Courtney Cramey: what I love about the boutique suburban atmosphere of a packed Unley Oval

As Unley Oval basked in the Sunday afternoon sun as it hosted its first match of AFLW, injured Crow Courtney Cramey was reflecting on what the ground means to her

IT was three months of hard work and perfect manicuring of Unley Oval that had us playing on, what I believe, is the best suburban football ground in Adelaide on Sunday afternoon, and it got us our fifth win for the season over a competitive GWS Giants, 9.5 (59) to 4.3 (27).

During Friday night’s captain run, I had a great conversation with the groundsman who had put a lot of time and energy into the ground.

As I came off the track from a running session, apologising for keeping him waiting, he was more interested in feedback about how it felt underfoot.

I realised that we all strive to excel and deliver the best performance and product we can, always seeking feedback to get better, whether that’s as a player or if you are the groundsman providing us a well-kept oval to perform on.

On Friday night, I spoke to the team about Unley Oval and its history and significance. Growing up in the area being an avid Double Blues supporter, I feel like Unley Oval was a significant part of my childhood.

more than 7700 flocked to Unley Oval on Sunday to watch the Crows beat GWS by 32-points. Picture: Sarah Reed.

As a 13-year-old in the late ‘90s, I grew up kicking footballs into bins along the sideline while my brother trained and my dad coached at Sturt. I joked that Chloe Scheer would have only just been born that year. I would beg my dad to stay back and have a kick with me as they would come off the track, and that was my earliest memories of always wanting to play footy.

Ten years later, I would find myself in a Sturt guernsey playing in the South Australian Women’s Football League (SAWFL) as a 23-year-old in a competition that had only four teams at the time. Fast forward another 10 years, and as a 33-year-old, the opportunity to play at the highest level was there.

That 13-year-old in the late ‘90s would never have dreamt of an AFLW match being played at a place that harboured my dreams of becoming a footballer for so long. I also shared with the group the significance of a family friend, Josh Deegan, who lost his life in the Bali Bombings — a place he went celebrating the 2002 Sturt Premiership — and our families’ white pickets purchased at the oval sit side-by-side on the western boundary, the city-end of the oval.

What a sight! It was standing room only with the crows of 7725 watching on as the Crows took on GWS at Unley Oval on Sunday in the first game of AFLW played at the suburban ground. Picture Sarah Reed.

Speaking with the girls after the game, they described it as the best atmosphere yet of the season, in front of a 7725-strong crowd.

So, what are the best grounds to play AFLW games on?

For me, the boutique suburban atmosphere of a packed Unley Oval will always create that community, family-friendly feel. We will head to another suburban ground this week at Casey Fields in Victoria, to take on an in-form Melbourne for the incredibly important final round of AFLW Season Three.