19th Man Ideas

[Ask Sandy]

How about some pre match noise level competition, between bays or areas around the ground. The club could come up with some ideas. Maybe show some magic moments on the big screen to rev up the crowd. Let’s face it we are a competitive bunch, that’s why we love our footy. Then add booze and you have a tipsy, hyped up crowd

 

[raboyle]

Will they allow us to utter the word "bastard" at AAMI?

 

[crowman86]

And lastly, as someone else suggested, perhaps we bring in a towel. It would be unique to the AFL.

This is a great idea, if everyone shakes it while the opposition is going for a goal, it would provide a great distraction esp for those players who aim for someone in the ground.
Would also be great if everyone did it while the team runs out, everyone stands up and gets into the song, would look awesome.
AFC doesn't have to provide them just announce it and have the normal ground presenter getting everyone to practice before the game.

 

[Cap]

I like the towel idea

maybe someone else can come dressed in their pyjamas and another person can tape a 2nd head to their shoulder!!!!

(yes thats that is a Hitchhikers joke)

 

[Riggy1]

nice idea with the towels. Hopefully it looks like the Terrible Towels of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

 

[XztatiK]

And lastly, as someone else suggested, perhaps we bring in a towel. It would be unique to the AFL.

Bulldogs did it.

 

[Blue Red and Gold]

What we need is a giant pulsating fist float to drive around the ground before the game.

pay that

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

Maybe Redgum's I Was Only 19 could be our new theme song. Or perhaps the Herd's cover of it anyway.

And maybe if the Crows kick their 19th goal it triggers a happy hour in every pub in Adelaide starting 60 minutes after the game finishes. Imagine the cheers! An hour should give the players enough time to get down to the Ramsgate too, so there's something in it for everyone.

I can't stand that guy telling me to clap. If you need to be told when to cheer then you shouldn't be at the game. It just feels contrived. It annoys me (and has been like this for a long time) that the majority of supporters only really get involved if we kick a goal (well around me anyway - go Bay 131).

Agree with this.

If they want the crowd to be louder, then they should shut up. We will fill the silence by making noise.

At the moment there is no silence and therefore the crowd doesn't need to make any noise. They are either playing music, doing crappy interviews, making announcements, reeling off goalkickers or telling us "c'mon Crows fans, let's make some nooooiiiiiizzzzze!!!!"

The irony of course being that the more trouble they go to to increase the noise level, the quieter the crowd. And, what's worse, these actions drive crowd participation into a prescribed stimulus-response rather than an automatic, natural, emotional reaction. No stimulus, no noise. So we need to add the member's call to arms to the crow-o-meter to the ground announcer... Now we've got to the stage that people need to be told when to cheer. The cure was worse than the disease.

Shut up you fools. If it is deathly silent then people will be embarrassed by it and change it.

 

[Southerntakeover]

Shut up you fools. If it is deathly silent then people will be embarrassed by it and change it.

Yeah because thats worked well so far.

It seems people just turn their radios up in this event.

 

[-CG-]

Also I've always thought we could copy Ports idea of having the huddle more so near the 'hardcore' members. And when its really close, or we need to be fired up bring it RIGHT next to the boundary.

Close victories in which the crowd plays a part, the team sings the song outside, near the members (judged by the leadership group whether this is done or not).

I like the first idea, but not so much the second.

With the first one, it would have to been an impulse decision made by Craig but he just doesn't strike me as the spontaneous type.

The second idea, too manufactured. Singing the Club song is part of team bonding and something that I think is best behind doors. Its the Club's time to say 'well done' without the whole crowd.

 

[Seanason]

Just as the opposition players kick the ball we shoudl hijack the bigscreens and Rickroll them.

 

[Seanason]

Sing "Score in a brothel, you couldn't score in a brothel!"

Whenever Stuart Dew (or someone of similar build) gets his hands on the ball "Who ate all the pies? Who ate all the pies? You fat bastard, You fat bastard, You ate all the pies!"

Is already done. However, it needs to be kept tame because its a family environment.

Someone mentioned earlier chants, e.g when the opposition kicks in. Whatever happened to the whoa, whoaaaa, whoaaaaaa ****-TA! at every kick in, back in 91-3????

Still happens, As above.

They should name the new Crows shed and after match function area Club 19.

I like this idea.

