I liked the suburban VFL grounds because....

[bulldogtragic]

Re: I liked the suburban VFL grounds because....

Looking up at the scoreboard and wondering how E vs F was going, and who G vs H was, and why H was beating them.

That and going home after the game on a saturday afternoon listening to the footy wrap up on the radio in the car. (we drove a few hours each way) also when i was finally old enough to not have to take a milk crate to the footy to see the game.

We always stood behind the goals at the geelong road end, seeing the regulars and it really felt like family.

I also enjoyed the fact that our ground was considered "hostile" by every other team and everyone loathed playing there, it was our patch, our turf and our home. (the away teams change rooms were 3rd world at best, and my uncle used to turn the hot water off on the away rooms regularly)

I remember trying to get home ASAP, so in the wrap up of the Saturday footy on channel 7 I could hopefully watch 5 minutes of footage taken from the top of the grand stand.

I forgot about the alphabet coded score updates, that's a cracker nomination.

[Twodogs]

Re: I liked the suburban VFL grounds because....

Looking up at the scoreboard and wondering how E vs F was going, and who G vs H was, and why H was beating them.

That and going home after the game on a saturday afternoon listening to the footy wrap up on the radio in the car. (we drove a few hours each way) also when i was finally old enough to not have to take a milk crate to the footy to see the game.

We always stood behind the goals at the geelong road end, seeing the regulars and it really felt like family.

I also enjoyed the fact that our ground was considered "hostile" by every other team and everyone loathed playing there, it was our patch, our turf and our home. (the away teams change rooms were 3rd world at best, and my uncle used to turn the hot water off on the away rooms regularly)

Did your uncle work for the club?

[Bornadog]

Re: I liked the suburban VFL grounds because....

We always stood behind the goals at the geelong road end, seeing the regulars and it really felt like family.

My father always stood there with his friends. When I was 5 years old we lived just up the street and my father always took us to the opposite end, ie behind the Barkley street goals.

[ReLoad]

Re: I liked the suburban VFL grounds because....

Did your uncle work for the club?

I don't think he did (at least in an official capacity) but he used to all sorts of odd jobs around the club in the 70's and 80's. At one stage im pretty sure he and my other uncle were running the SP bookies near the cricket nets out the back, but he has never owned up to that.

[langers1971]

Re: I liked the suburban VFL grounds because....

there was always a sense of satisfaction if your team won at an away ground,such as Vic park etc, not like today, where in Melbourne, we only play at MCG or Etihad, thats why i probably prefer footy in the 1980's to what we get today.

[Remi Moses]

Re: I liked the suburban VFL grounds because....

Meeting up at Footscray station religiously at Midday
Massive buzz when we'd win away.

[bulldogtragic]

Re: I liked the suburban VFL grounds because....

It meant it got to watch 2 games. I loved getting there early for the ressies and watch the kids (West, Johnson and Smith etc) rise into the next level as an entree to the main. To follow on from TD's post, you got to find the best standing spot by getting in early and if you wanted to move around, or move spot for the best angle for shots on goal etc you could.

[1eyedog]

Re: I liked the suburban VFL grounds because....

Suburban grounds encapsulated a sense of belonging to the tribe that is obviously lacking in today's structure. I felt so much more connected to other Bulldogs supporters when we played at home. On the way home on the train in the late 70s and 80s it was pandemonium after a win, now a fellow Bulldog supporter is hard up talking to you after one.

[bulldogtragic]

Re: I liked the suburban VFL grounds because....

Suburban grounds encapsulated a sense of belonging to the tribe that is obviously lacking in today's structure. I felt so much more connected to other Bulldogs supporters when we played at home. On the way home on the train in the late 70s and 80s it was pandemonium after a win, now a fellow Bulldog supporter is hard up talking to you after one.

Great call on the word 'tribal'. In hindsight the gap between WO and the dome at the Optus Oval was not great. I remember a few games, would be 99 maybe, where it felt we were playing at Carlton's ground (which we were) and I don't recall any sense of excitement, belonging or relevance. I think that let-down of identity transpired to the dome. Any games at Geelong would likely feel like that, so I wouldn't be in a hurry to go to those games.

[Bornadog]

Re: I liked the suburban VFL grounds because....

Great call on the word 'tribal'. In hindsight the gap between WO and the dome at the Optus Oval was not great. I remember a few games, would be 99 maybe, where it felt we were playing at Carlton's ground (which we were) and I don't recall any sense of excitement, belonging or relevance. I think that let-down of identity transpired to the dome. Any games at Geelong would likely feel like that, so I wouldn't be in a hurry to go to those games.

BT, maybe I am on my own, or getting too old, but I love matches at ES, especially when there are over 40,000 there. The crowd of 51,382 v Collingwood was sensational even though we lost by a point after Davis kicked a goal from the 3rd row. We had some incredible crowds in 2008 - to 2010

I love the comfort, the facilities and the atmosphere when we are winning.

Suburban grounds were great, but times have changed. Back when it was suburb v suburb, it was different. The suburbs have changed as well and supporters are from all over Melbourne/.Australia.

Here are some numbers at Doglands:

51382	Western Bulldogs v Collingwood	R15,2009
49000	Western Bulldogs v Collingwood	R1,2010
48728	Western Bulldogs v Essendon	R14,2001
47120	Western Bulldogs v St Kilda	R21,2006
46990	Western Bulldogs v Collingwood	R8,2007
46818	Western Bulldogs v Geelong	R21,2009
46261	Western Bulldogs v Richmond	R3,2009
45922	Western Bulldogs v Geelong	R4,2006
45527	Western Bulldogs v Hawthorn	R22,2000
45141	Western Bulldogs v Collingwood	R5,2000
45119	Western Bulldogs v Essendon	R7,2004
44864	Western Bulldogs v Essendon	R14,2002
44268	Western Bulldogs v Carlton	R5,2009
43595	Western Bulldogs v Richmond	R17,2001
43532	Western Bulldogs v Richmond	R1,2006

[bulldogtragic]

Re: I liked the suburban VFL grounds because....

Despite appearances I'm not anti-progress, name changing or moving, although I did love the Suburban grounds. Particularly the hotdogs and doughnuts at WO, and the 'food' for sale is Etihad is crap, unless you dine in the Medallion Club restaurants which are ok, if not a little pricey for what you get.

Any big crowd is electric, no denying. I love a massive crowd, even if the dogs aren't playing in front of me (ie Hawthorn v Carlton final round 2008). When it's us it's even better. Perhaps I'm jaded from going regularly to 17,000 crowds at Etihad. But a big crowd at the WO versus MCG or Etihad doesn't seem to resonate as well for me personally, I don't get a sense of tribal like atmosphere. Specifically, I compare Doug's record breaking game to Johnson's or moreover Grant's at the MCG.

I'm not saying we shouldn't have moved with progress and the times, it's just for me that little undefinable thing about the WO (etc) hasn't yet transplanted across. Just limiting the convo to the WO, I still look at it and I feel like when teams came it was like "it's ours, we own it, how dare you even walk on our mud and grass". In the vein of Danny Southern saying hello to Mick Gardiner, it was "our place". It's this thing I haven't yet developed in Etihad, it still might happen?

Please don't mention Leon... Just another spud that saved every good game for us.