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I posted this a while back on BF. Thought it might just bring back a memory or two of a different era in footy.
A bygone culture. Tribal football played between opposing suburbs. I absolutely LOVED going to all (well, most) the other VFL grounds in the 70's & 80's.
Here are some of my memories of those grounds, not necessarily matches played there.
PRINCES PARK:
I used to catch a bus from Braybrook to the city & then walk to Elizabeth Street to catch a tram. I really didn't know where I was going, just followed the crowd. As opposition supporters we were herded into the Northern end of the ground. It always seemed to be packed.
The scoreboard was a ripper. The numbers were yellow & I found that easier to see. Those guys up there were so quick, often putting up the scores before the goal umpire had signalled. There was this little saying on the scoreboard which I never found out what it meant. It used to say "What is a HIC?"
VICTORIA PARK:
No tram, but a train from Princess Bridge (funny, used to go to Flinders Street number 1 platform & walk underground for ages to find it) Station. It'd be teeming with hordes of the black & white faithful.
When the train pulled in at the station all you could see were the back of the grandstands painted right up to the sky in black & white stripes.
To me the ground always seemed half built & half falling down. All the walls that surrounded the stands in the outer seemed cracked.
It was hard to see, you were constantly being bumped & the toilets stank.
Always a great atmosphere tho, unless Collingwood lost when the mood could turn unpredictable quite suddenly.
WINDY HILL:
This involved swapping trains at North Melbourne & again following the crowd. It was a fair walk to the ground & you ran the gauntlet by dodging cars to get there.
Inevitably you ended up on a hill in the outer standing on stones. Occassionaly if you got there early enough you could climb the advertising signs & watch from up there.
I loved to see that old grandstand with a round window.
JUNCTION OVAL:
I loved the short train trip to St.Kilda station from Flinders Street. There seemed so much more to look out & see.
This was one ground you couldn't walk around as there was a members only area so most times you sat on the outer or stood behind the goals.
I liked to look at the hexagonal building that overlooked the ground (Cadbury Schweppes building) that featured regularly on the cop TV show 'Bluey'.
WESTERN OVAL:
Obviously my favourite. My whole family would catch a bus & get off at the corner of Barkly Street & Gordon Street, buy a footy record & line up to get our season tickets clipped (no fancy bar code in those days, it was clipped with a circle or a 'V').
Free seating in the EJ Whitten stand in the front row & say hello to all these people who were in their same spots each week (didn't know who they were).
Head down with autograph book in hand & await the senior players arrival. Catch up with those I missed who were standing in front of the EJ Whitten stand watching the reserves.
Check out the souviner stall to get sew on names for the duffel coat.
I used to love looking to my right to see the unfinished Westgate Bridge.
Grab a cardbox box & slide down the stones.
What a fantastic trip home the bus ride was if we won!!
KARDINIA PARK:
Didn't venture down there too often as a kid. Once we sat in the stand & past the other side of the ground I could see a house I was convinced belonged to the Addams Family.
It was an awfully train trip home if we lost (which we did thru the 70's).
MCG:
A train trip from Flinders Street to Richmond. I would always stare at the magnificent stadium as we passed it.
The toilets used to fascinate me. They were painted in red for men & green for women (or vice versa). There seemed so many of them.
I loved that old clock in the members stand.
You could play hide & seek & never be found, ever.
ARDEN STREET:
This was a walk from North Melbourne station down a street with factories that seemed to churn out bread or concrete.
"North Have Courage" signs were up over the ground as well as it being dwarfed on the outer side by a huge gasometer.
It always seemed to be cold there.
MOORABBIN:
How far away was this ground? Just when you thought you were close by getting off at the station you had this walk which seemed to go on thru about 3 suburbs.
What a bog! Rumours persisted for years of the ground being watered. It always seemed to be muddy.
The supporters down there seemed a hearty breed (read feral).
I used to always fall asleep on the way home.
LAKESIDE OVAL:
Like the Junction Oval this was a short train trip to Albert Park.
This probably had the worst scoreboard in the league.
Up one end was a red & white grandstand. It always seemed windy.
VFL PARK:
How I hated going here. It was a long train ride to Glen Waverley station then a long bus trip to the ground. Always remember going past Brandon Park Shopping Centre.
The bus used to park miles from the ground so you had a decent walk to get in & then had to go over the other side of the ground.
Didn't matter where you decided to sit, the play always seemed to be miles away.
On the rare occassions it was sunny you couldn't see the scores on the big sepia scoreboard. Remember it was in the shape of a V with a blue footy on top.
*There was far more importance on the toss in those days as wind & rain & mud & slippery grounds were factors. It added to the excitement.
Afterwards you could get out on the ground & have a kick. Funny with all those balls being booted out there you never seemed to get hit.
As always there was the old guy with glasses who made himself into an institution selling peanuts (shilling a bag). They were nice & left a nice mess afterwards.
