Cats fan tells of abuse
A GEELONG member who felt sexually threatened at Friday night’s qualifying final against Richmond has renounced her membership.
Elly had been an “on and off” member at Geelong for 17 years, including the last 10 seasons consecutively.
But after feeling sexually and physically intimidated by Richmond fans outside and inside the MCG on Friday night, she said she could no longer support a sporting code that allowed such behaviour.
“All was going well until we walked across the park to the MCG,” Elly told foxfooty. com.au.
“There were large number of Richmond fans and some of those fans were already loud and abusive.
“They were shouting things like, ‘ stick it up the Pussies, stick it up our a----’.”
Elly said once she and her four friends had found their seats, the intimidating behaviour continued.
“We had the expectation that Richmond fans would be loud and passionate supporters,” she said.
“But I had some particularly loud men behind me who were intimidating and abusive.
“If anyone moved in front of them they were particularly aggressive.
By quarter-time, Elly said she wanted to leave but felt “too intimidated” to do so. She said she ended up leaving before the first bounce of the third quarter.
League spokesman Patrick Keane told foxfooty.com.au the AFL were “extremely disappointed” to hear of Elly’s story.
Keane also encouraged anyone who felt threatened at future matches to call the antisocial hotline, which is regularly flashed on the screens at each stadium.
“Our message to supporters is to be passionate and support your team, but also be aware of the people around you,” he said. “For anyone at the game the best advice is to always take action at the time. There is a hotline you can call during games. It is much harder to address it post-match.”
Elly yesterday renounced her Geelong membership.
“That was partly in response to the immediate incident at the qualifying final against Richmond,” Elly said.
“But, for me, it was really the last straw because there had been a number of incidents that had made me feel uncomfortable about being part of the whole footy culture.
“Geelong, as far as I’m concerned, has been a wonderful club to be a member of. They’ve been exemplary.
“But there have now been enough things in the footy culture more broadly that made me think things are unacceptable. If fans are being passionate in terms that are sexually threatening and violently abusive . . . I didn’t want to be part of that.”
Yesterday, a Geelong supporter named Anne called 3AW to recount her experience at the qualifying final on Friday.
Elly said hearing Anne’s story had given her the confidence to come forward and share her similar experience.
“I thought, ‘that could be me’,” she said. “I can’t keep pretending this stuff doesn’t matter. It does and I don’t want to be part of a system and game where they think it’s business as usual. It’s not.”