AFL! Swans vs. Bulldogs

On Saturday night I attended my first ever professional football game outside the US. The atmosphere was much like that which one often finds at games in the states, with certain fans more passionate or unruly than others. Almost all the swans fans could be see wearing at least one article of Swans gear, whether it be a red and white knit hat or a red and white scarf of similar material (giving a sort of "Where's Wally" look to the whole stadium).

I was very surprised to see just how many players each team has on the field at one time (I think I counted 18 each side!), how fast the game pace truly is, and thirdly, how high scoring of a game it is! Sydney ended up winning by 44 points with a score well into the triple digits.

When talking to some of my peers we all mentioned how crazy and interesting it is that Australia's version of football seems to combine elements from a wide, wide range of sports, rather than just seeming like a tweaked version of American football or rugby. Players have to dribble the ball after a certain number of steps (reminiscent of basketball), have to serve it to another player by punching it with one hand out of their other hand (reminiscent of volleyball) and can punt to one another (like soccer goalies).

fans' victory celebration after the final whistle

Most remarkably of all, though, is a difference we noticed having to do with the fans rather than with the sport itself. Unlike in the states, where if a game is clearly a blow-out and there is no chance of a comeback for one of the teams, fans start filing out as early as the very beginning of the third quarter. This was not true AT ALL of Australian fans, almost every single one of which stayed until the final whistle had blown. I believe this speaks loudly about their dedication to their team and love of the sport as well as their pride in their home team. I was pleased we chose to stay until the very end as well, because it was a great moment for Sydney, with a fanfare of music playing and everyone up on their feet cheering.