idiots at the footy, flares, drunks etc

[CUTTERMAN]

I don't think goals/ free's are the answer, it'll just spur on idiots to dress up in the other teams colours and let off a flare.What a laugh that'll be!
It needs to stamped out by the club and by the SANFL, get tough on it now before it's picked up by other morons at other clubs. I realize that it's hard to search everyone, but it's pretty easy to work out where they'll be let off, so man the area arrest the wanker and charge him, fine him, then ban them for life, then the club needs to get the senior players and coach to front them and let them know what dickheads they are.

[Mr Irate]

Impose penalties against the side whose fans are at the source of it and it would stop pretty quick.

- Free kicks
- Award goals
- Fine the club

The safety aspect cannot be underestimated.

Big fines if sanfl employees are injured (ie goal umpires etc) under OHS&W legislation and the sanfl has not adequately done anything to prevent it.

What about if spectators are injured. Does your ticket state that the sanfl isn't liable as the possibility of flares cannot be guaranteed? Probably not.

SANFL inaction means that they are effectively condoning it.

May as well just let everyone bring in automatic weapons, knives and other armoury and we can just have a right royal riot and bugger the footy.

.......or are they doing that too already?

The first suggestion has already been discussed on another forum, possibly CDFC, open to manipulation, who makes the judgement, do security have an open line to umpires and start awarding free kicks (I'm being facetious here).

As for the SANFL, can they do much, probably not, they write the rules......so does it fall to the police / security.....probably

There were quite a number of police and security at the northern end in the last quarter and I suggest they assessed the risk of doing nothing as opposed to piling in to a crowd of around 2000 reasonably happy supporters.....

[CUTTERMAN]

oh well that makes it all ok then. So I'll get some mates together and some flares and light them up in front of your mum, grandmother, dad, daughter, son, wife/girlfriend, and then some more people can do it to other people elsewhere in the ground, everyone will be having such a great time, the colours will be great to look at and we can just forget about a game of footy which is why we went in the 1st place. You really don't get it do you!

[RustyCage]

Roughly 10 feet.....20 feet.....and about 4 feet......

So close enough to lose an eye or have your nice central polyester guernsey melt real quick and stick to your body n scar you for life

Don't be reticulose

If you say Tassies comment is silly, you should do 5 minutes of research into the different chemicals that are in the flares, and the dangers they pose. Theres no way you should be happy about inhaling them, and thats without the obvious fire danger they poses.

[CUTTERMAN]

as an asthmatic I'd be avoiding it at all costs.

[Mr Irate]

oh well that makes it all ok then. So I'll get some mates together and some flares and light them up in front of your mum, grandmother, dad, daughter, son, wife/girlfriend, and then some more people can do it to other people elsewhere in the ground, everyone will be having such a great time, the colours will be great to look at and we can just forget about a game of footy which is why we went in the 1st place. You really don't get it do you!

And your risk assessment of the possible actions is......................

[CUTTERMAN]

Well you're not actually being very clear with the question. My point is that unless this is stopped it will get out of hand and degrade or comp more than it is already by this crap.
MI, you haven't once stated if you agree with this happening or not, why not throw you hat in the ring, stop sitting on the fence and take a stand. Either way, it's not that hard.

[CedeNullis]

"Flares. yeah.. He He. Sounds good. Go on tell me more."
Beavis and Butthead planning their next 15 minutes of fame.

[whufc]

oh well that makes it all ok then. So I'll get some mates together and some flares and light them up in front of your mum, grandmother, dad, daughter, son, wife/girlfriend, and then some more people can do it to other people elsewhere in the ground, everyone will be having such a great time, the colours will be great to look at and we can just forget about a game of footy which is why we went in the 1st place. You really don't get it do you!

can you please try and set a pink flare off, my daughters favourite colour is pink.

[whufc]

Everyone team has idiots, just ask the police who had to set up for 45 minutes right next to maccas as whole group of young steriod taking Sturt supporters wanted to fight anyone in sight. After 4-5 arrests later the youths walked on. EVERY CLUB HAS THEM

[mighty_tiger_79]

if there is footage of the same people causing issues then the club and the SANFL need to address it. Firstly give the club a chance to sort it out and if that doesnt happen, fines or loss of premiership points.

[Simon_A]

Just out of interest, of the 12 people that have posted above, what distance were you from the flares when they went off ?

About 3 metres.