40,000+ belting out the crows song at the 3qtr time huddle. no music, just the crowd.

Also this idea, but it would seem very cocky and hard to co-ordinate.

Talking about putting off people while kicking, using towels of Pittsburgh as an example

Everyone brings a scarf to games. We should make sure everyone stands up behind the goals and waves scarves. Why get towels when everyone already has scarves?

 

[Southerntakeover]

The second idea, too manufactured. Singing the Club song is part of team bonding and something that I think is best behind doors. Its the Club's time to say 'well done' without the whole crowd.

You're only saying that because you got a private invite.

 

[Seanason]

Also, i wouldnt mind them playing John Farnham's "You're the Voice" at 3/4 time.

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

Yeah because thats worked well so far.

Actually I don't think it has been tried at all.

As soon as there was concern raised about lack of noise at Crows games the AFC panicked and went into crappy marketing over-drive to stimulate the crowd. Rather than letting crowd involvement just evolve over time. More than a decade later and despite all their efforts we are still regarded as a relatively quiet crowd. Yet the gimmicks keep getting piled on. Every year there is something new to cringe at.

Bit like the AFL rules committee. Always stepping in and changing the goalposts, rather then letting things evolve.

 

[Southerntakeover]

Actually I don't think it has been tried at all.

As soon as there was concern raised about lack of noise at Crows games the AFC panicked and went into crappy marketing over-drive to stimulate the crowd. Rather than letting crowd involvement just evolve over time. More than a decade later and despite all their efforts we are still regarded as a relatively quiet crowd. Yet the gimmicks keep getting piled on. Every year there is something new to cringe at.

Bit like the AFL rules committee. Always stepping in and changing the goalposts, rather then letting things evolve.

Mate, i dont know what games youve been attending, but before i took it upon myself to get more hands on, i saw very little of any of these initiatives on the ground, and a whole lot of silence.

 

[JARMOD]

Someone mentioned earlier chants, e.g when the opposition kicks in.

Whatever happened to the whoa, whoaaaa, whoaaaaaa ****-TA! at every kick in, back in 91-3????

What about if we all chanted AHHHH as the opposition player is walking in to have a shot agoal and the POOO-FFF-TER is at the same time he kicks it!
You would know it is coming and would have to put you off..

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

Mate, i dont know what games youve been attending, but before i took it upon myself to get more hands on, i saw very little of any of these initiatives on the ground, and a whole lot of silence.

You are kidding. There is not a moment of silence at AAMI Stadium. There is constant music before the game. There are interviews as fans roll in to the ground projected up on the big screens. The announcer lets us know who the emergencies are. Usually there are two ground announcers to add inane banter to the build up. Then he lets us know who will be umpiring. There are highlights of previous matches on the big screen with the commentary played through the speakers. Then he lets us know who has won the toss.

Then he reminds us to makesomenoisecrowsfans and the ball is bounced. During the game there is the crow-o-meter after every goal and sometimes opposition goals to prompt the crowd into a frenzy of cheering. The members call to arms is there to prompt even more cheering. At every break we are reminded who the goal kickers are. There are more interviews with crowd members. Ads on the big screen are played, with volume. There are highlights from the previous quarter with the ground announcer telling us what we are watching. And this is all repeated ad naseum.

There is noise coming from absolutely everywhere, except the crowd.

And why would the crowd make any noise? The man on the microphone will tell them when they're supposed to cheer.

Ten+ years of the AFC frantically and embarrassingly trying to instigate crowd noise and - as you've pointed out - without an ounce of success. If anything their efforts have had a negative affect.

 

[-CG-]

Do you know what would be nice?

If they showed stats on the screen and arranged the goal kickers list in order from who has kicked the most. That always bugs me.

I agree mostly with you there Carl, as I mentioned before, in Melbourne there's barely any build up at all and it works really well.

 

[Southerntakeover]

You are kidding. There is not a moment of silence at AAMI Stadium. There is constant music before the game. There are interviews as fans roll in to the ground projected up on the big screens. The announcer lets us know who the emergencies are. Usually there are two ground announcers to add inane banter to the build up. Then he lets us know who will be umpiring. There are highlights of previous matches on the big screen with the commentary played through the speakers. Then he lets us know who has won the toss.

