Tags

, , ,

I just got back this morning from a road trip to support Freo in their Qualifying Final clash with Sydney. Hundreds of Fremantle supporters trekked to Sydney from diverse parts of the country and each with their own motivation for doing so.

Here, in no particular order, is a list of my top reasons to love a Freo supporter road trip, whether that trip is by air, road, rail etc.

1. Going to a stadium for the first time
There’s nothing like going to a stadium for the first time. Sure, you’ve seen these grounds on TV plenty of times but you never truly get a feel for a stadium until you have been there. Each has its own quirks and unique features in terms of the playing surface, the stadium itself and its location.

2. Optimism
On a road trip, you invariably start out incredibly optimistic about the Dockers’ prospects of winning. It’s the mental creation of a fairytale. Surely, with all the time, effort and money personally invested to be at the game there could only be a happy ending? The feeling after a win or a loss on your Freo road trip seems more intense when compared with a typical game closer to home.

3. The Purple Haze
When you think of the Dockers, you think purple. When Fremantle plays away from home, especially for critical games and/or finals, the purple haze becomes a beacon around the town and provides both a sense of familiarity on foreign turf as well as a means of Freo fans gravitating to each other before, during and after the game.

4. The Camaraderie
When you’re on the footy road trip for a Freo game there’s a mentality of “us against them” and a feeling that for those of us dressed in purple, we’re all in it together.

That sense of belonging and knowing what it means to be a Freo person is hard to describe to others, but you feel proud to be part of it and representing the club on the road.

And because of that, on a road trip you chat to other Freo supporters who are otherwise strangers, whereas in your usual footy routine at home you’re more likely to stick with who and what you know.

5. Meeting the Freo Faithful
On Freo road trips I’ve meet some of the most incredible Fremantle supporters. Diehards from all corners of Australia (and sometimes beyond). They each have their own story and I love hearing about why and how they came to be Dockers people.

On a single train carriage on the way to ANZ Stadium yesterday the Freo supporters chatted excitedly about the game ahead and our premiership prospects. One couple had flown into Sydney from their home in Karratha, another couple from Brisbane, a mother and son who actually live in Fremantle, while me and my mate had come up from Melbourne. I’ve learnt over the past few years that there’s a lot more to Freo supporters than just people living in or formerly of Perth.

One thing is for sure – there are some seriously devoted Dockers fans out there.

6. Bonding
A road trip for a Freo game is always a bonding experience. Whether it’s you and your kid/partner/mate, the shared experiences are bonding.

I took my seven year old (who isn’t even a Dockers supporter) on a road trip for the Freo versus Cats game in Geelong earlier this year (a couple of hours drive from where we live in Melbourne), including an overnight stay there. On the drive home I asked him if he enjoyed the weekend – he said he loved it, especially because it was just the two of us and rated it 100 out of 100 (his scale, not mine!). A weekend very well spent.

7. The Freeeeo Chant
Sure, the Dockers’ fans’ main chant is not hard to learn, but when the Freeeeeeo chant goes up in an away game at which the Freo clan comprises just a small minority of the crowd, it never fails to make the hair on the back of your neck stand up. In some respects, it’s the Freo fans’ way of letting the players know that even in the hostile environment they are not out there on their own, we’re right behind them.

8. The Game
Last but not least, one of the top reasons to love a Freo supporter road trip is of course the game. It’s all about the game. When else can you spend so much time focusing on the game, including the build up and the post-mortem? In the day-to-day distractions of home life you don’t get the chance to give the game such an intense focus, but on the road trip you savour every minute of it. Big games haven’t been a part of the Dockers history until fairly recently, so attending them is a privilege and really special, especially on the road.

These are my top eight reasons to love a Freo supporter road trip. Sure, it’s a romanticised view, but that’s the essence of a road trip.

What are your reasons for loving a Dockers road trip, what’s been your best one, and what’s next on your bucket list?