WSYD How are GWS going off the field?

[Cuzz09]

If GC and GWS had 2 years like we've had they'd have crowds of under 1k and battling to stay afloat.

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[Colonial]

If GC and GWS had 2 years like we've had they'd have crowds of under 1k and battling to stay afloat.

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And?

 

[CatToTheFuture]

Best media team in the game and it's not even close. That has to count for something.

Seconded. Worth having them just for the socials and Toby Greene

 

[CatToTheFuture]

If GC and GWS had 2 years like we've had they'd have crowds of under 1k and battling to stay afloat.

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Well, they didn't, and so, they aren't

 

[CatToTheFuture]

Know someone that works on the fringe of the club.
He said they are rapt with the generational family membership they have.
Figures show they have a lot of grandparent ,children grandchildren from the same family.
He seems to think 20 years from now thier club will have absolute rock solid membership similar to the bigger Victorian clubs.

Yeah this I believe. Feels like an established club with a smaller fan base rather than a stood up franchise nowadays. For all the criticism I think the afl did well here.

 

[Cuzz09]

I'm just saying off field they're probably shaky

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[Colonial]

I'm just saying off field they're probably shaky

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Of course we aren’t financially secure, we advertise Harvey Norman and TAB openly. And while I don’t agree with the outrage, you don’t pick those sponsors unless we need them.

Oh and Suns have had 13 years pretty much of what the Eagles have put up. Giants 1st two years and 2020/2022 were beyond rubbish too.

 

[desie]

I'm just saying off field they're probably shaky

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The first two years the Giants were inevitably getting flogged every week, they were essentially set up to do this.

Crowds then weren’t too far removed from what they are now. I remember they got 5000 against the Crows on a Mothers Day which was probably as low as they got.

 

[Colonial]

The first two years the Giants were inevitably getting flogged every week, they were essentially set up to do this.

Crowds then weren’t too far removed from what they are now. I remember they got 5000 against the Crows on a Mothers Day which was probably as low as they got.

Crowd numbers might not have drastically increased but the makeup of them has.
We used to get outnumbered by everyone in our home ground bar Suns.

Now it’s only the Swans, possibly , and obviously tonight with be around 60/40 with the Pies.
The ratio of orange/charcoal has changed.

 

[desie]

Nobody was suggesting putting it in Penrith but Olympic Park is such a terrible place to base a team and it's definitely left them at a disadvantage.

The AFL should've pushed for something much more modest probably in Parramatta. Somewhere that the base is actually among the community rather than in a concrete bubble that the average Sydney sider avoids like the plague.

The AFL are seen at outsiders in western Sydney. Then they place the team in a shitty place away from any community. And then move a third of their games to another city. The club itself seems to be doing a lot right but the initial setup by the AFL should go down as one of the great displays of incompetence in sports admin history.

I still maintain that keeping the name ‘GWS’ which was the name given to the initial concept was also a big mistake.

It’s a three letter acronym that has no real meaning.

Remove the G and proudly call it Western Sydney.

 

[desie]

Crowd numbers might not have drastically increased but the makeup of them has.
We used to get outnumbered by everyone in our home ground bar Suns.

Now it’s only the Swans, possibly , and obviously tonight with be around 60/40 with the Pies.
The ratio of orange/charcoal has changed.

Agree with that, the point I was making was that I think the crowds will hold up OK if they have a couple of down years.

Whilst relatively small they’re pretty rusted on.

 

[Colonial]

Nobody was suggesting putting it in Penrith but Olympic Park is such a terrible place to base a team and it's definitely left them at a disadvantage.

Best and most logical spot to put the club is where it’s at, best transport options in Sydney, one of the best in Australia for sport.

Western Sydney is more than just Parra to Penrith rail line.

The AFL should've pushed for something much more modest probably in Parramatta. Somewhere that the base is actually among the community rather than in a concrete bubble that the average Sydney sider avoids like the plague.

Rubbish.

Where is this magical spot in Parramatta?

The AFL are seen at outsiders in western Sydney. Then they place the team in a shitty place away from any community. And then move a third of their games to another city. The club itself seems to be doing a lot right but the initial setup by the AFL should go down as one of the great displays of incompetence in sports admin history.

This is also rubbish.

The part time issue is a concern no doubt.
And they made plenty of mistakes, Manly deal also, to begin with.
But location isn’t one of them.

 

[Colonial]

I still maintain that keeping the name ‘GWS’ which was the name given to the initial concept was also a big mistake.

It’s a three letter acronym that has no real meaning.

Remove the G and proudly call it Western Sydney.

Greater doesn’t bother me, though BTs constant use of “The GWS” shits me to tears, but I can see how some might not like it. Wouldn’t be upset if we dropped the Greater part. Especially as that would probably mean the end of being part time in Sydney.
No need to drop the big G though. We are the Giants.

 

[Colonial]

Whilst relatively small they’re pretty rusted on.

we were called fake, non existent and getting paid by the AFL for years, we are a hardy bunch.

 

[Zevon]

Funnily enough when the Swans voted against our entry, thanks by the way Swans fans, their only concern was butchering their fan base. Turns out didn't harm it at all. The opposite in fact.