Great to relive some of those days. I'm sure there are other memories people would like to share.
A bygone culture. Tribal football played between opposing suburbs. I absolutely LOVED going to all (well, most) the other VFL grounds in the 70's & 80's.
Here are some of my memories of those grounds, not necessarily matches played there.
PRINCES PARK:
I used to catch a bus from Braybrook to the city & then walk to Elizabeth Street to catch a tram. I really didn't know where I was going, just followed the crowd. As opposition supporters we were herded into the Northern end of the ground. It always seemed to be packed.
The scoreboard was a ripper. The numbers were yellow & I found that easier to see. Those guys up there were so quick, often putting up the scores before the goal umpire had signalled. There was this little saying on the scoreboard which I never found out what it meant. It used to say "What is a HIC?"
VICTORIA PARK:
No tram, but a train from Princess Bridge (funny, used to go to Flinders Street number 1 platform & walk underground for ages to find it) Station. It'd be teeming with hordes of the black & white faithful.
When the train pulled in at the station all you could see were the back of the grandstands painted right up to the sky in black & white stripes.
To me the ground always seemed half built & half falling down. All the walls that surrounded the stands in the outer seemed cracked.
It was hard to see, you were constantly being bumped & the toilets stank.
Always a great atmosphere tho, unless Collingwood lost when the mood could turn unpredictable quite suddenly.
WINDY HILL:
This involved swapping trains at North Melbourne & again following the crowd. It was a fair walk to the ground & you ran the gauntlet by dodging cars to get there.
Inevitably you ended up on a hill in the outer standing on stones. Occassionaly if you got there early enough you could climb the advertising signs & watch from up there.
I loved to see that old grandstand with a round window.
JUNCTION OVAL:
I loved the short train trip to St.Kilda station from Flinders Street. There seemed so much more to look out & see.
This was one ground you couldn't walk around as there was a members only area so most times you sat on the outer or stood behind the goals.
I liked to look at the hexagonal building that overlooked the ground (Cadbury Schweppes building) that featured regularly on the cop TV show 'Bluey'.
WESTERN OVAL:
Obviously my favourite. My whole family would catch a bus & get off at the corner of Barkly Street & Gordon Street, buy a footy record & line up to get our season tickets clipped (no fancy bar code in those days, it was clipped with a circle or a 'V').
Free seating in the EJ Whitten stand in the front row & say hello to all these people who were in their same spots each week (didn't know who they were).
Head down with autograph book in hand & await the senior players arrival. Catch up with those I missed who were standing in front of the EJ Whitten stand watching the reserves.
Check out the souviner stall to get sew on names for the duffel coat.
I used to love looking to my right to see the unfinished Westgate Bridge.
Grab a cardbox box & slide down the stones.
What a fantastic trip home the bus ride was if we won!!
KARDINIA PARK:
Didn't venture down there too often as a kid. Once we sat in the stand & past the other side of the ground I could see a house I was convinced belonged to the Addams Family.
It was an awfully train trip home if we lost (which we did thru the 70's).
MCG:
A train trip from Flinders Street to Richmond. I would always stare at the magnificent stadium as we passed it.
The toilets used to fascinate me. They were painted in red for men & green for women (or vice versa). There seemed so many of them.
I loved that old clock in the members stand.
You could play hide & seek & never be found, ever.
ARDEN STREET:
This was a walk from North Melbourne station down a street with factories that seemed to churn out bread or concrete.
"North Have Courage" signs were up over the ground as well as it being dwarfed on the outer side by a huge gasometer.
It always seemed to be cold there.
MOORABBIN:
How far away was this ground? Just when you thought you were close by getting off at the station you had this walk which seemed to go on thru about 3 suburbs.
What a bog! Rumours persisted for years of the ground being watered. It always seemed to be muddy.
The supporters down there seemed a hearty breed (read feral).
I used to always fall asleep on the way home.
LAKESIDE OVAL:
Like the Junction Oval this was a short train trip to Albert Park.
This probably had the worst scoreboard in the league.
Up one end was a red & white grandstand. It always seemed windy.
VFL PARK:
How I hated going here. It was a long train ride to Glen Waverley station then a long bus trip to the ground. Always remember going past Brandon Park Shopping Centre.
The bus used to park miles from the ground so you had a decent walk to get in & then had to go over the other side of the ground.
Didn't matter where you decided to sit, the play always seemed to be miles away.
On the rare occassions it was sunny you couldn't see the scores on the big sepia scoreboard. Remember it was in the shape of a V with a blue footy on top.
*There was far more importance on the toss in those days as wind & rain & mud & slippery grounds were factors. It added to the excitement.
Afterwards you could get out on the ground & have a kick. Funny with all those balls being booted out there you never seemed to get hit.
As always there was the old guy with glasses who made himself into an institution selling peanuts (shilling a bag). They were nice & left a nice mess afterwards.
Great to relive some of those days. I'm sure there are other memories people would like to share.
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