AFL match between Sydney Swans and Hawthorne Hawks

The event was shaping up to be an exciting match for myself, as I have been anxious to watch AFL live more than any other sport here in Australia. However, I was not expecting the Sydney Cricket Grounds to be as nice of a venue as it was. Compared to the ANZ Football Stadium next door, it was not as modern but the older structure left a more traditional atmosphere in the air as I walked in. This only heightened my excitement for the start of the match. Since it was family day on this Sunday afternoon, there were many youth spectators amongst the crowd. Almost every one of them that I saw was adorning the red and white colours of the Swans home jerseys. Waving their flags and noise-makers, the kids may have even been more excited than I was to be out here at the match on such a beautiful day in Sydney.

The participation of the adults, however, varied throughout the stadium. There were the rowdy and crazy fans who attended every match sitting in one section in particular. I spoke with one man who lives in Melbourne and I learned that he travelled to every single match in the season, no matter where in the country. This reminded me of some American Football fans I know from the U.S., which can put into perspective how important this sport is for many people in this country. Other adults in attendance were the parents and grandparents of the children here for family day and then many students and others just looking to watch a good football match on a Sunday afternoon. No matter what type of fan they were, almost everyone was joining in with the cheers and boos in response to the game. This was especially noticeable in the second half. As the Swans started losing by a large margin, everyone in the stadium seemed to be getting upset and lose their spirit. Although it was still a great match and a great day, some of the excitement was certainly lost in the air as the Hawks doubled our score in the third quarter. Nonetheless, the fast-paced nature of AFL leaves it as my favourite type of Australian footy without any doubt.