The modern AFL patron experience. Would you ever walk away?

[VolgaBoatman]

I would never walk away, and I've been supporting Freo since their inception (some incredibly CR*P games). I actually don't mind Subi, even the old wooden benches, the maze around the back of the grand-stand, though saying that the MCG and Etihad are both brilliant stadiums, and I would love to go Adelaide Oval. I much prefer being at the ground that watching the game on TV.

Used to go to watch the Tigers at Claremont oval occasionally as well, but haven't been this year.

Saying that, going to the occasional Eagles home game with the chant "SGIO, Go Eagles Go, SGIO" at quarter time etc, is pretty annoying - not sure how their members can stand it week in week out. They also used to blaze out in the late eighties, early nineties (we're the Eagles, we're flying high) after every goal - which I'm sure was great if they were getting beaten by 50 points.

 

[TheMcManusNose]

No.

There are effectively no issues getting a beer or having a piss at the quarter/half where I sit. Never had an issue with security. Don't eat the food.

Best of all... I like the taste of Carlton Mid

 

[Lana]

What I hate is the 20c fee on tomato sauce.

Basterds: I've just paid $7 for a pie that wholesales for $1.25 and they want to sting me another 20c

If they provided a free satchel of sauce with every pie/hotdog/box of chips it would eat into the profit margin of each item sold. It would be even worse of they could be taken at will as most people would take multiple satchels and some will do so even if they weren't buying any hot food. By putting a small price on the satchel it stops a significant section of the population from even buying the sauce in the first place. It wouldn't surprise me if this small change saved them more than $100,000 in cost per year

 

[Experimental]

The alternative for me is go and watch WAFL football, where I pay $10 entry, the kids can play on the bouncy castle and have kick on the ground in the breaks and I can stretch out on a sunny grass bank. The skills aren't as good, but they're pretty good and the play is nice and open. Afterwards, I'm home within 15 minutes. It's a much more pleasurable experience in many ways.

This is what Metricon Stadium does very well. Besides the prices (which are overcome by getting a membership anyway), it's basically a huge footy carnival every two weeks. Besides the game itself, there's a live band, several different bars, jumping castles, a secondary oval for everyone to kick a ball around, there are live hosts going around the "entertaining" (and I put that loosely), and the whole atmosphere is incredible.

The experience elsewhere that I've been (Gabba, MCG, and Etihad) doesn't even come close to Metricon.

No.

There are effectively no issues getting a beer or having a piss at the quarter/half where I sit. Never had an issue with security. Don't eat the food.

Best of all... I like the taste of Carlton Mid

I'm exactly the same, but having to pay $7.20 for it? What a joke. Any pub nearby will sell a schooner of mid for $4.00, and we're expected to pay what's basically double all because we're at a live game? All attendees have paid to enter the ground, and are paying way too ****ing much for a beer. Simple fix is obviously not buying it, but the fact remains - there's no reason for such ridiculous prices.

I'm happy to pay $5.00 for a pie, but seven bucks for a MID STRENGTH beer is pathetic.

The blaring music does put me off a fair bit.

And the mid strength beer at a massive cost is annoying but I can just wait and not have one till after the match

Unfortunately, when it's pretty much always 20+ degrees on the GC for our games, my thirst for a frothy one is sometimes hard to quench

 

[Ahern2Boof]

What I hate is the 20c fee on tomato sauce.

Basterds: I've just paid $7 for a pie that wholesales for $1.25 and they want to sting me another 20c

Sauce in the pockets mate. Easy fix. They're always too busy to even notice.

 

[Ahern2Boof]

I don't mind the fan experience at the footy, but it could be a lot better obviously. I usually go by myself, I like sitting near smart people who dissect the game with the people beside/near them and I silently agree or disagree with them. I don't like sitting next to braindead people who scream ball at every opportunity. I also always seem to pick the one seat in the stadium surrounded by the most annoying ****ing children in the entire place. Seriously, could parents maybe consider not taking their kids to the footy? Over the top I know but geez they're annoying.

Security at the gates rarely check me, they usually just wave me through. Must be an innocent looking guy. I think one of the only times I got asked for a bag inspection was when I tried to take in a few cans of coke.

