First 100,000+ crowd since 1986

[Mr66]

100,012 was the official attendance of the 2008 AFL GF.
Well done to everyone who attended,
Great to see that magic figure once again.

[Adelaide Hawk]

1986 ... 2008. Common denominator ... Hawthorn. Obviously when the Hawks are up, the people will come

[Ian]

I'm not trying to take anything from the great crowd that was there yesterday, it was awesome,

.........but for a lot of the years in between '86 and '07 the capacity of the MCG was less than 100K,

standing room became seating
corporate boxes replaced seating

etc. etc.

It's only since the last redevelopment that the capacity has nudged 100K again.

[fester69]

Unfortunately my daughter and I were sitting in the middle of a bay of Hawks supporters.

[Wedgie]

There was probably more than that as there were hundreds of Hawks fans in the standing room that somehow snuck in.

[redden whites]

I was expecting a big crowd with the saviours of football and their attaking game plan dragging them in by the millions....We have been saved

[Wedgie]

Its quite a remarkable crowd, read this on the mcg website:

The total capacity of the MCG is approximately 100,000.

This comprises 95,000 seats and 5000 standing room spaces, which are sold at the discretion of the event promoter.

The realistic capacity for most events is 98,000 as often not all standing room tickets are placed on sale.

[heater31]

Its quite a remarkable crowd, read this on the mcg website:

The total capacity of the MCG is approximately 100,000.

This comprises 95,000 seats and 5000 standing room spaces, which are sold at the discretion of the event promoter.

The realistic capacity for most events is 98,000 as often not all standing room tickets are placed on sale.

so then, who were the extra 12 who sneaked in without a ticket ???

[Wedgie]

Its quite a remarkable crowd, read this on the mcg website:

The total capacity of the MCG is approximately 100,000.

This comprises 95,000 seats and 5000 standing room spaces, which are sold at the discretion of the event promoter.

The realistic capacity for most events is 98,000 as often not all standing room tickets are placed on sale.

so then, who were the extra 12 who sneaked in without a ticket ???

There was a lot more than 12 who snuck, there were heaps near us.

[am Bays]

How funny is this from Sam Kekovich on the GF crowd and the corporate types it attracts....

"My fellow Australians, I've been invited here to talk to Centre Square [MCG precinct], in these big marquees on Punt Road Oval. And speaking of Punt Road Oval, let me tell you something for nothing - [Richmond legend] Jack Dyer would be spinning in his grave if he could see the place right now. Full of a bunch of Collins Street corporate criminals, Chapel Street designer cats and Toorak poodle-rooters who have about as much interest in football as Paris Hilton has an interest in astrophysics. Captain Blood didn't break every bone in his body and commit multiple acts of on-field heroism and homicide so he could see his beloved home ground turned into an over-priced pre-match party for chardonnay-swilling spivs and their assorted hangers-on attending their one footy match of the year, whilst tens of thousands of hard-working honest battlers who love the game and love their team are denied the chance to attend the greatest game in the world."

[spell_check]

How funny is this from Sam Kekovich on the GF crowd and the corporate types it attracts....

"My fellow Australians, I've been invited here to talk to Centre Square [MCG precinct], in these big marquees on Punt Road Oval. And speaking of Punt Road Oval, let me tell you something for nothing - [Richmond legend] Jack Dyer would be spinning in his grave if he could see the place right now. Full of a bunch of Collins Street corporate criminals, Chapel Street designer cats and Toorak poodle-rooters who have about as much interest in football as Paris Hilton has an interest in astrophysics. Captain Blood didn't break every bone in his body and commit multiple acts of on-field heroism and homicide so he could see his beloved home ground turned into an over-priced pre-match party for chardonnay-swilling spivs and their assorted hangers-on attending their one footy match of the year, whilst tens of thousands of hard-working honest battlers who love the game and love their team are denied the chance to attend the greatest game in the world."

You know it makes sense.

[Rik E Boy]

How funny is this from Sam Kekovich on the GF crowd and the corporate types it attracts....

