Brawl erupts at Marvel Stadium as AFL fans fume at crackdown

Marvel Stadium boss admits new crowd control measures have left fans feeling “intimidated.”

Police try tobreak up a fight in the crowd during the Carlton vs Western Bulldogs match at Marvel Stadium on Saturday night.

The operators of Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium will review security measures for AFL games amid a growing backlash from fans.

Stadium boss Michael Green admitted he hadn’t got the balance right and spectators were feeling “intimidated” by guards dressed as Behavioural Awareness Officers patrolling the aisles during matches and ejecting supporters.

Fans have complained the security crackdown, reportedly driven by the abuse of umpires, is spoiling the experience. They are also being encouraged to dob each other in via an anti-social behaviour hotline.

Mr Green said while stadium operators haven’t hired any extra behaviour awareness officers, they had been ordered to do extra patrols of the aisles.

“We have consciously increased the amount of aisle patrolling we have done in the past few weeks,” Green told 3AW.

“Clearly we haven’t yet found the balance between providing a safe environment and not wanting people to feel intimidated.

“We will be reviewing that and try to get to that balance where people can feel comfortable and safe at events without feeling intimidated.

“Clearly at the moment we haven’t found the right balance.”

The behaviour of AFL fans is again in spotlight, with violence erupting in the stands during last night’s clash between Carlton and the Western Bulldogs.

Police were forced to intervene at Marvel Stadium when spectators turned on each other at the end of the match.

Photos and video footage show a man being grabbed around the throat as police try to separate him from a group of men, while having what appear to be drinks poured on them from the stands above.

A witness told The Herald Sunthe fight was sparked by a Bulldogs supporter who “mouthed off” at the end of the game.

This was the AFL Members fight after the siren Tom Browne was talking about. Ironically security were nowhere near it until near the end... #AFLBluesDogs pic.twitter.com/MT5xqloaad

— Chris Kaias (@ChrisKaias) June 15, 2019

The recent ejection of fans for verbally abusing umpires — including one who was reportedly given a three-week ban for calling an umpire a “green maggot” — has prompted demands for the AFL to issue a list of approved phrases to the Richmond cheer squad amid claims supporters are being ejected unfairly.

On Friday, former AFL coach Robert Shaw tweeted a picture of security guards wearing ‘Behavioural Awareness Officer’ vests patrolling Marvel Stadium in a development he called “sad”.

The AFL says the officers have been in place all season.

My Twitter opening instruction asks, ‘What’s Happening’ ...... should’ve added .... ‘to our game?’. 40 years in the game and played, coached and spectated at some inhospitable ( wonderful) rival grounds. This is a first for me.
Have we really got to this? So sad if we have. pic.twitter.com/jNivgnFRQK

— Robert Shaw (@shawry_analyst) June 15, 2019

“People say it is a family event but it’s not the theatre,” Richmond cheer squad member Brett Beattie told The Herald-Sun last week.

“If people yell out the wrong thing they get corrected now by the people around them. We had three people taken out of the Richmond-Kangaroos game before quarter time.”

Security remove a member from the crowd during the round 13 AFL match between Carlton and the Western Bulldogs at Marvel Stadium.

Earlier this month the AFL issued a formal apology to former Sydney Swans great Adam Goodes for not doing more to stop fans booing and abusing him before he quit the game.

The Bulldogs led by 34 points late in the last quarter but Cartlon rattled home with the last five goals of Saturday night’s seesawing contest in front of 35,479 fans.

- with AAP