Building a Giant club

[_GT_]

It has been commented on a number of times on this forum that this club is doing very well with a number of off field areas. Culture, marketing, membership, game day experience, media etc, I am personnally vey impressed by this young club. The article below is a shining example:

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-ne...in-the-land-of-one-by-one-20140725-zx1pu.html

Love this club! Love the whole experience, but particularly the culture in and around the team. Get to experience it in rubbing shoulders with the players on game day and other events.

What do you love about the club?

 

[Roobs321]

It was a great article. I love the club as well. I generally consider myself a fan of WCE, Sydney and GWS, they all have a special long-term place in my heart. If I had children down the track, I would probably push them in the direction of being Giants fans (being my local team, and having Swans fans as my parents).

To me, the Giants just feel real. They might have franchise origins, but they feel very much a down-to-earth fragment of the local sporting culture, and wider culture. It's also great to see a regular club playing in Canberra several times a year, and it's about time that the working class regions of Western Sydney had a club to truly call their own. The Giants fit the nature of the region well.

Furthermore, my family actually had a history with Leon Cameron down in Warnambool, Victoria. My father was actually one of the people that encouraged Leon to pursue a career in football.

I also just really like the list in general, lots of players I really like, particularly as a group. Scully, Ward, Patton, Smith, Cameron, Treloar, Shiels, Kennedy, etc. etc. And that's only mentioning several of them. How can you not like them. I have always liked the colour scheme as well.

I also think there is potential for a long-term Canberra rivalry with the Bulldogs.

 

[Land of the Giants]

What I really like about the club is how enjoyable the match-day experience at Spotless Stadium has become.

I really look forward to each game there - and there's only one left for the season!

And despite all the naysayers and knockers, there's no doubt the club has a highly credible feel about it. No one bothers saying we won't last, because it's obvious that we're going to. We're professionally run and family-friendly.

Plenty to be proud of.

 

[Experimental]

Realistically, what's the likelihood of attracting fans/members in the western Sydney geographical area to the point of selling out the stadium?

For us at the Suns, it's pretty much a smooth ride due to the Gold Coast already being AFL-minded, AND the fact that the NRL team on the Coast (Titans) are pretty much dead. We've got a similar sized stadium at 25k, but have only sold it out once (Collingwood this year).

I'd consider my two 'other' teams as GWS and the Lions and it makes me sad that whenever I watch a Giants game on TV it seems that the stadium is nearly empty

 

[Determinant]

Realistically, what's the likelihood of attracting fans/members in the western Sydney geographical area to the point of selling out the stadium?

For us at the Suns, it's pretty much a smooth ride due to the Gold Coast already being AFL-minded, AND the fact that the NRL team on the Coast (Titans) are pretty much dead. We've got a similar sized stadium at 25k, but have only sold it out once (Collingwood this year).

I'd consider my two 'other' teams as GWS and the Lions and it makes me sad that whenever I watch a Giants game on TV it seems that the stadium is nearly empty

In general Sydney supports winners, and nothing else.
For years I went to saints v swans games where we outnumbered the r&w.
Once they started winning they couldn't build a bandwagon big enough..

We are the core, the future will be much bigger

 

[Cmarsh]

Realistically, what's the likelihood of attracting fans/members in the western Sydney geographical area to the point of selling out the stadium?

For us at the Suns, it's pretty much a smooth ride due to the Gold Coast already being AFL-minded, AND the fact that the NRL team on the Coast (Titans) are pretty much dead. We've got a similar sized stadium at 25k, but have only sold it out once (Collingwood this year).

I'd consider my two 'other' teams as GWS and the Lions and it makes me sad that whenever I watch a Giants game on TV it seems that the stadium is nearly empty

great form + another RL superleague war a la 1996-97 would help bring in a nice bandwagon

 

[_GT_]

Realistically, what's the likelihood of attracting fans/members in the western Sydney geographical area to the point of selling out the stadium?

For us at the Suns, it's pretty much a smooth ride due to the Gold Coast already being AFL-minded, AND the fact that the NRL team on the Coast (Titans) are pretty much dead. We've got a similar sized stadium at 25k, but have only sold it out once (Collingwood this year).

I'd consider my two 'other' teams as GWS and the Lions and it makes me sad that whenever I watch a Giants game on TV it seems that the stadium is nearly empty

I think it is very realistic that we will sell out Spotless. Maybe not week in week out for the foreseeable future, but first it will be Giants v Swans, then the big games against the big Vic sides. The small percentage of western sydney folk we need to get on board will be enough for that. Don't forget that the Canberra folk will start travelling in bigger numbers when success comes (and that will work the other way to for games in Canberra).

 

[Ichabod Noodle]

What do I love about this club - in a single word - accessibility.

Every player is approachable and has time for you, will chat and sign stuff. For example - at the fan day at the beginning of the year in pissy weather just after the jumper presentation Jezza was the first out playing kick to kick with the kids - at one point I counted five different footy's coming at him. He kicked every one of them back to the owner, stopped briefly to sign a couple of jumpers and hats, then went back to kicking the ball with the kids (my son included) signing stuff and chatting in between.

Adam Kennedy jumped hugely in my estimations at a thing early last year when he came over to us and asked how we were going and chatted about the team, he then turned to young master "who's your favourite player?" Young man said "Tom Scully" (it's Jezza now, but at the time it was Scully)
"Well let's go find him shall we?" And he took us over to find Tom, asking a few others on the way if they'd seen him, found him, introduced us got him to sign young man's hat.

