To begin with I am really annoyed with two 'peripheral' issues of football at the moment:
1) Telstra Dome not allowing access out of the ground at half time. The pithy excuses of Collins only got me angrier over the issue.
2) That as a scumbag member of the public, that it is deemed that at a night game of football that I cannot be trusted to drink full strength alcohol, yet mcc and afl members can choose what they like, in the container of their choice. (Beer tastes WAY better in a glass than a plastic cup) And not just that but the fact that it's only 10 cents a cup less than the cost of a full strength, what a disgrace.
Anyway why can't the rfc represent me on things like this that actually matter to the real supporters, such as having a say on the above two ways that football fans are rorted in Melbourne. To me the Telstra Dome affair is a scandal that should be outed by every club that is playing a H&A game there this year. Everyone knows why we are locked in.
I know we've only got three or so games there this year, and that the club legally is basically forced to play wherever it's told to, but how about some noises from our President about it, something along the lines of sticking the Spencer St stadium up their clacker unless they treat our members with some common decency.
On the alcohol issue, I remember it coming about by some sort of agreement between the State Government, AFL and MCC after a few nasty brawls at the 'G. Anyhoo somehow the MCC, and of course the latte set on Level 2 of TD are of course exempt. I've been 'lucky' enough to be able to have been guested to these areas and it is wrong that you are allowed the priveliges that the masses are not.
About the possibility of unruly behavior at the 'G if we all get on the booze again: The MCG said that they had state of the art cameras in use for the cricket, along with behavioral experts monitoring them, then they can use them to diffuse any possible situation, and the redevelopment of the ground, esp the Ponsford Stand, imo, i just think that the aesthetics, the wider open spaces of the food court/bar area and the concourse, actually lend themselves to people having more respect than what they did with the grotty old Ponsford and would be less likely to see red about their teams loss etc. and less likely to brawl, not to mention that those open spaces would be a lot easier to monitor.
But to get back to my point, why can't the club represent us on things like that. I wasn't really concious of much during the reign of Graeme Richmond and the like, but from what I can gather, they had a bit of go about them, and of course things have changed a lot with who is on the board now, but a bit of effort on the bread and butter issues would be good thanks!
end rant
