Frequently Asked Questions
About us
WHO ARE THE DEMON ARMY?
The Demon Army is the official cheer squad of the Melbourne Football Club.
WHY ARE YOU CALLED "THE DEMON ARMY"?
Technically, we are still the Melbourne Cheer Squad. The name is The Demon Army - The Official Cheer Squad of the Melbourne Football Club but that's a bit of a mouthful. The term "cheer squad" is hard to promote, unless you're comfortable waving pom-poms and dancing about in lycra outfits. It also has fairly negative connotations in AFL circles, conjuring up images of toothless hordes in duffle coats. In 2013, it was decided that the group needed an overhaul including a more marketable name. The aim is to unite Melbourne supporters under a brand that can apply to everyone from small kids, to big tattooed blokes and little old ladies. And yes, we have all of these in abundance!
how many people are in the demon army?
Thanks to our recent on-field success, our membership numbers have gone up to over 950 people. Some members are involved in everything we do, some people volunteer with us, some travel interstate with us, some join us on match day and others support our efforts from a distance. We appreciate the support, whatever the level of involvement.
who's the CRAZY dude DOWN THE FRONT with the bleach-blonde hair?
Let's have a guess here and presume you mean Ryan. By day, Ryan is a mild-mannered venue and events manager and on weekends he waves a big flag and yells. A lot! Melbourne supporters don't come much more dedicated than Ryan. Before COVID, he hadn't missed a game in over 20 years, including preseason matches in Renmark and an exhibition match in China.
Ryan has the unenviable job of being the face of The Demon Army. It's not a job he ever really wanted but he's fanatical about the Dees and passionate about making the group look and sound as amazing as possible. If you see him at a match, make sure you say hi.
He'd be furious if he knew he was on the website but fortunately he's technologically backward and unlikely to ever see this.
Ryan has the unenviable job of being the face of The Demon Army. It's not a job he ever really wanted but he's fanatical about the Dees and passionate about making the group look and sound as amazing as possible. If you see him at a match, make sure you say hi.
He'd be furious if he knew he was on the website but fortunately he's technologically backward and unlikely to ever see this.
Membership
HOW DO I BECOME A MEMBER OF THE DEMON ARMY?
Demon Army membership is available to all Melbourne Football Club members. It can only be purchased as an add-on to a current MFC membership. Visit the Melbourne Football Club membership page or call the Club on 1300 DEMONS (1300 336 667)
How much does it cost?
Demon Army membership costs $49 for the 2024 season or $4.90 per month if you're paying via Easy Pay. Family memberships are available for $170.
What are the benefits of joining the demon army?
Other than the obvious prestige, there are a number of benefits to joining The Demon Army. You are given priority access to reserved seating for our big matches (Anzac Eve, King's Birthday, etc) as well as matches at Marvel and GMHBA. Our seats are always at ground level, always roughly behind the goals and are cheaper than the reserved seat prices available to the general public. You have priority access to interstate tickets for all matches that Melbourne participate in. Should Melbourne compete in finals, you will be in line for tickets based on active participation, whether you usually sit with us and length of cheer squad membership. And you'll also be entitled to whatever fabulous Demon Army-branded piece of merchandise we produce during the year.
On a serious note, there are a lot of people who go to the footy by themselves and many others for whom following the Demons is their only weekly outing. The Demon Army unites Melbourne supporters with other like-minded footy fans from all walks of life. With over 950 members, you're sure to find your kind of people.
On a serious note, there are a lot of people who go to the footy by themselves and many others for whom following the Demons is their only weekly outing. The Demon Army unites Melbourne supporters with other like-minded footy fans from all walks of life. With over 950 members, you're sure to find your kind of people.
Tickets
There are so many questions about ticketing, we gave them their own page! Click here to check it out. Below are some of the basic ones.
HOW DO WE GET INTERSTATE TICKETS? WHAT IS THE PRICE OF THE TICKETS?
Visit our match day ticketing page to see the price of all our interstate tickets. If you have any queries, email [email protected],
Ticket prices range from $30-$60 + a 50c booking fee for an adult ticket, depending on the ground. If the Demon Army ticket allocation has been exhausted, you can purchase a ticket close to our area on Ticketmaster or Ticketek (to see where we generally sit at each ground click here) and we will endeavour to fit as many people in with us as possible.
Ticket prices range from $30-$60 + a 50c booking fee for an adult ticket, depending on the ground. If the Demon Army ticket allocation has been exhausted, you can purchase a ticket close to our area on Ticketmaster or Ticketek (to see where we generally sit at each ground click here) and we will endeavour to fit as many people in with us as possible.
how does demon army ticketing work?