I usually just buy Subway from the outlet outside of Etihad and that fills me up for the next few hours. Although at 3QT it can be hard to resist going and getting some chips as everyone around me has food and the smell makes me a little hungry.

Don't like watching the game from the standing view. I like being able to see the roof/sky during a game, so that when someone kicks it high in the air, I can track the ball and see where it's going. You can only really follow the play from standing room when the ball is passed around by handball and on the ground etc.

 

[IggypopsTshirt]

Everything isn't exactly as I want it, all the time. I'm going to write letters, send emails and shed tears until everything suits me.
When did we become so ****ing fragile?

 

[Experimental]

Sauce in the pockets mate. Easy fix. They're always too busy to even notice.

This is what I've always done. Until I read this thread, I thought they were free LOL

 

[Ahern2Boof]

I was at Simonds Stadium earlier this year for the Rugby with my girlfriend and her family. Her and I went to the Red Rooster to get dinner just as the game was starting for the family, it wasn't until we were walking back that I realised we wouldn't be allowed to take it in. Gf said that we'd be fine, anyway she tried charging in and they held her back. Security guy on the gate came up to me and said that he knows how stupid the rule of not being able to take commercial food into the venues is but they've gotta follow it, and said a lot of them hate having to turn people away just because they have a bottle of coke or whatever.

 

[NarniMagic]

Subi is a pile of shit but I'll keep going because I'm not there for the amenities. I'm there to watch my team.

I don't drink during the footy because I want to actually watch the game without spending half the game in line for beer or in line for the urinal, and I don't eat at the footy because I can go 3 hours without eating overpriced crap when there's far better food available at half the price outside the ground.

The only complaint I have is that my view of the game is crap because of an antiquated stadium. If that got fixed (as it will thanks to the new stadium hopefully) then I don't see the point in complaining about peripheral issues that are unrelated to the reason I buy a ticket.

While you make valid points which I agree with, I think the question should be, why is it that at the footy there is nothing but overpriced crap food and 10 km long beer lines? The answer of course is because these stadiums are cheap bastards and I don't know why they can't at least put a bit more effort into these aspects of the experience. Hire some chefs to prepare a large number of meals/options that are available for a fair price, not just some pimply faced teenager on 10 bucks an hour who knows how to heat up some frozen pies or deep fry some chips. It's not f***ing rocket science. People that want to pay the (reasonable) prices for the actual decent quality food will do it, and people like you who don't care about the peripheral aspects of going to a game of footy can pay the price of admission, watch the game, and go home.

 

[TheHoneyBadger]

I don't mind the fan experience at the footy, but it could be a lot better obviously. I usually go by myself, I like sitting near smart people who dissect the game with the people beside/near them and I silently agree or disagree with them. I don't like sitting next to braindead people who scream ball at every opportunity. I also always seem to pick the one seat in the stadium surrounded by the most annoying ******* children in the entire place. Seriously, could parents maybe consider not taking their kids to the footy? Over the top I know but geez they're annoying.

Security at the gates rarely check me, they usually just wave me through. Must be an innocent looking guy. I think one of the only times I got asked for a bag inspection was when I tried to take in a few cans of coke.

I usually just buy Subway from the outlet outside of Etihad and that fills me up for the next few hours. Although at 3QT it can be hard to resist going and getting some chips as everyone around me has food and the smell makes me a little hungry.

Don't like watching the game from the standing view. I like being able to see the roof/sky during a game, so that when someone kicks it high in the air, I can track the ball and see where it's going. You can only really follow the play from standing room when the ball is passed around by handball and on the ground etc.

One time my Pa tried to take a couple of coke cans into the 'G when he was taking my cousin to the third day of the Test - his 'illegal contraband' was confiscated and not returned.

 

[The_Reaper]

One time my Pa tried to take a couple of coke cans into the 'G when he was taking my cousin to the third day of the Test - his 'illegal contraband' was confiscated and not returned.

I bet the guards drink it all

 

[PattoMan99]

I'm just glad these sunday night specials are coming to an end. Just a timeslot that appeases the TV audience and totally shits on the patrons.