Only thing that concerned me was the orange flare, it took a fair while to stop flaming before it started smoking. Normally one of the crowd lights a flare, weslo move in and they and the police hang around and no more flares. This time the authorities did nothing. Hence there were 3 flares lit.

[Booney]

Roughly 10 feet.....20 feet.....and about 4 feet......

So you are quietly implying you were either involved or close to those who were. Unless you are Homer Simpson or are that simple that a bright light entertains you "look at the nice bright light...." can you please explain to the rest of us how such an event as a flare being set off entertains you so much?

I read someone say "the atmosphere went up" , atmosfear it should be because people quickly become aware of the danger around them that is posed by a burning flare.

[CUTTERMAN]

Everyone team has idiots, just ask the police who had to set up for 45 minutes right next to maccas as whole group of young steriod taking Sturt supporters wanted to fight anyone in sight. After 4-5 arrests later the youths walked on. EVERY CLUB HAS THEM

That's true, some clubs have taken steps forward in curbing cheer squad violence and I'm sure most do try, but there's only one where this whole flare thing now seems to be endemic. If it was happeneing from within my club I wouldn't be taking it lightly, making fun of it or ignoring the issue. I'd be contacting the club making sure they are dealing with it. I regularily go to the soccer and see what it leads to, I don't want it in the SANFL. I'm sure if one was let off at an AFL game at FP the situation would be treated alot more seriously.

[Brucetiki]

On a positive note, congratulations to the Sturt group with the floggers on the boundary - would be great to see all cheersquads have them at all games, but please keep the flares away.

I hear Mobil have since asked for their carwashes back

Seriously, I'd love to see floggers back for all SANFL sides. Sturt and Norwood seem to be only clubs that still regularly use floggers at the SANFL and floggers do add that extra bit of colour to the games.

[CK]

Without taking any sides, or wanting to inflame (no pun intended) the debate further at all, can someone please just explain one thing out of interest?

Why does anyone feel the need to let flares off at the football at all? What exactly is it proving, and exactly what purpose does it serve?

[Old but Smart Dog]

I am a little lost how the issue of flares can be related to the SANFL having advertising on a few bays of seating. I can fins a seat so I am going to let of a flare how reticulose. From where I was sitting I could clearly see the people holding the flares in the last quarter at the northern end so I am not sure why security or the police could not find them and throw them out of the ground.

Well isn't it obvious the more people crammed together the more dangerous flares are..so occ Health & Safety issue - possibly could even sue SANFL if something dangerous happened to someone...
and I would suspect because there were so many people jammed into the bay behind the goals that it made it even harder for Security to identify the culprits..
and don't tell me that the SANFL don't know that Central supporters like to move from goal to goal each qtr...its being happening for 50 years...we can't stand watching the other team kick goals against us...we want to see our own team kick goals!! A little bit of foresight or preventation tactics from the SANFL would have been good!!

[Old but Smart Dog]

if there is footage of the same people causing issues then the club and the SANFL need to address it. Firstly give the club a chance to sort it out and if that doesnt happen, fines or loss of premiership points.

they do it every week..what makes you think their going to do something about it in future...its obvious that they can't identify the culprit...its not that easy..and you obviously can't blame the whole bay for 1 person lighting flares.

[Wedgie]

Kill 2 birds with one stone and set the flares off under those ridiculous advertisements covering huge amounts of seats and blow them up.
What idiot at the SANFL made the decision to have them there?
Its not like the crowd of just over 35k was unexpected. Why don't they do similar for Power games and cover every seat except for one of the grandstands?
Morons.

[Old but Smart Dog]

Impose penalties against the side whose fans are at the source of it and it would stop pretty quick.

- Free kicks
- Award goals
- Fine the club

The safety aspect cannot be underestimated.

Big fines if sanfl employees are injured (ie goal umpires etc) under OHS&W legislation and the sanfl has not adequately done anything to prevent it.

What about if spectators are injured. Does your ticket state that the sanfl isn't liable as the possibility of flares cannot be guaranteed? Probably not.

SANFL inaction means that they are effectively condoning it.

May as well just let everyone bring in automatic weapons, knives and other armoury and we can just have a right royal riot and bugger the footy.

.......or are they doing that too already?

Smart...then wouldn't the Central supporters just pretend to be opposition supporters. If there going to award goals to the opposition and all, it may just encourage it more...
and NO the SANFL has not done everything to prevent it from occuring...see my previous blog re blocking seats off, and therefore ensuring the hazards are now increased!