Time for a Demon Army boast! We are one of the few cheer squads to do all our own ticketing, including sales, seating allocations, distribution and dealing with the high volume of enquiries. In 2021, the group won an AFL Fans Association Award for managing ticketing through Covid and helping people navigate the tricky world of digital ticketing. The Demon Army use TryBooking to handle all ticket requests and we then order the tickets on behalf of our members. Our very own "Ticket Masters" are a group of 6 professional women who just happen to be experts in spreadsheets and lists and knowing our members seating preferences off by heart. Thank you to Amy, Rachel, Mandy, Beth, Janet and Sophie for taking volunteering to a whole new level.
why do we have to pay extra for seats at marvel?
It's true that there are some matches at Marvel where we charge a $5 fee. This doesn't happen at all matches but you may notice it, particularly if we play Essendon. Here's the low down on Marvel tickets. Cheer Squads are allocated 200 seats at the MCG and Marvel for ticketed matches. We have 900+ members. Not a great equation. We buy the extra seats in the bay behind the goals so we can accommodate a larger number of our members, meaning fewer Demons fans are forced to sit in the nosebleed seats on Level 3. We then divide the cost of these extra tickets between the whole group, meaning you can have a reserved seat at ground level for $5, plus the 50c TryBooking fee.
Don't worry though. Most of the opposition clubs who play home games at Marvel will allow a certain number of bays to be general admission, meaning you just need to sort out getting entry to the game but you won't have to pay for a reserved seat.
Don't worry though. Most of the opposition clubs who play home games at Marvel will allow a certain number of bays to be general admission, meaning you just need to sort out getting entry to the game but you won't have to pay for a reserved seat.
I'm having trouble accessing my tickets through ticketek
You are definitely not alone here. We hear from a lot of our members saying they click on the Ticketek link on their phone and it tells them there are no tickets. Very annoying! The secret is to hold down the link in the SMS and then paste it into the browser. We've written some basic instructions to help you get around the problem. Thanks to Mandy for putting this together.
| ticketek_-_problems_with_accessing_ticket.pdf |
Run Through
WHAT'S A RUN THROUGH?
Good question. A run through is often referred to as a banner. Different cheer squads make them in different ways but we're fairly old school - crepe paper and a truckload of sticky tape. Check out our run through page to see how we make them, where we make them and how you can get involved.
can anyone help out at run through nights?
You bet! We have little kids, old ladies, people with only one leg - there is a job for everyone. And the best part about getting everyone involved is we're finished within a couple of hours. We usually have between 25-35 people there to help and many hands make light work.
is there anything i need to know?
Here are some tips for the uninitiated:
- Wear socks, preferably ones you don't mind getting dusty.
- Wear loose-fitting comfy clothing.
- Skirts are not a great idea for making run throughs unless you're just cutting out letters. If you're making the backing or taping letters, you will inevitably spend half the night crouching down or lying on crepe paper.
- The Melbourne Football Club will provide you with dinner on Thursday night but it's usually pizza or Costco platters. It's not always the healthiest of meals so maybe postpone the diet for one night a week. Let us know if you have any dietary requirements early on and we'll try and accommodate them.
- You don't have to stay for the entire time. We start at 5pm and are usually finished by 7-7.30pm. All assistance is appreciated, even if it's just for an hour.
- We make the banner upstairs at Reach in Wellington Street, Collingwood. Call us on 0481 3366667 if you get lost or can't get in.
who decides what goes on our run throughs?
Ultimately, it's the MFC's decision but we have a lot of input. We usually give them a handful of suggestions and they choose the one they like the best. AFL guidelines state we can't single out opposition players and banners shouldn't be derogatory and we stick to that. Other cheer squads might like to refer to their opponents but we'd rather boost our own players as opposed to slating another team. In fact, we aim to never mention the opposition and always stay positive. We welcome new suggestions too so if you've got an idea, drop us a line and let us know.
how can we help with the run through on game day?
Come and visit us when we're making the banner at Reach (information here) and get your name on the list to go out on the ground on game day. Always be on the lookout on our social media pages for last minute call outs for helpers too
HOW OLD DO YOU HAVE TO BE TO GO ON THE GROUND WITH BANNER?
AFL rules state anyone that is on the ground for banner duties must be aged 13+. Check out the AFL Cheer Squad guidelines at the bottom of this page for full details.
how long do they take to make?
