Photographic evidence that this Demonland poster was elsewhere yesterday.

 

This is such a tired argument. We're not a big club and likely never will be. We're loud enough and we're not a bunch of toothless ferals with no respect for anyone else at the game. I thought the Irish dancers after the goal added a fantastically comical element to yesterday's game and I had an awesome day bar the last 58 seconds.

 

Edited March 16Mar 16 by Roost it far

  On 16/03/2025 at 21:23, Roost it far said:

This is such a tired argument. We're not a big club and likely never will be. We're loud enough and we're not a bunch of toothless ferals with no respect for anyone else at the game. I thought the Irish dancers after the goal added a fantastically comical element to yesterday's game and I had an awesome day bar the last 58 seconds.

 

This is a most truthful take. A friend has told me that it was our 3rd highest crowd for a game against GWS. 

I really loved the Irish jig after goals. It got great traction the longer it went on and I really feel as though the MFC should persist with it and build a tradition. It's a great nod to Jimmy, the man who essentially saved the Club, again! It is a darn sight better than the junk pop/hip hop stuff the AFL are trying to push, which is not organic and drowns out the natural crowd noise. I sit on Level 2 of the MCC and it's usually very dull....yesterday, people actually got behind the jig and started clapping along..almost unheard of...anyone else agree that we could build something here? 

  On 16/03/2025 at 08:58, Fanatique Demon said:

Please sir, can I be excused?

Does the other foot have blue nail polish?

  On 16/03/2025 at 07:42, Garbo said:

MFC and my extension AFL can’t expect people to just turn up anymore, if you want big crowds you need to play at times people want to go, play a style of football that is pleasing to fans, not schedule games against special events like the f1 and play in venues that aren’t still stuck in the 90s, I know saying that about the mcg is sacrilegious to some but if you ever get the chance to travel and see some of the state of the art grounds in the USA and Europe you would agree. Also I would say AFL has to many games leaving people to pick and choose when to go, NFL is the best example of less is more

Melb played an incredibly exciting game of footy. One of the most exciting for a very long time. Footy is a winter game ..you’re not supposed to sit in sunshine & you will get rain at times & wind  & it will be cold. Everyone can give any excuse they want but as much as the result was heartbreaking I walked away so excited for what is coming and that very strange emotion of “hope”. For those that were lucky enough to go & see the first game ..the new young talent ..the regeneration of our “older” talent ..I’m sure the cold/wind/rain didn’t matter one iota .

  On 16/03/2025 at 08:09, Lord Travis said:

Not sure if you're trolling or you're legitimately as dumb as a brick and have no life?

Tell me ..were you at the game ? 

  On 16/03/2025 at 21:50, Trident22 said:

This is a most truthful take. A friend has told me that it was our 3rd highest crowd for a game against GWS. 

I really loved the Irish jig after goals. It got great traction the longer it went on and I really feel as though the MFC should persist with it and build a tradition. It's a great nod to Jimmy, the man who essentially saved the Club, again! It is a darn sight better than the junk pop/hip hop stuff the AFL are trying to push, which is not organic and drowns out the natural crowd noise. I sit on Level 2 of the MCC and it's usually very dull....yesterday, people actually got behind the jig and started clapping along..almost unheard of...anyone else agree that we could build something here? 

It would absolutely [censored] the opposition supporters when we play a fellow Vic side as well, I'm all for it 😂

  On 16/03/2025 at 12:54, Macca said:

I reckon the whole thing is completely overplayed and I'm not sure we should care about crowd numbers at all.  I know I don't care and any Demon friend or acquaintance I have doesn't care either

It never gets brought up in conversation.  Ever

Yeah sure, from the outside we are often the focus but the whole thing started out as a joke related to the snow and then just grew legs.  It's a perception much like Richmond are known as ferels and the Pies as the filth

Fact is Gonzo is that we are not a big club.  And until we are a big club (if that ever happens?) we're going to continue to draw low crowds against low drawing opposition

You won't guilt people into going to games either.  I'm not an MCC member but I have family who are and I'm forever amazed how quiet our fans are in the MCC as compared to the outer where I usually watch games 

It is what it is

So we're not going to be shipped off to Siberia for being quiet and reserved or if the numbers aren't great

Also, footy fans do gave an obsession with crowd numbers which I've always thought was quite odd.  I mean, why sweat the small stuff?  

To me it's a non story

 

 

Yeah I used to go pretty hard about this but my perspective changed this year when discussing a similar issue (attendance v non-attendance) on a NY Jets forum. The issue about whether they should feel obligated to turn up or not didn't even enter their thoughts, if anything they're more likely to stay home as a form of protest against ownership/poor play. Now we have different circumstances (member run v privately owned, needing to ensure financial viability in a national competition etc) but I'm less inclined to berate people about this anymore.

At the end of the day it still does concern me as I want the MFC to be a strong club that isn't always looking over their shoulder but there's not much you can do about it. Plenty of other things in the world to get worried about especially in the current environment.

Edited March 16Mar 16 by Dr. Gonzo

Was at a 40th but still loud, had to be picked off the floor after the final siren.

Tough loss but keen to get back and see the lads at the G

  On 16/03/2025 at 22:31, Dr. Gonzo said:

Yeah I used to go pretty hard about this but my perspective changed this year when discussing a similar issue (attendance v non-attendance) on a NY Jets forum. The issue about whether they should feel obligated to turn up or not didn't even enter their thoughts, if anything they're more likely to stay home as a form of protest against ownership/poor play. Now we have different circumstances (member run v privately owned, needing to ensure financial viability in a national competition etc) but I'm less inclined to berate people about this anymore.

