"Have you picked a team?"

One of the first questions that anyone who resides in Melbourne for a length of time (generally anything greater than one month) will be asked is 'Have you picked a team?' This question may seem trivial, and most inquirers will be satisfied with an impulsive choice just so long as you have actually made a choice. We may have mentioned it earlier, but it bears repeating - Australians, and those living in Melbourne in particular, absolutely and without a doubt love all types, variations, popular and niche, sports. The simple question above though, is unique to a single sport - Footy/AFL/Aussie-Rules. Mainly this is because it is the only sport with a significant number of teams such that choosing one does actually involve making a choice. As a comparison in Melbourne; Rugby League, Netball, Basketball and Soccer all only have one professional team. AFL has 9 teams currently in Melbourne (and surrounding suburbs), out of 16 total teams in the league. This does not take into account the minor leagues (VFL) which has even MORE teams in the Melbourne area.

For us, the question of a team to follow has taken over a year to answer. For the first year we had to assess the strengths and standards of each team, compare the team colors, team songs, mascots and of course the fans as some teams are associated with a certain type of fan (similar to the Oakland Raiders of NFL fame and fortune). In the end, it has come down to being able to connect with a footy team on more than just color, song and stature - we wanted to be able to actually know the team. Kristi helped with this immensely as there are two footy players in her massage class - and they both play for the same team. We watched a couple of games on TV to confirm that we could actually pick them out on the field, and once that was settled we decided to pledge our footy allegiance to the Richmond Tigers. This momentous decision accomplished, the next task was to actually attend a game in person - and luckily a great game was fast approaching between Richmond and Carlton. An even matchup with both teams solidly in the middle of the league standings, both needing a win to build momentum into the last part of the season, and held at the Melbourne Cricket Grounds - rated one of the best in Australia for footy atmosphere and ambiance. The game really didn't disappoint, as we cheered and groaned through three and a half amazing quarters of action. The final 10 minutes changed everything though as Carlton finally was able to string things together and pile on some points quickly, eventually overpowering the Tigers by 30. Though we're sad for the loss, we take comfort in knowing that at least now we'll have a response to the pervasive 'have you picked a team' question and we'll cheer them through the rest of our stay in Australia.