Cat got your tongue? Is there anything beyond "Geelong clap clap clap"?

[Moggy]

I thought it might be interesting to have a discussion about Geelong fan culture and specifically chants and singing at matches.

Now, i have to admit that I don't live in Australia anymore, so I am out of touch with what goes on at the ground when Geelong play these days. I haven't been a regular at matches since 1999.

One thing I have always been impressed by, is the singing culture in soccer all over the world. The atmosphere that fans generate is, at tiimes, spine-tingling, with an incredible amount of creativity on display.

AFL crowds don't seem to be interested in singing at matches so much, and most of what I have heard is the stock standard "Geelong clap clap clap" style chant, used by most clubs. Collingwood's slow "soccer" chant is an obvious exception, and can have an awesome impact on the atmosphere in the stadium, IMO, and translates really well to TV and radio coverage.

So, we know the Cats have the best club song, but what do we have in the way of other chants?

Do you think that Cats fans would accept or embrace any new chants/songs?

Does anyone try to get anything new or interesting off the ground at matches? E.g. The cheer squad

Interested to hear your views...

 

[Shell]

Geelong has an "unofficial Cheersquad" who are actually pretty good and funny, I've sat near them a few times.

The official CS are a bunch of bores, who are completely annoying- always try and avoid sitting near them, they will never try anything new.

And I dont think we have the best song by a long shot in the AFL. I love it in the way cause "its our song", but I acutally think other teams have better songs than us.

 

[BotsMaster]

Collingwood's slow "soccer" chant is an obvious exception,

That's more of a drone than a chant.

 

[Senatorguesty]

That's more of a drone than a chant.

And was smashed to shit by OUR chant in the 2011 GF
I still can picture that dude in the light blue jumper.
Gold.

 

[SJ]

I thought it might be interesting to have a discussion about Geelong fan culture and specifically chants and singing at matches.

Now, i have to admit that I don't live in Australia anymore, so I am out of touch with what goes on at the ground when Geelong play these days. I haven't been a regular at matches since 1999.

One thing I have always been impressed by, is the singing culture in soccer all over the world. The atmosphere that fans generate is, at tiimes, spine-tingling, with an incredible amount of creativity on display.

AFL crowds don't seem to be interested in singing at matches so much, and most of what I have heard is the stock standard "Geelong clap clap clap" style chant, used by most clubs. Collingwood's slow "soccer" chant is an obvious exception, and can have an awesome impact on the atmosphere in the stadium, IMO, and translates really well to TV and radio coverage.

So, we know the Cats have the best club song, but what do we have in the way of other chants?

Do you think that Cats fans would accept or embrace any new chants/songs?

Does anyone try to get anything new or interesting off the ground at matches? E.g. The cheer squad

Interested to hear your views...

You can only sing at sport when you have time to sing. There is no time to sing in a game of Australian Football. Are you telling me you would or could chant during play? No chance. If you can find fifteen seconds where nothing is happening, let me know.

In association football, there are often large passages of play where the ball is being passed, uncontested, with no threat of any activity happening. Plus supporters can get bored. So that's why the singing culture is much stronger.

Honestly even if you got 100,000 singing at the MCG, within two possessions I can guarantee it would be forgotten.

 

[darren forssman]

The official CS are a bunch of bores, who are completely annoying- always try and avoid sitting near them, they will never try anything new.

are they the ones that after a player has scored chant something along the lines:

tomahawk, oi, oi, oi

 

[Senatorguesty]

are they the ones that after a player has scored chant something along the lines:

tomahawk, oi, oi, oi

I like the guys in the outer who have songs like "Paul Chapman you can shag my wife".

 

[TheWoodenSlug]

I like the guys in the outer who have songs like "Paul Chapman you can shag my wife".

Bugger that! If Chappy is around at my house and looking for some loving, the missus isn't getting anywhere near him..

 

[Moggy]

You can only sing at sport when you have time to sing. There is no time to sing in a game of Australian Football. Are you telling me you would or could chant during play? No chance. If you can find fifteen seconds where nothing is happening, let me know.

In association football, there are often large passages of play where the ball is being passed, uncontested, with no threat of any activity happening. Plus supporters can get bored. So that's why the singing culture is much stronger.

Honestly even if you got 100,000 singing at the MCG, within two possessions I can guarantee it would be forgotten.

At first thought, this seems plausible, but I think this is actually a myth.

