‘Pre-match entertainment should be fun, not lectures on who traditional owners of the land are’

The AFL struggles with pre-match entertainment so why not use women’s footy as curtain raisers to main games? And ditch the Welcome to Country “lectures”.

AFLW spectator numbers are embarrassing so why not have women play the curtain raiser to main games in the same way reserves used to play before seniors?

Three years ago this week, Melbourne Grand Prix boss Andrew Westacott was required to stand outside the main gates at Albert Park and tell fans they were banned from entry as Covid became a real threat here.

Albert Park was ready to go, the stands constructed and the F1 teams in the garages ready to race. On that Friday it was reported that at least one team member had tested Covid positive.

Along with Westacott was Melbourne Grand Prix chairman Paul Little. The 2020 race was the first on the calendar for that season and the world was watching.

Race day was Sunday March 15, but it never happened. Two weeks later on March 30 at midnight, Melbourne went into lockdown — number one of six — and the nightmare had begun.

Contrast that fateful Grand Prix Friday with this Thursday night’s opening round of the AFL season at the MCG. There were 88,084 people packed into Australia’s greatest stadium.

Despite there still being Covid in the community, I don’t recall seeing more than a handful of masks. The city pre-game was packed with supporters of both sides draped in scarfs, even though the temperature was in the low 20s.

There were 88,084 people packed into Australia’s greatest stadium on Thursday night for the start of the AFL season. Picture: Getty

Post-match, the exit ramps through Birrarung Marr were so packed you could barely move. The atmosphere was one of celebration and there was zero aggro from anyone.

For me, this felt like the first real time that the wretched years of Covid had really left, and wasn’t coming back.

Sure, there have been Boxing Day Test matches, the Australian Open and even last year’s Grand Prix but there was something about that crowd on Thursday that signalled the end of what’s been the worst time to live in Victoria.

The weather helped — it was a week earlier than the normal start to a season — and the great rivalry between the Tigers and Blues was on full display.

I do wonder though why the AFL clubs – and I suspect they will all do this – insist on beginning proceedings with a Welcome to Country ceremony?

A tip and warning: these pre-game lectures will increasingly turn political as this year’s Voice referendum campaign progresses.

Even the Victorian Government guidelines say it is important that Welcome to Country only occurs when appropriate.

Opening of the season could probably be deemed appropriate but surely we don’t need nine of these lectures every week for every game of the season?

Fan surveys have again and again sent a clear message to AFL bosses that supporters want the league to stay out of social and cultural issues, while concentrating on the game itself.

Branding rounds as Pride or sending a message that people who run the AFL support the Voice are just not needed.

Fans at matches can make up their own mind on political issues without lectures from AFL management or even from players.

Uncle Colin Hunter Jnr delivers an AFL Welcome to Country. Picture: Mark Stewart

Pre-match entertainment should be about having a fun time, not being lectured to about who the traditional owners of the land are.

On Thursday night I doubt more than a handful of supporters inside the ground could even hear what was being said.

Tellingly, while we have Welcome to Country – at least on Thursday this happened – we didn’t play the Australian national anthem.

Imagine the noise from over 80,000 people if the anthem had preceded the first bounce?

The U.S. might have had its issues with NFL players taking a knee during the playing of the Star Spangled Banner, but Americans get emotional when their anthem is played, where we seem embarrassed to even play ours.

Ideas for pre-match entertainment are welcome and it’s clearly something the AFL and its teams struggle with.

In the dim, dark past we played reserves football as a warm up to the main game.

No one will like this, but if the AFLW competition wants to attract bigger crowds than the sparse ones it plays in front of now - which in many cases is embarrassing – why not let the women play the curtain raiser?

On Thursday there would have been 50,000 people in the MCG for the last quarter of an AFLW clash and if it was a regular feature many fans would go early.

Give AFLW a chance of being seen by large crowds by having them play before the big games. Picture: Getty

It sure would beat, as we saw at the MCG on Thursday, a bloke trying to outrun a flashing KFC sign. Clubs should also feature heroes of the past, like the Tigers did this week with the great Neil Balme.

Music is the other option. Give locals a stage they wouldn’t otherwise have. What’s so hard about wheeling out a couple of speakers and some microphones?

Given how wealthy the AFL is and the money washing around the competition this can’t be impossible.

Take the politics out of footy and celebrate the history of the game and give the women’s game a real chance of being seen by big crowds.

We all respect that Indigenous Australians were here before the rest of us and those who support AFL sides with Indigenous players marvel at the way they play.

Just leave the lectures to other places.

Originally published as ‘Pre-match entertainment should be fun, not lectures on who traditional owners of the land are’