Your club's identity

Dzhimara

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Mar 13, 2019
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I feel it's very hard to distinguish the difference between the 18 AFL clubs.

Whilst there are niche aspects that each club adopts, they all seem to lack an identity as if one is just barracking for a certain coloured uniform.

I know that the AFL is a business/entertainment product and is very far removed from real footy. I dont expect the elite level to be the sort of league where people get behind their town in a tribal way and the members almost feel like they're part of a family.

But, I dunno, the whole league just feels more and more contrived and mundane by the day.
 

West Coast 06

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Cotchins Hair Piece

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Class structure of club supporters is a load of crap in the 21st century.
Possibly had some basis in the 1920's but not today.
All teams have followers from all demographics and none have an abundance of one over the other.
Except for Melbourne, but that’s because we have a no “povo’s“ clause.
 

woosha24

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Apr 5, 2015
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If you think West Coast had it easy at the start you are either delusional or a s**t stirrer.
Agreed. Anyone who genuinely reckons we "had it easy" at the start simply doesn't know football history.
We were expected to pump a couple million bucks into the VFL upon inception, then rack off and die in obscurity.
Here is a little light reading on the matter.
 

biggiemediums

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Would've thought Collingwood are much more strongly associated with the non working class

This guy is correct; four Collingwood fans in my house and only two of us work. That's 50%.

Granted, the two that don't work are 4 and 6 years old... Still, lazy little shits adding to the stereotype. ;)
 

Isaac Cumming No 1

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Do GWS consider/title themselves as a club?

In all seriousness I presume that they do in fact use the term 'club' officially. I was just wondering if they prefer to use another title.
You mean the club you haven't beaten away from home since 2014? Must be embarassing.
 

Dzhimara

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Mar 13, 2019
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You mean the club you haven't beaten away from home since 2014? Must be embarassing.
Me? I don't even play footy. Nor do I live vicariously through a football club that winning or losing would effect me in the slightest way.

I was just curious as you see terms like RFC, CFC, AFC etc where teams are referring to themselves in titles as 'clubs'. I was genuinely interested if GWS did that also or if they went a more Ameicanised route or a modern type of branding.

No need to be defensive.
 

Isaac Cumming No 1

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Me? I don't even play footy. Nor do I live vicariously through a football club that winning or losing would effect me in the slightest way.

I was just curious as you see terms like RFC, CFC, AFC etc where teams referring to themselves in titles as clubs. I was genuinely interested if GWS did that also or if ey went a more Ameicanised route or a modern type of branding.

No need to be defensive.
We're the Western Sydney Football club. Rarely used. Possibly because we need to identify as an AFl club in Sydney. All the pomotion is the GWS Giants.
 

Dzhimara

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We're the Western Sydney Football club. Rarely used. Possibly because we need to identify as an AFl club in Sydney. All the pomotion is the GWS Giants.
Well, I was reading in soccer how one of the new Australian teams prefer the term 'group' over 'club'. Western Melbourne Group. I believe in Europe they have alternative terms sometimes applied as well. Who knows how America works. I just can't really recall hearing "club" used in reference to GWS hence my curiosity. Maybe it's all about the syntax.
 
Apr 12, 2012
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Well, I was reading in soccer how one of the new Australian teams prefer the term 'group' over 'club'. Western Melbourne Group. I believe in Europe they have alternative terms sometimes applied as well. Who knows how America works. I just can't really recall hearing "club" used in reference to GWS hence my curiosity. Maybe it's all about the syntax.

That was the name of the bid.
Once they won the 10th licence they changed there name to Western Utd football club.

The Giants are a football club. Have only been referred as one by all involved.


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Dzhimara

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Mar 13, 2019
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That was the name of the bid.
Once they won the 10th licence they changed there name to Western Utd football club.

The Giants are a football club. Have only been referred as one by all involved.


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Yeah I know about the Western Melbourne Group situation. It's just I read and also heard on possibly SEN they they actually preferred the term "group" as they felt it was more uniquely an club They also wanted "athletic" in their title apparently but one of the major decision makers didn't approve of it.

It's a shame they chose "Utd" as it seems very cliche. Also, I thought that "Utd" meant that clubs etc were uniting together to form one identity, which didn't happen with the Western Melbourne Group.

Anyway, I've found out that officially GWS do title themselves as club so all is well.
 