In theory, there are plenty of breaks in play in an AFL match.
After a goal is kicked. Before the bounce down. At quarter/half/three quarter time. While a player is "in the hands of the trainers", and of course, during the endless rolling scrums. Chants can work really well in a 20 second gap - we are not talking about singing Stairway to Heaven here

In practice, Collingwood have shown that there are opportunities to make it work. Their slow chant certainly hasn't gone unnoticed.
FWIW, I have a pet theory that a lot of non-Collingwood supporters hate that chant because they deep-down envy it. I do!

[the Collingwood slow chant is] more of a drone than a chant.

Well, it is melodically very basic, but that is a strength, IMO.

• It is very simple to join in with.
• It creates a hypnotic, eerie atmosphere which, according to D.Jolly, inspires the players.
• It drowns out the opposition fans' cheers.

What's not to like... other than the club that imported* it?

BTW, I am not advocating just copying this, and it is never going to be a hit single - but I do think it is a success.

* I say imported, as I believe it is a straight copy of a British soccer club chant. Probably Arsenal, but I am still looking for confirmation of this.

 

[FredLeDeux]

Going back a bit, the most effective noisemaking was the Essendon mob all stamping their feet in the stand along the home wing.
Collingwood to a lesser extent, but they never did get the hang of the Rhythm Method, with the predictable sad results.
I was always hoping after I saw that Tacoma Bridge Collapse video, but no....

 

[GloblFotbalCrsis]

The official CS are a bunch of bores, who are completely annoying- always try and avoid sitting near them, they will never try anything new.

The official cheer squad does not do much other than the normal 5 or 6 chants because it's linked to the club and I believe can get sanctioned etc. also opposition fans get onto us quickly if we do anything rude and most matches police/security will come down at some stage a word with a few people report back then leave. Since the texting thing at the grounds this has gotten worse and not many would risk a raunchy chant.

Geelong has an "unofficial Cheersquad" who are actually pretty good and funny, I've sat near them a few times.

I do respect these guys a lot and can have a few whity comments.

BTW, I am not advocating just copying this, and it is never going to be a hit single - but I do think it is a success.

There has been a droning geelong chant for a number of years and if you were at the 2011 GF it was a massive moment

 

[GloblFotbalCrsis]

Now, i have to admit that I don't live in Australia anymore, so I am out of touch with what goes on at the ground when Geelong play these days. I haven't been a regular at matches since 1999.

If you are watching on the TV you would only hear the mic's they place near the cheer squad and this is only on when they do there post goal routine. the are a few but not many other chants by no song other than the droning one.

 

[Moggy]

There has been a droning geelong chant for a number of years and if you were at the 2011 GF it was a massive moment

As it happens, I was reliving past glories recently by listening to the K-Rock commentary of that match. That is sort of what got me thinking about the whole thing.

It was a massive moment and I loved it, but it felt very much like a response to Collingwood - rather than our own chant.
But, if I am wrong on that, and it is something we have done for a while, then I hope to hear more of it!

 

[GloblFotbalCrsis]

But, if I am wrong on that, and it is something we have done for a while, then I hope to hear more of it!

I know it is something the cheer squad has often tried to start but with often not much success and it has only working a couple of times.
the GF was different though and was more of a response as you suggested as it was not started by the cheer squad

 

[BotsMaster]

It was a massive moment and I loved it, but it felt very much like a response to Collingwood - rather than our own chant.

I remember vividly the 'GEEEEEELLOOOOONG' chant was going around the ground in the 2007 Grand Final.

 

[topic97]

At first thought, this seems plausible, but I think this is actually a myth.

In theory, there are plenty of breaks in play in an AFL match.
After a goal is kicked. Before the bounce down. At quarter/half/three quarter time. While a player is "in the hands of the trainers", and of course, during the endless rolling scrums. Chants can work really well in a 20 second gap - we are not talking about singing Stairway to Heaven here

In practice, Collingwood have shown that there are opportunities to make it work. Their slow chant certainly hasn't gone unnoticed.
FWIW, I have a pet theory that a lot of non-Collingwood supporters hate that chant because they deep-down envy it. I do!

I tend to agree with SJ - footy is way too fast & action packed compared to soccer - soccer is bloody boring with huge chunks of the games with nothing passage of plays, the fans start the chants to fill in time as there isnt anything to cheer, riot or set off flares about.

