AFL and venues combine to ensure strong fan experience at AFL games

Jul 22, 2009

The MCG and Etihad Stadium will introduce a text line for crowd members to immediately report anti-social nuisance behavior during AFL games.

The text number – to be displayed at the ground for each respective venue – was jointly announced today by the AFL and the game's two major venues in Victoria, the Melbourne Cricket Ground and Etihad Stadium.

AFL Football Operations Manager Adrian Anderson said the MCG, Etihad Stadium and the AFL had been working together for nearly a year on ways to ensure the spectator experience at AFL games remained a positive one for all fans, and particularly for family groups.

"AFL football is privileged to have extremely large crowds that attend our matches and, for the history of our game, opposing fans have always sat among each other and supported their team as strongly as possible," Mr Anderson said.

"Fans at our games have been exemplary in their behaviour for more than a century and we are fortunate that crowd misbehaviour is generally limited to poor language, with few serious incidents.

"Both venues will now have a dedicated number that will be introduced that will enable members of the public to phone or text in and immediately report any anti-social or nuisance behavior, so as fans’ enjoyment of AFL matches was not ruined by a bad experience at a game," he said.

The MCG, Etihad Stadium and the AFL are determined to play a leadership role in ensuring that poor behaviour has no place in our games, and the three organisations remain committed to the highest possible standards and ensuring that every AFL match is a great experience.