"My fellow Australians, I've been invited here to talk to Centre Square [MCG precinct], in these big marquees on Punt Road Oval. And speaking of Punt Road Oval, let me tell you something for nothing - [Richmond legend] Jack Dyer would be spinning in his grave if he could see the place right now. Full of a bunch of Collins Street corporate criminals, Chapel Street designer cats and Toorak poodle-rooters who have about as much interest in football as Paris Hilton has an interest in astrophysics. Captain Blood didn't break every bone in his body and commit multiple acts of on-field heroism and homicide so he could see his beloved home ground turned into an over-priced pre-match party for chardonnay-swilling spivs and their assorted hangers-on attending their one footy match of the year, whilst tens of thousands of hard-working honest battlers who love the game and love their team are denied the chance to attend the greatest game in the world."

That is ******* GOLD.

regards,

REB

[Mr66]

"Toorak poodle-rooters"

I am going to use that line for the rest of my life.

[Barto]

Only one problem, he didn't say it and he wasn't even a speaker there. It was a Big Footy post on the 23rd of Sept

http://www.bigfooty.com/forum/showthread.php?t=498964

This is how urban legends start. Everyone accepted it as fact (the SMH even reported it as factual), even though it is still good for a laugh.

[Booney]

Heard Kekovic say himself that these were not his words,but,he emphasised if the worst thing happening to him at the moment was someone claiming he wrote/spoke such a piece he figures he has very few problems in this world.

[rod_rooster]

The whole thing is much better. Great fake speech.

My fellow Australians,

I’ve been invited here to talk to Centre Square, in these big marquees on Punt Road Oval. And speaking of Punt Road Oval, let me tell you something for nothing - Jack Dyer would be spinning in his grave if he could see the place right now. Full of a bunch of Collins Street corporate criminals, Chapel Street designer cats and Toorak poodle rooters who have about as much interest in football as Paris Hilton has an interest in astrophysics.

Captain Blood didn’t break every bone in his body and commit multiple acts of on-field heroism and homicide so he could see his beloved home ground turned into an over-priced pre-match party for chardonnay-swilling spivs and their assorted hangers-on attending their one footy match of the year, whilst tens of thousands of hard-working honest battlers who love the game and love their team are denied the chance to attend the greatest game in the world.

I’ve had a gutful. Whilst this bunch of Armani-wearing, Audi-driving, Prada-carrying try-hards monopolise priceless vantage points in the MCG, millions of genuine footy fans who have followed their team through thick and thin have to make do by watching the game at home or down at the local pub, whilst the Melbourne spivocracy get to sit on their fat posteriors in a marquee and wouldn’t even know the way to the MCG without a tour guide.

Since most of you haven’t attended a single match this year and know nothing about football, let me give you a few tips – Geelong wears blue, Hawthorn wears brown, and in case you were wondering, there’ll be no fashions on the field at half-time, and no, the Lexus Centre across the road is not a prestige car dealership.

Centre Square is not only unfair. Centre Square is not only inequitable. Centre Square is downright un-Australian! And so are all of you! In fact, I bet you’re all so un-Australian that you all hate the Anzacs, you booed Cathy Freeman, and you want to cull cute cuddly koalas because one of them once jumped out in front of your Range Rover on the way to Mount Hotham.

But it’s not just you who are at fault. I also blame the AFL – those out-of-touch, opera-loving elitists at AFL headquarters who are responsible for this unconscionable abomination need to take a good hard look in the mirror. That is if they can handle the sight of moral and spiritual bankruptcy staring back at them.

I also blame the government. Our new Prime Minister has clearly failed his first test of leadership if he thinks it’s acceptable to allow an event like this to go ahead without a pre-emptive strike by the SAS. The PM is doing nothing to ease the squeeze on working families on the bottom rung of the ladder of opportunity who just want to see their team in the Granny. But he’d better get his act together and do something about it, or millions of angry footy fans will do it for him. Revolutions have been started and governments have been overthrown for lesser outrages than this. And people ask why we need capital punishment.

So cut off your silver tails, tear up your fur coats and get fair dinkum. Our great Australian game is the greatest game in the world – the game of the people. Not some once-a-year marquee piss-up for an overpaid, over-dressed pack of passionless corporate cretins who only turn up for the free chardonnay and then spend the actual game looking about as interested and excited as a line of Easter Island statues.

So don’t bother coming across to the MCG this afternoon, because you’re not welcome. The next train out of Melbourne leaves Richmond station in 10 minutes – so make sure you’re on it. Or, better still, under it.

So don’t be un-Australian - everyone here in Centre Square can get stuffed! You know it makes sense. I’m Sam Kekovich.