The Monday Soapbox - R1 2025

[Flamethrower]

Agreed! Friends went to the game and like us, they're not young. They left at 3qtr time as it was too much. The humidity, the heat, the lack of airflow, plus the usual challenge of the steps-which is normally bearable but after the oppressive sauna it was taxing.
There was no chance of rain and the wind was minimal. They weren't the only ones who left either, they reported chatting to small groups milling outside, some with young children who'd become anxious and faint. They asked staff why the roof was on given the conditions and got the "thats above my paygrade-contact management response". Some wondered if the decision was to sell more drinks...... I suspect vendors made more in overpriced cold drinks but lost out on food, being too hot for hot food. They did take refuge at half time at the outdoor eatery overlooking the water overlooking the west but once back in you feel the difference even more.

For its type Docklands as a venue is fine/average but decision making is chronically poor.

Why does the Stadium Management continue to insist on the roof being closed for no good or obvious reason?
Its concrete, it absorbs heat all day-or over several days. The players were impacted, the fans were uncomfortable and exhausted. He said the outside temp was 5* cooler than inside. The relief was palpable once out.

It makes sense when its cold or rainy, but on a sweltering evening it seems reckless and possibly dangerous. They put welfare last. The game at the G was hot but there was air and a slight breeze, the benefit of nightfall under lights.
The last time we went to a game at Marvel it felt like being in an awful video game. Sunny day, afternoon game, lid on. Crazy.

Would really genuinely like to know what the criteria checklist is for roof on or off.

Very glad we didn't make the trip down, we would've been knackered, stressed and irritable, all unnecessarily. After coping with a heatwave up here in Northern Vic for a week why would we drive down to sit in a hot airless concrete and steel stadium where its even hotter. Worse than the long drives we had in the Kingswood and the Valiant on sticky vinyl seats for hours, at least we could wind the windows down!
Is that what the AFL want, more reasons not to go to make effort to enjoy the game live? I wonder what the other teams who have Marvel as Home ground feel about it.

There was no fixture the following day so protecting the surface wasn't an issue. Rain was forecast for Sunday but the roof takes 10-15 minutes to close, why not close it after?
Did somebody misplace the remote control?

Who or what is the Marvel Management trying to protect by closing the lid? What is the benefit? Or is it just a blanket policy with no reasoning? Nuts.

Marvel management have nothing to do with the roof being closed - that is a decision that was made by the AFL a few years ago - ALL games are to be played with the roof closed, NO exceptions.

Of course the 2 main culprits for this decision are/were Dumb Gil, Dumber Dillon and Dumberer Kane who spend their time in airconditioned luxury boxes.

[Pleather Sole]

Seriously? What if it was 40* out and 45* under the lid? If it was played early afternoon it was 36*.
There has to be a welfare criteria, legally or they'd be uninsurable.

[SquirrelGrip]

Marvel management have nothing to do with the roof being closed - that is a decision that was made by the AFL a few years ago - ALL games are to be played with the roof closed, NO exceptions.

Of course the 2 main culprits for this decision are/were Dumb Gil, Dumber Dillon and Dumberer Kane who spend their time in airconditioned luxury boxes.

Give AFL own Marvel Stadium, Marvel Management and AFL are one and the same thing.

[Boots]

I know it’s Tuesday but I was thinking about this last night, I promise.

I deadset loathe the in-season trade scuttlebutt that has become the norm. We’ve been burnt by Dunkley and Smith and I don’t want to imagine getting reamed at the trade table a third time for JUH. I don’t want to hear about it, I don’t want it hanging over the season. I just want to enjoy footy. That was really hard last year.

I mean I also want a scandal larger than the Essendon drug scandal to surface about Geelong and sink the club forevermore, but I’ll take Jon Ralph shutting his smug trap.