Footy

Footy Match

Bombers come onto field

Richmond Tigers

Ferris Wheel in Southbank, enroute to match

Night Photo of Bridge to MCG
Inside the MCG

Last Saturday evening we went to our first Footy Match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (aka, the MCG or as the locals say, "the G"). The original intent of the game was to keep cricket players in shape during the winter season. The game quickly spread to New Zealand and South Africa. Australian rules football is kind of like U.S. football but more fast-paced- I won't even pretend that I understand the rules. It is the most highly attended spectator sport in Australia, and Melbourne in particular loves its sports. The game culture here is familiar- sports fans are decked out in their teams colors, drinking cheap beer and munching on greasy fries, and testosterone-filled young men acting bold and sometimes carelessly; we were almost in the middle of a fistfight upon leaving the bleachers; before that, we had watched as a drunken twenty-something lad tried to jump onto the field, and instead fell flat on his face before 61,000 people as about eight police officers handcuffed him then marched him out of the stadium. (This behavior carries a $6,000 fine). Mark and I had no problems buying tickets right before the game, and, once inside the stadium, approached a stadium worker to ask where we could sit with general admission tickets. He replied and we both smiled and nodded, walking off and discovering after quick consultation that neither of us had understood a word he said. Regardless, we found some seats and after a cool pre-game show featuring singers and Aboriginal dancers and some fireworks, the match between the Essendon Bombers and Richmond Tigers commenced. I decided to root for the underdogs, the Richmond Tigers, although both teams are from Melbourne, representing different neighborhoods. The players don't wear much padding, and have long striped knee socks, short sleeved jerseys, and shorts on. The umpires were in neon yellow and staff carrying water run up to the players during the game. A couple players got injured but they didn't stop the game like we're used to. They just try to get the player quickly off the field. I was happy to see my team, the Tigers, were winning until the final five or ten minutes when the other team overtook them and won the match, 92 to 84.