After the game

Centre field at Woolloongabba Stadium

One really fun thing here is that the Australian Rules Footbal League encourages participation by kids.  At halftime of every game, the field is taken over by about 8 - 10 teams of kids under the age of 10.  They get a chance to play on the big field in front of the crowd and everyone cheers them on.  There are porbably a few kids that are really excited about playing, and thinking about giving their first interview 15 years in the future and talking about how their playing life was changed at the age of 8, the first time they got on a real field.  Most of the kids that we have seen are a bit more intersted in looking at the grass or chasing bugs.  Nobody is thinking about interviewing those kids!

The other fun thing is that after every game the field is open to the fans.  Anyone can go down and run around the field and kick a ball around.  Lots of people practice kicking or, for the unfortunate few, being tackled.  The only part of the field that is sacred is the centre rectangle (cordoned off by the red and white tape in the picture).  That is the pitching area for cricket and, although it is run over several times during a game, the riff raff are not allowed to stand on the grass.

There are lots of parents taking the kids down to put them through a few plays, there are girls and boys hoping to meet up and there are few people who have had a few too many, mostly just falling down.  We can't help but think how entertaining it would be, given the amount of beer that is consumed, to have fans out ono the ice after a hockey game!