 

[StonesThrow]

Adelaide oval is a fantastic place to go and watch footy now. The only gripe from me it's the beer prices, as you can avoid buying food. Still, it's roughly the same as going to the bar except you don't get to watch and scream at your football team playing live in front of an amazing atmosphere.

I'll be going more often.

 

[Ahern2Boof]

One time my Pa tried to take a couple of coke cans into the 'G when he was taking my cousin to the third day of the Test - his 'illegal contraband' was confiscated and not returned.

Ours were thrown in the bin one by one.

 

[TheHoneyBadger]

Ours were thrown in the bin one by one.

Pissants. They could've at least sunk them in front of you for a laugh.

 

[The_Reaper]

Pissants. They could've at least sunk them in front of you for a laugh.

My old man used to do that when confiscating my underage booze

 

[SBD Gonzalez]

Agree on the obnoxiously loud music and announcements in the breaks. The one thing that really pisses me off about going to games. Just STFU and let me and my mates talk about the great footy we've just seen.

 

[SBD Gonzalez]

Also, I've been to a few Giants games at Spotless, formerly Skoda, and I just want to say the variety of food choices is excellent.

Actually think that's a really good little ground. If and when the Giants start getting their act together, that'll be a great place to see a game.

 

[Eshay187]

I was at Simonds Stadium earlier this year for the Rugby with my girlfriend and her family. Her and I went to the Red Rooster to get dinner just as the game was starting for the family, it wasn't until we were walking back that I realised we wouldn't be allowed to take it in. Gf said that we'd be fine, anyway she tried charging in and they held her back. Security guy on the gate came up to me and said that he knows how stupid the rule of not being able to take commercial food into the venues is but they've gotta follow it, and said a lot of them hate having to turn people away just because they have a bottle of coke or whatever.

Really?

You're allowed to take food into the SCG.

Stopping by Erciyes on Cleveland St and getting the medium dips selection (baba ganoush, homous, chilli, the green one) and a loaf of Turkish bread is part of the tradition for me!

 

[Eshay187]

Agree on the obnoxiously loud music and announcements in the breaks. The one thing that really pisses me off about going to games. Just STFU and let me and my mates talk about the great footy we've just seen.

Agree with this - the music at Swans v Carlton was the loudest I've heard - had to yell above it like I was in a club.

 

[Eshay187]

Last year I went to Brisbane v Port with a mate , Entered the food area. In the hotdog with cheese there was the casual bun ,the hotdog and half a slice of bloody plastic cheese. The whole thing cost around $7. Those cheap b*stards.....................................

Haha, at the SCG a hotdog is $10

#COLA

 

[NarniMagic]

Also, I've been to a few Giants games at Spotless, formerly Skoda, and I just want to say the variety of food choices is excellent.

Actually think that's a really good little ground. If and when the Giants start getting their act together, that'll be a great place to see a game.

Interesting that the grounds for the new teams who are trying to build up support provide a good atmosphere and food options (referring to the poster who talked about Metricon above). It's like they are really putting in effort to attract new fans whilst us loyal fans who have been going to the games for all our lives get shit on because they know we're there for primarily the footy and will go anyway. Scumbags...

 

[Watson_my_mind]

Jesus when I go to the footy down in Aurora Stadium we got a huge variety of food, sounds like all you guys get are hot dogs and pies. We get hot dogs, chips, pies, dagwood dogs, wedges, nachos, rolls and heaps more as well as cheap beer. You guys get rorted in victoria. Yes my location says Melbourne but I actually live in Tassie.

 

[estibador]

Where do you sit?

Ground level, edge of the wing/HFF on the far side of the ground.

I get a good view of the centre square stuff, but then 90% of the play goes up and down the opposite wing where the IC benches are. When the play is on the diagonally opposite HFF I can't see a thing, which wouldn't be so bad except for the fact the people on the good side of the ground also get the good replay screen while we get stuck with the one that isn't much bigger than my tv.

I sat at ground level at the MCG for last year's GF and the view was miles better than my seat at Subi thanks to the better angle the stands are built at.