one keep dry, or will the experience in the wet keep some people away in similar situations in the future? were there delys on the train ? and what was the lead up to the game like ? were there many there for the reserves ? and how did they go ??/ ect ect ect
please let me know as much as possible, as I think this was a very important night for sydney footballing crowd
Pity about the result

[Bron]

I thought it was a great night (apart, of course from the result!). We were helping out the Club by trying to get people on the membership mailing list, so were talking to a lot of people coming through the turnstiles. There was a regular crowd coming in from about 5pm, but no long queues. Everyone seemed pretty happy. There were a lot of people who told me that it was their first game of AFL, lots of younger people (late teens I'd guess) and quite a few from out of Sydney (Blue Mountains, Wollongong) that I spoke to.

Inside the stadium, the food and drink outlets worked well. I hadn't eaten and went out to get something at halftime, thinking that it would be a disaster, but the biggest hassle was getting through the crowd to the food outlet. Then I just walked in, picked up what I wanted and went to the register where I was second in line. Really very good!

From where I was, I thought that the crowd was great. We were following the cheer squad and a few other people at the front in starting up cheers, but also started a few of our own that people followed. The Syyyyyyydeneyyyyyyy chant seemed to be coming out regularly.

Having said that though, some people we normally sit with at the SCG, who were about 10 or 15 rows in front of us, right down by the fence said that they couldn't hear me (and normally we all chant to gether and I do have a loud voice when I'm cheering ).

It was awesome when the Swans scored, the crowd really got into the lead up for the goals. Having said that, when the Pies scored, they had a pretty large crowd presence too. Their chants were pretty good.

Oh, and being in concourse seats and not having to retreat to the poncho was mighty nice! The rain was pretty constant and we didn't get wet. I expected freezing cold and arrived with 6 layers and ended up not wearing them all, nor my gloves (which is amazing because I HATE the cold, unless I'm on a ski slope).
My bottom line .... Stadium Australia is a great venue!

[footyhead]

Thanks for that Bron

[Diego]

Bah Sydney siders are pathetic spectators.

The chant started going when the team was behind in the last qrt.

How about this Sydney fans..instead of looking at passionate fans who start chanting like freaks, become involved.

Also how about it the chant happens at the start of the game and during the game so the boys can lift and get off to a flying start instead of waiting until the last 10 mins.

Sorry but the sydney crowd were pathetic really they were and always had been.

Theatre-goers is an understatement.

[footyhead]

I really think there is not enough mongrel in the Sydney crowds.
There is a good reason for this : there is growing, yet little identification on a visceral level with the team.
When you grow up following a team or players in local leagues who then perform well, you really start to identify. Lets face it most people in sydney just hav'nt being following that long.
I also think that a premiership would help overcome the complex people obviously have of getting involved.
You can hold your head proud when cheering on a loosing team who has a recent and rich history of glory and success .
The SYDNEY Swans have as yet none of this, and I think subconsciously the crowds are still affected by this.
Obviously there is fantastic growing interest, but we are still not yet deep inside the boosom of the greater sydney public , but when we are I think that we will develope a little more passion and a little more mongrel in the supporters.
sydney siders have not yet come to understand that one of the greatest things about footy is the right to verbally hate and love with abandon in public amoungst ones peers . It is the opposite of civilisation. IT IS CLANISIM.
The day will come.
Perhapes a second SYDNEY team built from a SFL team might also help. BUT NOT BEFORE WE WIN A PREMEIRSHIP.

[Diego]

It's never been part of Sydney tradition to cheer loudly for a sporting team. We are "too kool for skool" in that department.

Saying that I think the CS (apart from Jules, Mike, Gemma and a few others) is pathetic.

Most of them are there to be close to the goals.(now why would u want to sit behind the goals i dont know why..worst spot to watch a agme of footy) They don't chant, they don't sing they don't do anything. This includes several members of RWO.

Kudos for Jules for trying so hard..

A lot of people wont go near the CS b/c of the ppl involved. I think it's time to retire the old chook raffle mentality and get young blood involved who want to sing and chant. Kids are great but they do nothing really. The amount of times I started screaming for the first 3 rows to get up and start cheering for them to only ignore me. It was pissing me off.

There were a few ppl last night who wanted to join the CS but didn't b/c of some of the ppl there.

Sounds harsh but its true. Sorry Jules.

[BAM_BAM]

We were sitting on the straight part of the concourse just around the corner from Peter and when Collingwood kicked their first goal, we tried to start a Sydney chant in response to theirs and got nothing. We were stomping our feet and clapping as well as yelling. Bron I think we sit close to you, but really heard nothing either. It would've been great to be able to combine efforts.

Everytime I heard Jules with the drum, I'd start clapping and yelling, but it never really picked up. The only time I could get a half baked response was when we were kicking some goals. It's very disappointing as the people around us are generally at all of the games.

