Future of the Footy Club

If there was one club to test the waters with private ownership, it's clearly us. We're a new club with a small membership base, and will have an easier time getting buy in from supporters. Also, we have a young supporter base who may be more familiar with European football or the American leagues where private ownership is the predominant model for clubs/franchises.
 

sydney_gws

Club Legend
Oct 31, 2016
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qpr
What do people think about the split of Sydney/NSW with the Swans.
Having Canberra is great, can't complain about that.
As for Sydney, the Swans have much better areas than us ( in terms of playing, following AFL).
Their area is also far more affluent / closer to the city than our areas.
I guess the problem is swans wouldn't agree to any changes.
Look at where the clubs who play in the Sydney first division are ( Sydney Uni, UNSW bulldogs , St George, Inner West Magpies etc). Most are in Swans area. Could Inner West Magpies or St George become GWS areas? Or at least allow joint promotion of both clubs in some areas?
Unfortunately the Swans are the "cool club", some kids feel pressure to not support GWS but support Swans instead.
 
Apr 12, 2012
45,989
41,667
AFL Club
GWS
What do people think about the split of Sydney/NSW with the Swans.
Having Canberra is great, can't complain about that.
As for Sydney, the Swans have much better areas than us ( in terms of playing, following AFL).
Their area is also far more affluent / closer to the city than our areas.
I guess the problem is swans wouldn't agree to any changes.
Look at where the clubs who play in the Sydney first division are ( Sydney Uni, UNSW bulldogs , St George, Inner West Magpies etc). Most are in Swans area. Could Inner West Magpies or St George become GWS areas? Or at least allow joint promotion of both clubs in some areas?
Unfortunately the Swans are the "cool club", some kids feel pressure to not support GWS but support Swans instead.
Have no issue with the split of Sydney. If the time is put in then western Sydney is a gold mine.
When the Swans first got here it wasn’t that great anywhere.
My thoughts on Canberra are well known in here.
 
Nov 26, 2016
1,478
2,079
Canberra, ACT
AFL Club
Port Adelaide
My big dream for the Giants is an annual marquee match at Accor (similar to how Brisbane have claimed the Easter Thursday match) against a big Victorian club.

I know Accor isn't popular, but I enjoyed it when I bussed up from Canberra for the 2016 Qualifying Final. I think it's a pretty good stadium when there are 60k packed in.

I think the Giants should play the marquee game during the Easter Show. 90k patrons visit the Easter Show every day, just 100m away from the stadium. GWS should make a deal with the Easter Show to provide heavily discounted tickets (and free entry for kids) if you have a ticket to the show. Then play the game at 3 or 4pm, and funnel a bunch of show patrons into the game. Parents might be relieved to sit after a day of walking around.

Depending which weekend they play on, they might be able to make it that you get a discounted ticket for going to the show at any day. I'm not sure how the Sydney crowd goes as to whether Easter or the not Easter weekend would be better.

Absolutely pump the heck out of the event.
  • Free Toby Greene bobble heads to the first 10k through the door (make it a different player each year so it becomes like a collectable)
  • Free t-shirts hung over chairs, similar to what Port Adelaide did at their first Adelaide Oval game. Make it the guernsey in t-shirt form. Instantly recognisable and people will wear them out after. Essentially free advertising.
  • Obviously an increase on advertising and media
It will attract a new crowd of people who have proven they already have the ability to get to Olympic Park, and hopefully they enjoy it so much they come back to games at Giants Stadium.
 
Apr 30, 2019
405
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Depth completely compromised by the long term million dollar deals that aren’t paying off. Not sure how you’d get any of that dough off the books other than Toby.
A bit hard to argue with the Club Director who announced the club was in rebuild.
I’m not sure I’m happy with who’s doing the rebuild. The footy department seems to be as shallow as the playing list.
 
