The Magpie Army. It’s a faction of the Collingwood Football Club which some people try to avoid. Made up of one-eyed, die-hard, dedicated supporters it’s an environment which has been branded “loyal”, “fanatical”, “obsessed” and “extreme”.
It goes with the polarised Collingwood belief, “You are either with us or against us” and in the lead up to the Round 20 match against Richmond I elected to be with them.
The crucial task assigned to any AFL cheer squad is the responsibility of crafting the banner, an iconic aspect of the national competition.
Collingwood’s banner night is traditionally held on Thursday evening at the St. Ignatius Church, a five-minute drive from the Lexus Centre, located in the hall behind the church.
After a Schumacher approach down Swan Street, I pulled up the hall just before six.
It was clear I had arrived in Collingwood territory as I parked adjacent to several cars plastered with Magpie insignias.
Light and music flowed from the hall to indicate activity was present within the depths of the St. Ignatius community hall.
Once inside, the feel was akin to Santa’s workshop in the lead up to Christmas, a dozen members of the Magpie Army working feverishly in their specific roles under the guidance of Chris, the ringleader of the group.
Involved in banner night for over seven seasons, Chris’ experience entitles him to leadership responsibilities.
“I can still remember the banner for the last game at Victoria Park,” Chris recalled.
“It was massive. The banner was longer and taller than we were allowed but we didn’t care. It was a memory which everyone in attendance would hold forever.”
The counterpart to Chris is Craig, a man who arrived a few hours earlier to lay down the base of the banner.
“This isn’t my music,” Craig tried to tell me. “I can’t handle this stuff.”
As the rhythmic tones of ABBA flowed out of the speakers in the hall, a strong sense of unity within the group was evident.“Most clubs interweave one layer of streamer between the tape but we do things differently. We apply two layers of streamers and then reinforce it with tape after each layer. The banner is made up of 16 rows of streamers, slightly overlapped and supported,” Chris explained.
You could mistake him for a surgeon explaining the intricacies of the procedure he was about to perform.
“We make sure to have the biggest banner in the AFL every week. Even when we travel we take the biggest one with us.”
While Craig and Chris worked on completing the base, there was a separate team dedicated to preparing the letters.
Cindy Cameron made the 130 kilometre trip down from Ballarat with her mother and two sons in tow. “We come down every fortnight and help out for a few hours. We used to come down every week but with the price of petrol it’s all we can afford.”
Life revolves around the footy for the Cameron’s from youngest son Tarkyn (yes, named after number 24), to grandmother Marlene (pictured), who has revived her passion for the club since her husband passed away two years ago.
“My husband was a Footscray supporter and we used to tell him if the Doggies won, he would be forced to get his own dinner,” chuckles Marlene.
“I love coming down with my family to help out with the banner and watch the games. It’s something we bond over and enjoy as a family.”
Two hours later clippings and characters were strewn over the floor and a much-need break was in order. After a short dispute between KFC and McDonalds, the club’s sponsor wins the battle and a small team was dispatched to collect a dozen Big Macs.
Over fries and a burger Craig explained that Thursday nights can quickly turn into Friday mornings.
“We generally get around 10 people every week to help out. When we have to travel, the numbers drop drastically. I can remember the week before we played Adelaide at AAMI and it was just Chris and myself. It took us until two in the morning.”
New recruit Leigh Brown’s profile is featured on the face-up side of the banner, in honor of his 200th AFL match.
Chris instructed small groups to lay down the letters set to form ‘CONGRATULATIONS LEIGH BROWN, 200 GAMES.’
Shoes are quickly scattered around the banner as the group advance on the 25 foot long construction.
“No shoes on the banner, it’s the number one rule.”
Finally after the letters have been laid down, another round of tape is used to secure the work of art.
“There have only been a few errors in my time. I can remember we spelt Collingwood with one ‘L’. I think it was against Essendon and its squad gave it to us.”
Once Brown’s profile is reinforced, the banner is turned over and the process is duplicated. This time with the words, ‘SIDE BY SIDE IN BLACK & WHITE WE’LL WIN THE FIGHT’.
“We volunteer our time because we love being a part of the club,” Chris admits.
“If we can do our part to help Collingwood, well, that’s all that matters.”
Applications to join the 2010 Collingwood cheer squad will be sent to members in early October.
This is the first article in a two-part series covering The Magpie Army. Next week will feature the Collingwood cheer squad on match day.