Then he reminds us to makesomenoisecrowsfans and the ball is bounced. During the game there is the crow-o-meter after every goal and sometimes opposition goals to prompt the crowd into a frenzy of cheering. The members call to arms is there to prompt even more cheering. At every break we are reminded who the goal kickers are. There are more interviews with crowd members. Ads on the big screen are played, with volume. There are highlights from the previous quarter with the ground announcer telling us what we are watching. And this is all repeated ad naseum.

There is noise coming from absolutely everywhere, except the crowd.

And why would the crowd make any noise? The man on the microphone will tell them when they're supposed to cheer.

Ten+ years of the AFC frantically and embarrassingly trying to instigate crowd noise and - as you've pointed out - without an ounce of success. If anything their efforts have had a negative affect.

So theres noise during stoppage periods.

What about during the vast stretches of actual match, when noones making a sound?

That silence doesnt appear to encourage cheering, infact, in my experience the opposite. People are actually intimidated from speaking out, else they face the granny glare of dooooooooom.

 

[cmndstab]

Haven't got much to contribute here, but You're The Voice is an awesome song and the "whoooaaaa" in the chorus would ring around AAMI stadium brilliantly

 

[jackster83]

Haven't got much to contribute here, but You're The Voice is an awesome song and the "whoooaaaa" in the chorus would ring around AAMI stadium brilliantly

I like the idea of using music to rev up the crowd - much better than that annoying guy telling us to make some noise. Some Rage Against The Machine would definitely liven things up a bit but would annoy the baby boomers and the knitting brigade.

Or they could just show some Modra highlights. They're always good

 

[NTRabbit]

I like the idea of using music to rev up the crowd - much better than that annoying guy telling us to make some noise. Some Rage Against The Machine would definitely liven things up a bit but would annoy the baby boomers and the knitting brigade.

Or they could just show some Modra highlights. They're always good

I think using music to rev up the crowd is a terrible idea. Aside from the fact that your idea of good music, and my idea of good music, in all likelihood do not line up, playing loud music during the game will sound as hollow and contrived as it does in the NBL. It could quite possibly be as bad as it is when they pump out tunes to incoming/outgoing batsmen and bowlers in Ford Ranger Cup and ODI games. No atmosphere, no revving of the crowd - just very, very sad.

The answer is not piped music, or announcer delivered instructions. The only way anything can possibly change is if we, the crowd, get up and start things in motion on our own. Whether or not we can, given the crowd demographics, is another matter.

 

[NTRabbit]

What about if we all chanted AHHHH as the opposition player is walking in to have a shot agoal and the POOO-FFF-TER is at the same time he kicks it!
You would know it is coming and would have to put you off..

They started forcibly ejecting people from SANFL games for doing that about 15 years ago, I can't imaging the Orange Coats allowing it to happen at a Crows game - especially not with the new liquor rules, amped up with authority and the need to keep order as they will be.

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

So theres noise during stoppage periods.

What about during the vast stretches of actual match, when noones making a sound?

That silence doesnt appear to encourage cheering, infact, in my experience the opposite. People are actually intimidated from speaking out, else they face the granny glare of dooooooooom.

Oh, I agree that there isn't enough noise during the game. And that's part of my point. All these efforts to generate crowd noise aren't working, so let's piss them off.

In the early days of the Crows the crowds were much louder. There was no music, no ground announcer, no big screen.

Injuries, emergencies... you had to ask the bloke who had the transistor radio with him. Goalkickers... you had to ask the bloke marking them all down in the record. So you actually talked to people around you. There was communication. You used your voice. You got to know people. There was some level of cameraderie in the bays between fans.

You got used to using your voice and, hey presto, when the game was being played you continued to use your voice. The people around you weren't complete strangers so you weren't so intimidated.

Now you arrive 30 minutes before the game, you sit there and listen quietly, you are completely isolated from the strangers around you and have no reason to communicate with them. Then - surprise surprise - our crowds are quiet during the game.

Liverpool at Anfield... Collingwood at the G... they don't do any of the crap before or during the game that we do but their crowds are 10 times louder. Chicken or egg I know.

And thanks to all the razzamataz there will never be any crowd involvement before the game to warm people up. Even the stock standard Adelaide clap-clap-clap chant is impossible due to the wall of noise, music and information being blasted at us. So the crowd is expected to go from 0 to 100 as soon as the ball is bounced. And they don't.