The W
Not to the credit of “the one percenters” – although how good would that be‼ – I was lucky enough to have been given two tickets by the AFL to see the Richmond v Collingwood Round 6 AFLW match. So, over the weekend, Mum and I ventured to the Swinburne Centre for her first ever AFLW game and it did not disappoint.
When collecting our passes from the box office, the two fans beside us were denied tickets as the game had sold out. The atmosphere was cozy but rowdy, with the game attracting all types of fans: die-hards, families, friends and I’m sure some future stars. Because of them, the food truck was working as hard as the players, serving hundreds quintessential hot chips.
Despite the game commencing with sun, unfortunately at half-time it was delayed because of heavy rain, lightning and thunder. While some left the oval to seek shelter, most of us huddled together at the top of the Punt Road hill. Here, I must shoutout and thank the two guys that offered us a spot underneath their umbrellas; while Mum believes it’s because she’s a “senior citizen”, I’ll side with humanity and call it a selfless act. But, the real cheers should go to the fans that stuck behind the goals, getting absolutely drenched, and continued cheering and supporting their respective teams. You know you’re surrounded by some true “one percenters” when bad weather and an unfavourable scoreline doesn’t stop them from shouting “Ball!” every two seconds.
Besides the Good-Samaritan umbrellas, the quarter and half-time entertainment was another reason we survived the rain. Although she will be displeased with my writing about it, the MC was playing some classics that got my Mum – and admittedly me - up and about. It would be impossible for us not to dance to Carl Carlton’s “She’s a Bad Mama Jama”‼
Finally, I’d just like to share something special I saw today. A young girl who was clearly a very passionate Richmond fan occupied the perimeter fence for the entire game, knew all the players, was familiar with some of their plays and at every break was kicking the footy with her dad. While I’ll never know for sure, she gave off the impression that she dreams of being on the other side of that fence in the near future.
Thank you to the AFL for the tickets - the game was as good as any and the crowd was nothing short of fired up. I loved that there were some staff asking fans to complete short questionaries to assist in further improving & innovating the game. Slowly but surely, the AFLW is growing so, if you haven’t already, it’s time to jump on board…
See you at the W!