Apr 12, 2012
45,989
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Depth completely compromised by the long term million dollar deals that aren’t paying off. Not sure how you’d get any of that dough off the books other than Toby.
A bit hard to argue with the Club Director who announced the club was in rebuild.
I’m not sure I’m happy with who’s doing the rebuild. The footy department seems to be as shallow as the playing list.
Got nothing to do with our depth. Got everything to do with our "game plans".
 
Apr 12, 2012
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A defensive unit featuring Stein, Kennedy and Keeffe. Can you imagine any of them on the Demons list?
No not as stars of the backline. But we have Taylor and Idun (when Leon hasnt got him playing Fwd) plus a few injuries.

We have a team that is top four with the talent but a coach who is bottom 2.
 

Section226

All Australian
May 21, 2021
754
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I'm just waiting for the "We need a team in Tasmania" and "the GWS experiment is over" talk to continue getting louder and louder with the continued lack of success (as well as coach speculation, 4000 attendance against Gold Coast etc.).

And with a new AFL CEO soon, it wouldn't be beyond the realms of possibility that GWS' future would be discussed as an ongoing concern.
 

BarryAglett

7th Round Draft Pick
Sep 24, 2014
1,516
2,466
Western Sydney
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GWS
I'm just waiting for the "We need a team in Tasmania" and "the GWS experiment is over" talk to continue getting louder and louder with the continued lack of success (as well as coach speculation, 4000 attendance against Gold Coast etc.).

And with a new AFL CEO soon, it wouldn't be beyond the realms of possibility that GWS' future would be discussed as an ongoing concern.
Nah, We're not going anywhere. There may be some tinkering around the edges when/if we get private ownership.
We're actually too valuable despite some setbacks.
 
Nah, We're not going anywhere. There may be some tinkering around the edges when/if we get private ownership.
We're actually too valuable despite some setbacks.
Yep. We bring in something like top 6 sponsorship totals each year.
 
Sep 6, 2012
3,055
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Sydney
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Thunder
Have been giving some thought to our current malaise over the weekend.

Whatever happens with Leon, we need a clean-out at board level. The club has an outdated mindset that has to change.

Tony Shepherd needs to go. His smug 'Sydney is for winners" mantra might have been well and good when we were on the way up, but it's not working now, and hasn't been since the implosion of 2020.

We're not winning anymore, Tony. You know better than most what happens in the corporate world when someone's not meeting their KPIs.
 

gee whiz giant

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Mar 3, 2014
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the Toffees, the Bays.
My thoughts on Canberra are well known in here.
Yeah, the Canberra question is a real conundrum. But it feeds into a bigger question; the stadium deal at the Showgrounds.
Giants have played once there in 8 weeks!!! Every other team has by now had the advantage of at least 3 extra games on home turf.
The tenancy @ Sydney Showgrounds means that every year the Giants start travelling early and often.
That's OK when confidence is up, but it's not at present and they desperately need the comfort of home which they will at last get the next few weeks.

It's been announced that the CBR deal continues for the next 10 years, so things won't be changing on either front, Canberra home games or stadium unavailability.

The boys have somehow to adopt a better 'travelling mentality". Once again, it's hard when they have diddly-squat support interstate, and graveyard atmosphere whenever they get the upper hand in games. It's not easy being a Giants player...

I don't have any answers why they're playing so badly, but the above factors might contribute.
Plus, they might be 'gym fit', but are they aerobically as fit as other teams? Geelong swamped them repeatedly at fall of the ball.
 
Mar 8, 2002
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Have been giving some thought to our current malaise over the weekend.

Whatever happens with Leon, we need a clean-out at board level. The club has an outdated mindset that has to change.

Tony Shepherd needs to go. His smug 'Sydney is for winners" mantra might have been well and good when we were on the way up, but it's not working now, and hasn't been since the implosion of 2020.

We're not winning anymore, Tony. You know better than most what happens in the corporate world when someone's not meeting their KPIs.

Bartel absolutely has to go.

Was on the RSN Breakfast Club podcast this AM (42:00 to 49:30) marvelling how Geelong had taken "141 marks" in the game and clearly breaking down how Geelong won the game.