Sometimes 2 hours, sometimes 4 hours, depending on how many turn up to help. There's also lots of extra time in preparation, doing things like liaising with the MFC on the wording, sponsors requirements, ordering supplies, organising pictures, etc.
how much do they cost to make?
This depends on how big and how elaborate the run through is. A basic run through with only letters and logos can cost anywhere from $350-$450. For a run through with a weaved backing and a picture, the cost can blow out to $500-$600. The cost is covered by the good folk at the Melbourne Football Club.
WHY CAN'T WE MAKE our banners 50 METRES WIDE?
Wouldn't it be wonderful to make a run through that was so big it went from one end of the G to the other? The AFL have set size restrictions on club banners to ensure that they don't get out of hand. They can be quite dangerous if the wind catches them and 8m metal poles go flying through the air and we'd be mortified if any of our players or people got injured.
HOW BIG IS A STANDARD RUN THROUGH?
For games at the G, our weekly run through measures approximately 8 metres high and 18 metres wide and then we have 1 metre wide reusable sleeves on either side. We make smaller run throughs for interstate games and matches at Marvel where we have to use different poles.
Match Day
CAN WE BRING FRIENDS INTO THE DEMON ARMY SEATING ON GAME DAY?
Sure, just make sure that they aren't wearing opposition colours and are ready to wave a flag... or two. Check our Ticketing page to see what the situation is for each specific match. Some weeks you'll require tickets, other weeks we'll be able to welcome all Melbourne supporters in. Any issues, just drop us a line.
WHAT DO WE DO WHEN THE GAME HAS RESERVED SEATING?
Members will receive information via email, inviting them to reserve seats with us for big games. Our bookings are done via TryBooking, both for interstate and Victorian matches. If you have any ticketing queries, please email [email protected]. Please specify which game you are requesting tickets for and for how many people - including names. Please be aware that we cannot guarantee tickets, especially for non-Demon Army members.
CAN WE BRING OUR OWN FLAGS/ BANNERS INTO THE CHEERSQUAD?
Sure! However we do have plenty of equipment for everyone. If you do bring your own flags or banners into the cheersquad area, please ensure that they comply with Demon Army/AFL guidelines (i.e. not 10 metres wide, no swearing or abusive remarks towards anyone).
i have friends who are opposition supporters. can they sit with me?
Not in our area, no. We have very few strict rules in our area but we stick to them - no drinking, no hardcore swearing and no opposition supporters. In order to ensure our members enjoy the game, we do not allow opposition supporters into our area at any ground. Choose the bays on either side if you must but keep your Richmond supporting mates out of our area.
To be honest, it always seems strange that opposition fans would ever want to sit in the Melbourne Cheer Squad. It's usually only done to antagonise Demons supporters and we don't take kindly to that at all. Or maybe they secretly want to barrack for the Dees.
To be honest, it always seems strange that opposition fans would ever want to sit in the Melbourne Cheer Squad. It's usually only done to antagonise Demons supporters and we don't take kindly to that at all. Or maybe they secretly want to barrack for the Dees.
why don't you chant like they do at the soccer?
It's funny how various forms of football can have completely different crowd interaction. We've often tried to get soccer-esque chants going but the moment someone is tackled, everyone yells "Ball" and the chant ends. If you've got an idea for a chant that you think could be easily learnt, let us know.
why can't we drink in the demon army area?
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A question we get asked every week, particularly considering some of the seasons we've endured. It's an AFL rule that no alcohol is to be consumed in allocated cheer squad bays.
This is something we really need to abide by as the penalties are quite substantial and we agree with the sentiment. We don't want to force people to sit next to a horde of drunks and not everyone will drink responsibly. That said, a number of us enjoy a drink at the footy and you're welcome to join the group who stand up the back each week. That group doubles at half time. And quarter time. And pre-match. The bay next to The Demon Army at home games tends to be general admission too so you can usually sit to the side of us and have a drink. And you can always join us for a drink or two and enjoy that special footy feeling of paying exorbitant prices for a thimble of mid-strength beer. |
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Floggers? Patties? what the hell are you talking about
Cheer squads seem to have their own language. When we say floggers, we're definitely not talking "Fifty Shades of Grey" type floggers. Check out our terminology page to help you tell the difference between a run through and a banner.
Cheer Squad Guidelines
Yup, there are official cheer squad guidelines put out by the AFL each year. The League's guidelines are more focussed on flag size and run through sizes whereas ours are more about being a decent human being and making the whole cheer squad experience an enjoyable one for everyone. Take a look below if you're curious.
| 2023_afl_match_day_guide_-_cheersquad_guidelines.pdf |