I'm not really certain how people view the modern-day Geelong Cats, twenty years ago we were 'Sleepy Hollow' and 'The Handbaggers' but I think those have both diminished in recent times

In terms of our supporter distribution as per the OP, we're close to a 50/50 split between working and upper class, which is especially notable at GMHBA. The Ablett terrace (the City end) tends to be the working-class part of Geelong, and good chunks of the rest of the ground (especially the Brownlow stand) tends to be the upper-class part of Geelong
 
Feb 15, 2015
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We have tried a few pop identities to see which one takes. None of them do very well when you go without a premiership for 40 million years. I hope the current “brand” (and * I hate that term) works out and supplies an identity that people can see and either rally behind, or hate passionately. Either would do.

One thing MFC have is being first. Merge us, relegate us - do your worst AFL accountants. My club has one thing that distinguishes it and always will, first.
 

Topkent

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I feel it's very hard to distinguish the difference between the 18 AFL clubs.

Whilst there are niche aspects that each club adopts, they all seem to lack an identity as if one is just barracking for a certain coloured uniform.

I know that the AFL is a business/entertainment product and is very far removed from real footy. I dont expect the elite level to be the sort of league where people get behind their town in a tribal way and the members almost feel like they're part of a family.

But, I dunno, the whole league just feels more and more contrived and mundane by the day.

I'm near certain the game won't be anywhere near as popular in the near future. Teams are all exactly the same now especially in Melbourne an the only difference is the colours. There's barely any rivalries anymore as everyone just plays it's nice an you don't see any fights which makes an enemy of a team. I just don't see how supporters will stick with sides when they are down in the future when there are so many other things you could be doing

The worst thing the AFL has ever done was getting rid of the suburban grounds last piece of individuality the clubs had
 
I'm near certain the game won't be anywhere near as popular in the near future. Teams are all exactly the same now especially in Melbourne an the only difference is the colours. There's barely any rivalries anymore as everyone just plays it's nice an you don't see any fights which makes an enemy of a team. I just don't see how supporters will stick with sides when they are down in the future when there are so many other things you could be doing

The worst thing the AFL has ever done was getting rid of the suburban grounds last piece of individuality the clubs had

I agree, suburban ground development needs to happen for the league to continue to thrive in the future. When you look at the EPL, historically poor performing teams maintain a supporter base because they have a home ground that people will show up at regardless. That sense of home gives you almost a feeling of ownership over the club, or at least an emotional commitment to the club and their performances. In general people will treat something better if they own it themselves, over stuff they feel no ownership over.
 

Royce Hafey

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Mar 6, 2013
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What is each Melbourne club historically associated with?

Working class
North
Collingwood
Footscray
Richmond
South Melbourne

Middle class
Hawthorn
St Kilda
Essendon
Carlton
Fitzroy

Upper class
Melbourne
This is pretty much the way it was between the wars and up until the 1970s. As long as clubs were suburban, the demography of the suburb they were based on determined the demography of the clubs. Because the sectarian divide used to be important this was also reflected in the clubs, adding an extra twist. So that, for instance, Orange Lodge supporting protestant metal workers from Glasgow were originally prominent in the metal industry in Footscray, hence the "British" bulldog and red white and blue in an otherwise working class team. Hawthorn, with a support base in the protestant middle class dry belt, was historically hostile to the idea of recruiting Catholic players, whereas the more pragmatic bourgeois of Melbourne saw no problem with adding the odd working class Catholic enforcer to their team. It was very significant that Hawthorn started to have success finally under a Kennedy and in a period, after the Second World War where sectarian hostilities were finally fading.

All clubs have had some cross class following of course. Most obviously, Geelong, which is based on a blue collar city which also hosts the poshest school in Australia attended by the sons of Western District Graziers who would also support Geelong. Carlton had the support of Menzies and is still supported by a bunch of billionaires, but also had an ethnic base.

This has obviously faded, but there are intergenerational connections, which can be seen in the geographical spread of supporters. Their are patterns which follow the movement of working class people from Richmond to the outer east, Collingwood to the outer north and so on. The class identity is complicated by class mobility, but it is still the case, and has been confirmed by polling, that Richmond and Collingwood supporters are more likely to vote Labor than Hawthorn or Melbourne supporters,
 
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99cents

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Dec 4, 2011
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Do GWS consider/title themselves as a club?

In all seriousness I presume that they do in fact use the term 'club' officially. I was just wondering if they prefer to use another title.


Not sure of the angle on this one- they use the word GIANTS when referring to themselves. I expect the 'GWS' to be dropped at some stage.
If you recall North Melbourne went to the "kangaroos" for a while. I have not heard anyone say "GWS Football Club," like you may hear "Carlton Football Club" referred to. The GIANTS run childcare centres so not just football!
 
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