Spoke heavily about GWS in terms of "them" and why "they" lose games.

Doesn't live in NSW. No clear how many games he makes an effort to get to.

Lightweight. Gone.
 

ClockworkOrange

Club Legend
Jan 30, 2016
1,504
2,190
AFL Club
GWS
I didn’t see this recent article until today, but it really raises some interesting questions - and eyebrows - about the club’s future.

One that isn’t stated in this article is: why does a CEO whose contract apparently ended last year imply he’s going to rule into the future?

Did the CEO contract get extended by our woeful Board and it wasn’t publicly reported?

What is the state of the club’s sale, and does that inform the CEO’s opinions - or is he just freelancing in his own self-interest?

Other questions flow from the article, not least of which is why are we backing the VFL candidate for AFL CEO?

And why are we rubbishing the Suns Chairman when he’s apparently trying to back a non-VFL candidate?

Curiouser and curiouser.

IMG_6862.JPG



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ClockworkOrange

Club Legend
Jan 30, 2016
1,504
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AFL Club
GWS
I'm just waiting for the "We need a team in Tasmania" and "the GWS experiment is over" talk to continue getting louder and louder with the continued lack of success (as well as coach speculation, 4000 attendance against Gold Coast etc.).

And with a new AFL CEO soon, it wouldn't be beyond the realms of possibility that GWS' future would be discussed as an ongoing concern.

Our NSW/ACT population and financial growth demographics are the strongest in the AFL.

So much so that even semi-pro bunglers in leadership roles could make a lot of terrible decisions and it would still be semi-successful.

And that’s where we are today.

With good leadership, the Club’s upside has no ceiling.


Sent from my iPhone using BigFooty.com
 
Sep 6, 2012
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Bartel absolutely has to go.

Was on the RSN Breakfast Club podcast this AM (42:00 to 49:30) marvelling how Geelong had taken "141 marks" in the game and clearly breaking down how Geelong won the game.

Spoke heavily about GWS in terms of "them" and why "they" lose games.

Doesn't live in NSW. No clear how many games he makes an effort to get to.

Lightweight. Gone.

If Bartel is referring to us as "them", then he's not on board, if you'll excuse the pun.

We need someone of stature, who's not afraid to kick a few backsides, and is prepared to let go of their former club.
 
Nov 26, 2016
1,478
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Canberra, ACT
AFL Club
Port Adelaide
It's been announced that the CBR deal continues for the next 10 years, so things won't be changing on either front, Canberra home games or stadium unavailability.

Do you have any link to the announcement? I know there's been a big push for 10 years, but I can't find any deal confirmed.

During the game against the Saints at Manuka, BT said: "The chairman announcing a deal tonight where they’re here for another five years as well."

I haven't heard anything since outside of that, so I assume that was just BT waffling nonsense.
 
Nov 23, 2015
11,654
17,071
AFL Club
GWS
Do you have any link to the announcement? I know there's been a big push for 10 years, but I can't find any deal confirmed.

During the game against the Saints at Manuka, BT said: "The chairman announcing a deal tonight where they’re here for another five years as well."

I haven't heard anything since outside of that, so I assume that was just BT waffling nonsense.
I don't think there's been a formal announcement. I did hear from someone who went to the Chairman's function preceding the game that there was something said about extending the Canberra deal ... but clearly there hasn't actually been pen put to paper otherwise a formal announcement would surely have been seen by now.
 
Nov 26, 2016
1,478
2,079
Canberra, ACT
AFL Club
Port Adelaide
I don't think there's been a formal announcement. I did hear from someone who went to the Chairman's function preceding the game that there was something said about extending the Canberra deal ... but clearly there hasn't actually been pen put to paper otherwise a formal announcement would surely have been seen by now.

Interesting. There was an article a couple of days after (April 27) saying "negotiations are underway for another 10-year contract", so I think you're right about a lack of formal announcement yet.

You'd think it would've been announced before the Geelong game as free promotion beforehand if it were official already.
 
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