Every fan/player function it's the same story. The players are approachable, kind, open and really nice young men. It all adds up to culture and we are building a great one with this club.

 

[Scully2Folau]

On the topic of building a Giant club...

 

[Land of the Giants]

Realistically, what's the likelihood of attracting fans/members in the western Sydney geographical area to the point of selling out the stadium?

That's going to take a bit of time.

I thought we'd sell out Spotless in Round 1 this year against the Swans, but underestimated the aversion many Swans supporters have of travelling west.

But we have an attractive product to sell to families in western Sydney. And continued bad behaviour by NRL players only helps our cause.

 

[RodneyMaynard]

I thought we'd sell out Spotless in Round 1 this year against the Swans, but underestimated the aversion many Swans supporters have of travelling west.

Insane weather didn't help that one. I think now that you've won a game the rivalry will grow bigger and bigger.

 

[Land of the Giants]

Insane weather didn't help that one. I think now that you've won a game the rivalry will grow bigger and bigger.

I don't think the weather had that much to do with it.

Our derbies at ANZ attracted about 25k on average. This was the first derby at the Showground - it should have sold out.

Put it this way - if inclement weather was enough to dissuade about 8,000 Swans fans from showing up, they must really be fickle.

 

[captainMyCaptain]

I don't think the weather had that much to do with it.

Our derbies at ANZ attracted about 25k on average. This was the first derby at the Showground - it should have sold out.

Put it this way - if inclement weather was enough to dissuade about 8,000 Swans fans from showing up, they must really be fickle.

At the time you also had track work on a number of train lines which had some impact on the numbers as well

 

[gee whiz giant]

Agree with all who say give it time. It's a long haul project. Such as the Auburn Giants muslim girls team getting their eventual sons to follow the Giants. 10-15 years long. And I think that management are on to this, that it's families they need to convert.
Sure the Wanderers packed out their soccer venue straight away, but who wants rabid, one-eyed, shirtless pack males as your supporter base? Better Mum Dad & kids in a family environment.

 

[Ichabod Noodle]

Sure the Wanderers packed out their soccer venue straight away,

But they didn't pack out their stadium straight away - it's the myth of a media narrative - took them until about three quarters through their big run of wins to average a better crowd than us. Up until about win number 8 in a row we had a bigger membership base and better crowds in our two win season. I think we still have a bigger membership base (not sure though).

Anyway - good luck to them. I know who I sing for.

 

[Dangerousfield]

I've been a touch disappointed with your results this year but your list is still young.

From a GWS fan viewpoint, how many wins/ladder position do you see yourself next year, year 4?

 

[Ichabod Noodle]

I've been a touch disappointed with your results this year but your list is still young.

From a GWS fan viewpoint, how many wins/ladder position do you see yourself next year, year 4?

At this point I'm still not that interested in wins. I'm looking for improvement. We saw it a great deal this year with (so far) only two really really bad games and a couple of other not so good ones. Much more competitive for the rest of them this year. If we keep improving the wins will come (unless the umpires rob us of course, like they did in the Essendon game) but I don't care about putting a number on it.

 

[Experimental]

I'd love to see Skoda (or whatever it's called) turn into a fortress for GWS. I've never been, but it looks like a marvelous stadium. From what I've read and heard, it's top notch in regards to facilities and game-day happenings. Only issue I can see (as a viewer on TV) is the ridiculous gap between the goals and the stand (down the Giants home end I think?). Regardless, I hope that in 5- 10 years time, the stadium sells out regularly and there's an actual home-ground advantage.

Hopefully next season I should be down to see Giants vs Suns if it's a GWS home game!

 

[coniglio_number1]

I was almost going to be at my first game this year for round 1. Bloody work colleague had a baby and I had to fill in for him.

Dammit

 

[Sime11]

Year 4 im looking for Wins as well as improvement, this year definetely has been an improvement on seasons 1 & 2, I think its time GWS starts being taken seriously, yes some people do take us seriously now but I feel we are still the laughing stock of Australian Sport.

I dont expect to make the 8 in 2015 (I think it would be outstanding if we did) but I expect to be pushing for a finishing position 10-13.

I still maintain once GWS become more competetive on the field, that will get more people into Spotless.

There's already good signs of standouts in our team, another pre season will have other teams fidgeting in their seats (especially Eddie )

 

[MikeLike]

Insane weather didn't help that one. I think now that you've won a game the rivalry will grow bigger and bigger.

It will be huge next years

 

[Ellie Aquitaine]

I'm a little worried regarding next year. Because we don't start until Easter we won't get Sydney home games until a fair way in...

Might be better than two quick games then nothing; but not helpful in trying to build momentum.

 

[Colonial]

Round 1 still at spotless?

 

[Determinant]

Round 1 still at spotless?

Cant be, they need the stadium for the ES the week before, it's why we had our after game at the training centre last year..

R1 likely to be Swans home game if they stick to the matchup, then a Startrack game, then R3 or 4 at Spotless

 

[_GT_]

The delayed start to the season is going feel pretty weird. We'll all be like junkies hanging out for the next fix! It will be good if we can get a good solid run of week about home games.