Diego, your "too Kool for Skool" call is so true. I didn't care, last night, I wanted to get them over the line and tried, but it didn't work.

Maybe we need the ground announcers like they have in the States to get the ground going, but then we'd just look like a bunch of tossers anyway.

Very very disappointed, just wanted to cry at the end of it. I still do.

[Bron]

We are in aisle 108, row 19 I think from memory BAM BAM. There were some loud (and drunk) people above us in the corporate boxes. I could hear them!

[JF_Bay22_SCG]

Originally posted by Diego
It's never been part of Sydney tradition to cheer loudly for a sporting team. We are "too kool for skool" in that department.

Saying that I think the CS (apart from Jules, Mike, Gemma and a few others) is pathetic.

Most of them are there to be close to the goals.(now why would u want to sit behind the goals i dont know why..worst spot to watch a agme of footy) They don't chant, they don't sing they don't do anything. This includes several members of RWO.

Kudos for Jules for trying so hard..

A lot of people wont go near the CS b/c of the ppl involved. I think it's time to retire the old chook raffle mentality and get young blood involved who want to sing and chant. Kids are great but they do nothing really. The amount of times I started screaming for the first 3 rows to get up and start cheering for them to only ignore me. It was pissing me off.

There were a few ppl last night who wanted to join the CS but didn't b/c of some of the ppl there.

Sounds harsh but its true. Sorry Jules.

All I can say mate, is what can I do? Sadly as opposed to our Melbourne squad everything is left for a select few people to do. Hence those who do everything arrive at matches stressed out of their wits. Cathy does an unbelievable job under intense personal stress to get stuff done. I'd like to think I do too. I spent $25 in a cab to get the bag full of flags to the SCG so Gemma and her Dad could pick everything up with their trailer. People like us three do not deserve that wrap mate. Others, well.....

Our most recent set-back is that we have lost the NSWCA cricket centre to make banners, thus meaning that we have to have it made on Fridays. That means only 3-5 people end up making it, and making it takes forever.

But it is frustrating that I have to yell "FLOGGERS!" when the opposition are shooting for goal. In a traditional football environment that would come naturally. But up here I have to try and yell at people to start waving flags and floggers, and cop fithy looks every time I do it (yes, even from fellow RWOers ). Luckily that aspect of things has improved markedly over recent weeks.

We simply need 20-30 loud Diego types to help out every week. But where do you find them when they see everyone just sitting there not doing anything? The scenario is typical Sydney- 1 step forward, 2 steps back.

JF

[thommoone]

sydney crowd are always quiet in the first half. It seems to me we only seem to come alive once all the boose have hit in. lol.
dissapointing though. However when the crowd is involved and we had the "ssyyyyyyydneeeeyyyy" chant going, that was awesome!

[Bron]

I thought that the crowd was loud throughout, and certainly when we looked like we had a chance. Maybe different locations in the stadium have a different volume as the sound bounces around. There were a couple of quiet patches, but I thought it was a great venue and a great crowd.

Sure some people stared at us cheering, but many of them joined in, even if only to clap. And BTW the booming drum followed by the short sharp Sydney seemed to be quite effective last night and had a lot of people near us following it.

I agree that the cheer squad needs work .... there are a few who get into it, but there were a lot of occasions that I looked over to find that the rest of the crowd was doing better than the squad.

BTW, see Gemma got her name on page 3 of one of the Sunday papers ... pity that they misspelt her last name!

[Mike_B]

Yep, it was a victory for us to get that chant going around the ground in the last quarter. The drum definitely helped get it up.

For my mind as a mostly CS outsider who occasionally joins them, the Sydney CS looks awesome and sounds crap. Quite simply there aren't many people in there, and of those, only a handful are actually willing to make noise.

And on the Gemma subject, this is the same Gemma who accused the people who went up to the Gabba last week and got on TV a fair bit of being "Media Sluts".

AHHHH THE IRONY!!!!!!

[BAM_BAM]

we're in ailse 110 row 5 so we're a couple back towards the cheer squad from you Bron.

Jules did do a great job with that drum and the "clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap ... Sydney" sounded a thousand times better than it does at the SCG. And when the other stands eventually did join in on that one it did sound good.

[JF_Bay22_SCG]

Originally posted by BAM_BAM
we're in ailse 110 row 5 so we're a couple back towards the cheer squad from you Bron.

Jules did do a great job with that drum and the "clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap ... Sydney" sounded a thousand times better than it does at the SCG. And when the other stands eventually did join in on that one it did sound good.

Thanks Bam. It's nice to get a wrap for a change.

JF

[Diego]

I was banging on the drum most of the night..i was that silly dude who was running up and down the aisle banging the drum after each goal was scored.

If Jules isnt there the swans CS would be nothing IMHO.