Sorry about that. Wasn’t all of us. I’ve been a believer in the Giants since day dot, and in my more secret moments I find myself preferring an afternoon with Mrs Zevon watching her beloved Giants out at Homebush than I do going to the SCG to watch the Swans.

Just don’t tell anyone I said that, I will deny EVERYTHING.

 

[Colonial]

Sorry about that. Wasn’t all of us. I’ve been a believer in the Giants since day dot, and in my more secret moments I find myself preferring an afternoon with Mrs Zevon watching her beloved Giants out at Homebush than I do going to the SCG to watch the Swans.

Just don’t tell anyone I said that, I will deny EVERYTHING.

No worried mate, forgiven.

Haha won’t say a word. Is a great day/night out. Especially with a decent crowd.

 

[Zevon]

No worried mate, forgiven.

Haha won’t say a word. Is a great day/night out. Especially with a decent crowd.

Agreed. It’s a really good ground to watch footy at. Sh*ts me to tears when people who haven’t even set foot at a game there have a dig at how small the crowds are or the lack of atmosphere. In my experience the atmosphere has always been great, even when the crowd number is on the smaller end.

Can understand to a degree when it’s Melbourne folk who’ve never had the chance to get up here for a game saying it, but there’s no excuse when it’s Sydney-dwellers who basically just say “ew, Olympic Park?? No way I’m going there”

 

[Giant Pete]

If GC and GWS had 2 years like we've had they'd have crowds of under 1k and battling to stay afloat.

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You mean like our first two years?

 

[Colonial]

Can understand to a degree when it’s Melbourne folk who’ve never had the chance to get up here for a game saying it, but there’s no excuse when it’s Sydney-dwellers who basically just say “ew, Olympic Park?? No way I’m going there”

it’s a easy target, funny thing it’s because of Accor that it has the rep, the cavernous 80k plus stadium that gets 15k weekly to games. People didn’t like going there. It’s kind of transferred to Giants Stadium as well with comments like those in here previously.
Best transport options and accessibility in the state, with light rail coming that will improve even more.
More pubs and restaurants have opened up too, so far from the Novotel & Maccas only days.

 

[Zevon]

it’s a easy target, funny thing it’s because of Accor that it has the rep, the cavernous 80k plus stadium that gets 15k weekly to games. People didn’t like going there. It’s kind of transferred to Giants Stadium as well with comments like those in here previously.
Best transport options and accessibility in the state, with light rail coming that will improve even more.
More pubs and restaurants have opened up too, so far from the Novotel & Maccas only days.

spot on

 

[geelong_crazy26]

The main issue is GWS are there to fight against NRL… it is rugby heartland.

Much like the QLD teams… Sydney swans and GWS are trying to draw attention away from NRL clubs towards AFL.

Sydney and QLD is not big enough to have huge membership and fan bases for both AFL and NRL…

the best thing for the AFL would be a quick and painful death for the NRL… but I doubt that is going to happen anytime soon. If AFL tapped into the full potential of NSW and Queensland, the talent coming through and buzz across Australia would be twice as electrifying. Probably fit another 4-6 teams up in NSW

 

[mikey127]

Well support looks great tonight. Interesting to see how many back up next week against the Roos

 

[Rich01]

They will need millions of extra $$$ each year for at least a 20 years, but the AFL will be happy to prop them up to shore up Sydney audiences.

Going great on the field. Neutrals could well do buying a membership to take a punt at nabbing a gf ticket this year.

 

[PenrithGWS]

Building slowly

 

[desie]

I live in Parramatta and have been to a few Giants games last year.

I was really surprised that there were very very few people who were not Caucasian.

Parramatta is predominantly immigrants from the sub continent or first generation these days, I definitely thought they hadn’t penetrated the market.

There are predominantly Asian areas just south of Olympic park where the Giants play, which also weren’t represented at all at the games.

There are also big Muslim communities nearby around Auburn.

I think the key for the Giants is focussing on these communities and getting the kids in schools playing the game, then generation 2/3/4 will be where they get the growth. Don’t be surprised if they are the biggest club in the country or top 6 in 50 years, so long as you hey aren’t adding AFL clubs to the market to compete with them.

Interestingly, there is a large public primary school very close to us, which offers AFL but not rugby for the kids. There are very few Caucasian children going there.

Generally when I see AusKick being played, which isn’t often, again seems to be mostly Caucasians.

I’m from Perth, Sydney is quite different in there being areas where there are almost exclusively people from one part of the world or the other, so I think if you can get to a critical mass of interest in that community you are set.

I think if the Giants can bring through talent from communities not usually associated with AFL that would be critical too. A bit like the African trail breakers and now we are really seeing more kids coming through the pathway and aspiring to play AFL.

I really love the power of sport to bring our communities together, that alone is a good reason to hope the Giants are successful. People identify as fans of the club, not just members of their original country or region.

This is exactly right.

Politics is a good metaphor, don’t waste your limited resources on people with entrenched views, concentrate on those who you can influence.

Yes you’re introducing migrants to a completely foreign concept, but to most of them Rugby League is a foreign concept as well.