At the end of the day it still does concern me as I want the MFC to be a strong club that isn't always looking over their shoulder but there's not much you can do about it. Plenty of other things in the world to get worried about especially in the current environment.

We'd all like bigger crowds but I maintain those 20 years in the wilderness (mid 60's to mid 80's) cost us a generation of supporters

And then the ongoing effect of support not being passed on 

The same sort of thing happened to Fitzroy, Footscray, North, St Kilda & South

By contrast, the Pies have played in close to 50 GF's and 80+ finals series

I thought the crowd was good and from where we sitting we our supporters were loud.
Every time we kicked a goal they would show the Irish dancers on the scoreboard and I would look over to the MCC and fans were off their seats dancing. The atmosphere was terrific for 23k.

  On 16/03/2025 at 04:06, Oxdee said:

we are a pathetic fan base

How many were you expecting?

And I thought we got a couple of insufficient OOB's free kicks through noise of affirmation. 

Wouldn't have been because they were actually there.

A bit harsh getting stuck into our supporters over the crowd size.

Geelong got 25k against the dockers, heaps of empty seats. Two teams expected to be gunning for a spot in the top4. 
 

Why are we always singled and criticised for this? We just don’t have the same supporter base as other clubs. 

Meh. People have lives to live, higher priorities, and commitments to make.

Everyone's circumstances are different from each other's. I remember one poster's post stuck with me and said their mental health and financial situation leads them to live week-to-week but happy to call themselves a Melbourne supporter.

People will support the club whatever best works for them.

Calling supporters pathetic is a cop out.

  On 16/03/2025 at 22:50, Macca said:

We'd all like bigger crowds but I maintain those 20 years in the wilderness (mid 60's to mid 80's) cost us a generation of supporters

And then the ongoing effect of support not being passed on 

The same sort of thing happened to Fitzroy, Footscray, North, St Kilda & South

By contrast, the Pies have played in close to 50 GF's and 80+ finals series

100% Macca. Through primary and secondary school there was 1 other fleeting Dees fan in my year level, and in 15 or so years in workplace environments, I've come across a total of 3 other Dees fans.

  On 16/03/2025 at 22:55, Juicebox said:

A bit harsh getting stuck into our supporters over the crowd size.

Geelong got 25k against the dockers, heaps of empty seats. Two teams expected to be gunning for a spot in the top4. 
 

Why are we always singled and criticised for this? We just don’t have the same supporter base as other clubs. 

The singling out in this thread seems to have originated from a (so-called, self-styled?) supporter.  Self-flaggelation used to be big in the chruch too.

Perosnally I was surprised by the size and enthusiasm of the crowd.  (And you can't expect many oppo supporters to swell the numbers when you play GWS).

I'm not sure what sort of crowd people expected. I said in the membership thread last week that most memberships sold by all clubs are rubbish, and that maybe 1/3 of the total members are legitimate supporters.

For us, that means we have 15K - 20K who turn up each week, plus whatever the opposition brings (~ zero this week), plus however many fairweather fans decide to make the effort (slightly more than zero this week).

We won't see a decent crowd for either Gold Coast or Fremantle, and will struggle to reach 60K on Anzac Eve if we don't start winning.

Last year on a Sunday at the exact same starting time Richmond played the same team and had 4,000 less people at the game (19,040).

Richmond have a huge supporter base.  And there was no grand prix to contend with.

Perspective.

  On 16/03/2025 at 23:00, Lexinator said:

100% Macca. Through primary and secondary school there was 1 other fleeting Dees fan in my year level, and in 15 or so years in workplace environments, I've come across a total of 3 other Dees fans.

Yes, same story for me, Lex

I once played cricket (for a short time) in the North East and the club I played for was made up of 85% Collingwood  supporters

It was an interesting time, to say the least!

Not another Demon in sight

I'd say some of the bigger clubs have 5 or 6 times as many supporters as what we have

In relative terms, our crowds are quite good

But the perception ... 

  On 16/03/2025 at 22:50, Macca said:

We'd all like bigger crowds but I maintain those 20 years in the wilderness (mid 60's to mid 80's) cost us a generation of supporters

There is no doubt about that 'Macca'...

 

  On 16/03/2025 at 22:50, Dee Zephyr said:

I thought the crowd was good and from where we sitting we our supporters were loud.
Every time we kicked a goal they would show the Irish dancers on the scoreboard and I would look over to the MCC and fans were off their seats dancing. The atmosphere was terrific for 23k.

I concur with this and have outlined my experience above. I really hope the club considers having 'the jimmy jig' after every goal for every home match. It is unique and has a connection to our club's history. It would be a shame to simply revert back to what we had last year and forget about it all until next 'Jim's Game'. Other clubs are doing this to great effect. We should embrace what we created yesterday. I don't know how that might be communicated to the club, but I hope they were taking note. 

23.2k against GWS (3rd highest ever I believe) up against the F1 which knocks off 3-5k and horrendous weather. 

It was a great crowd and a loud Melbourne crowd too.

Go read the bigfooty attendances thread and you'll see how all the people there said it was a great crowd.

  On 16/03/2025 at 12:47, Adam The God said:

I had no voice left after the game today. Don't tell me we're quiet. 😉

I've heard quieter Melbourne games. 

I thought when we got a few out the front clearances that led to scores, the crowd lifted.

Same. I lost the plot in the last quarter, even though you could see it coming a mile away!

  On 16/03/2025 at 21:58, Fritta and Turner said:

Does the other foot have blue nail polish?

It doesn’t, but it was so cold here this morning, it looked a little blue.