In a tight game of footy, fans dont have time to catch their breath at the quarter breaks let alone worry about starting a chant.
Think back to every game of footy you have been to a mate with & at every break its all about either running to take a piss, getting a beer or food or talking about "did you see when x did y", or "we need to start doing x to get back in the game", or "did you see Eddies head about to explode when Varcoe booted the sealer in the grand final" .

Especially when you factor in the amount of stats avaliable on hand via mobile phones etc that you wade through at the breaks or on low spots.

The collingwood chant is a bit different, they only roll that one out when they are well on top in games & have teams locked down playing kick to kick footy.
You never see that one come out when they are either getting belted or the game is really tight.
And besides, they are too busy booing at the quarter breaks to start a chant.....

 

[FoxC]

Off topic but ...

And I dont think we have the best song by a long shot in the AFL. I love it in the way cause "its our song", but I acutally think other teams have better songs than us.

It's not better than ours, but I quite enjoyed and even sang along to the sound of 'Cheer cheer the Red and the White' at this year's granny.

 

[bulletproof]

You can only sing at sport when you have time to sing. There is no time to sing in a game of Australian Football. Are you telling me you would or could chant during play? No chance. If you can find fifteen seconds where nothing is happening, let me know.

In association football, there are often large passages of play where the ball is being passed, uncontested, with no threat of any activity happening. Plus supporters can get bored. So that's why the singing culture is much stronger.

Honestly even if you got 100,000 singing at the MCG, within two possessions I can guarantee it would be forgotten.

With respect I am not sure you have a full understanding of football if you think there is large parts of the game where nothing happens, moving the ball around the pitch is what you do to create scoring opportunities by pulling the opposition around the pitch. There is always something happening, possibly on Tv that is not clear.

To the OP, I have been to plenty of English, Italian, Spanish and South American football grounds and I will say that chanting is vastly overrated as a means of creating atmosphere. Particularly in England, where nearly all the songs are repetitive and generic.

The best atmosphere is created through raw, unscripted emotion. Games where the crowd noise almost sucks the ball into the net, there does not tend to be some show tune ringing around the ground at these times. Just people yelling guttural primal nonsense.

 

[BotsMaster]

I tend to agree with SJ - footy is way too fast & action packed compared to soccer - soccer is bloody boring with huge chunks of the games with nothing passage of plays, the fans start the chants to fill in time as there isnt anything to cheer, riot or set off flares about.

Well when I'm bored at the footy I'll usually light up a flare and shove it into my neighbors face, just so we have something to talk about.

 

[FredLeDeux]

Well when I'm bored at the footy I'll usually light up a flare and shove it into my neighbors face, just so we have something to talk about.

Why not run on to the ground and snap the goalie like that Leeds bloke a fortnight back?

 

[BotsMaster]

Why not run on to the ground and snap the goalie like that Leeds bloke a fortnight back?

Because in Aussie Rules there is no goalkeeper?

 

[FredLeDeux]

Because in Aussie Rules there is no goalkeeper?

I knew there had to be a good reason.

 

[FoxC]

Because in Aussie Rules there is no goalkeeper?

You can take out Chelsea Roffey instead.

 

[BotsMaster]

You can take out Chelsea Roffey instead.

By 'take out' you mean out to dinner?

 

[CharacterFirst]

At first thought, this seems plausible, but I think this is actually a myth.

In theory, there are plenty of breaks in play in an AFL match.
After a goal is kicked. Before the bounce down. At quarter/half/three quarter time. While a player is "in the hands of the trainers", and of course, during the endless rolling scrums. Chants can work really well in a 20 second gap - we are not talking about singing Stairway to Heaven here

In practice, Collingwood have shown that there are opportunities to make it work. Their slow chant certainly hasn't gone unnoticed.
FWIW, I have a pet theory that a lot of non-Collingwood supporters hate that chant because they deep-down envy it. I do!



Well, it is melodically very basic, but that is a strength, IMO.

• It is very simple to join in with.
• It creates a hypnotic, eerie atmosphere which, according to D.Jolly, inspires the players.
• It drowns out the opposition fans' cheers.

What's not to like... other than the club that imported* it?


BTW, I am not advocating just copying this, and it is never going to be a hit single - but I do think it is a success.

* I say imported, as I believe it is a straight copy of a British soccer club chant. Probably Arsenal, but I am still looking for confirmation of this.

And you don't need teeth to mold any or the sounds.