Brent was invited to a function at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), which is a sporting stadium that is home to the Melbourne Cricket Club and several of the Australian football teams. It also served as the main stadium for the 1956 Olympic games. We were invited to a dinner, tour and to hear the CEO of the Richmond football team speak. {This was also the first time that we were out of the house after dark, together, since January… so big smiles!}

I can’t even do it justice to describe the history of the stadium and teams, so if you are interested, click here. There are areas of the MCG that are reserved for members only and very formal, and apparently it’s very difficult to become a member. You put your children on the list when they are born, and then they may get a spot by the time they are 25.

We toured at night so lights were on the grass for it to grow. You can also see me hosting my press conference during our tour! The press room is much smaller than I anticipated.

After dinner, Brent spoke to the Head of Marketing  for Richmond’s football team, and he invited us to see a game. He was trying to sway us into becoming Richmond fans before we chose another team. He sent us lots of gear too, so I’m not sure we have a choice!

Australian football or “footy” is nothing like American football. It’s hugely popular, and one of the first questions you are asked once you move here is which team is your favorite. The sport was started by cricket players who were trying to stay fit in their off season. Here is a video that explains it.

As some of you may recall, Brent was on the waiting list to get Eagles season tickets for 10 years when he finally was contacted to get them in June of 2012, just before we moved to France. He didn’t pass up the opportunity to buy them, so he just sold them online. Even when we returned to the States, Brent only attended one game, and I have not been to any. So, it seems a bit strange that my first (non-collegiate) football game is in Australia.

We figured we’d do it right and accepted the invite to watch the game from the President’s Lounge. Which meant, no kids, formal attire, three-course meal, champagne and really good seats. It happened to also be a gorgeous (winter) day. Now that’s my way to see a football game! I didn’t take pictures during the dinner and speeches because I didn’t want to look overzealous, but we did get to hear the President of the Board for the Richmond football team speak. Her name is Peggy O’Neal. She happens to be the first female Board President in their history, and just so happens to be an American from Virginia. She moved to Australia about 25 years ago, and I was surprised that she has not picked up one ounce of an Australian accent. I also got to sit beside Steve Price, a radio personality, during the game.

Richmond is not a winning team, but they were winning by about 30 points in the fourth quarter. Simon, the guy that invited us, asked if we wanted to meet the team, if they won. Of course, we did. As I was flipping through the game book deciding which hottie player to get my picture with, the other team came back and ended up winning by just a few points. We had another glass of champagne instead. A perfect consolation.

It was a really good time, and I enjoyed it much better than American football. I guess we are now officially Richmond fans. Go Tigers!