Our naming rights sponsors have a history of strange names.
I enjoyed calling it Giants Stadium, so I'm a little sad.
I enjoyed calling it Giants Stadium, so I'm a little sad.
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Giants Stadium
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Giants stadium now called Engie stadium.
Welcome to ENGIE Stadium
In partnership with the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW, the GIANTS are proud to introduce a new naming rights partner for GIANTS Stadium – welcome to ENGIE Stadium.www.gwsgiants.com.au
Kind of sad that the GIANTS name is being removed.
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Lighting upgrades at the stadium 
Should be seeing the lights in action this season starting from this weekend's game
Should be seeing the lights in action this season starting from this weekend's game
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The AFL Fans Association did a price comparison between food and drink pricing between stadiums.
Giants and Suns stadium appear to have come out as the two most expensive in the comparision.
Quote from the AFLFA email sent out to members on the 14th of June.
"Comparison of food and drink prices by footy stadium
In March we undertook a food a drink price comparison between Tier 1 AFL stadiums. All stadiums increased their prices in 2024 in response to inflation.
To buy a pie, hot chips and a coke for lunch/dinner plus one half-time beer and a bottle of water for the rest of the game, each stadium charges between $31 and $38.45.
While the AFL owned Marvel stadium was the cheapest, other stadiums ranged between 10-24% more expensive.
Ironically, the regions where the game is trying to attract fans and crowds to watch live football,
Gold Coast and GWS are the most expensive.
We encourage the AFL to assist some stadiums by using their industry leverage and pursue collective purchasing power arrangements to limit cost increases and price disparities for fans."
Facebook post and pricing among stadiums for anyone interested.
This won't account for all factors that go into pricing (sizing, different product/suppliers etc) but was interesting, nonetheless.
Giants and Suns stadium appear to have come out as the two most expensive in the comparision.
Quote from the AFLFA email sent out to members on the 14th of June.
"Comparison of food and drink prices by footy stadium
In March we undertook a food a drink price comparison between Tier 1 AFL stadiums. All stadiums increased their prices in 2024 in response to inflation.
To buy a pie, hot chips and a coke for lunch/dinner plus one half-time beer and a bottle of water for the rest of the game, each stadium charges between $31 and $38.45.
While the AFL owned Marvel stadium was the cheapest, other stadiums ranged between 10-24% more expensive.
Ironically, the regions where the game is trying to attract fans and crowds to watch live football,
Gold Coast and GWS are the most expensive.
We encourage the AFL to assist some stadiums by using their industry leverage and pursue collective purchasing power arrangements to limit cost increases and price disparities for fans."
Facebook post and pricing among stadiums for anyone interested.
This won't account for all factors that go into pricing (sizing, different product/suppliers etc) but was interesting, nonetheless.
MelbourneGWS
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I thought that sometimes our club ran $2 chips promotion at Giants Stadium?
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Last year we sat behind a family who had brought a dozen buttered rolls and their own tomato sauce to fill with $2 chips.
Was pretty good going for a family of 3. We’ve adopted the practice, but not 4 each.
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Giants float playing blockbuster games at Swans’ SCG home
EXCLUSIVE
By JESSICA HALLORAN
CHIEF SPORTS WRITER
and JOHN STENSHOLT
EDITOR, THE LIST
21 JUNE 2024
The Giants could soon play “blockbuster games” at the SCG, the home ground of their bitter rivals, with club officials couching the idea with the AFL and powerbrokers to grow the franchise’s fanbase.
The Weekend Australian understands members of the Giants hierarchy have also sounded out Venues NSW about the possibility of accommodating big matches at the SCG.
“It would need the full blessing of the Swans,” a source said.
The Giants will play the Swans in the local Battle of the Bridge derby at Engie Stadium at Sydney Olympic Park on Saturday night. It is expected to be a sellout crowd for the Giants – their first of the season.
The Giants have averaged a home crowd of 11,910 this season. The Swans have enjoyed a bumper season with an average crowd of 39,950 attending the SCG.
It’s understood the Giants “would never take the derby to the SCG” but are again actively exploring playing games at the iconic Sydney venue, sources told The Weekend Australian.
When approached for comment by The Weekend Australian, Sydney Swans chairman Andrew Pridham said: “I don’t know anything about it. It’s news to me.”
Swans sources said the club would be unimpressed, though, if any Giants matches were moved to the SCG, believing their rival that was supposed to represent Sydney’s west should not encroach on their eastern suburbs heartland.
The Swans in late 2014 signed a 30-year contract to play all their home matches at the SCG in a deal starting in 2017, bringing an end to playing games at what is now Accor Stadium at Olympic Park.
That Swans deal has an exclusive component to it, but it is understood there is a review period every decade – which could pave the way for the Giants to potentially shift some games to the SCG within two years.
In 2022, then-Giants chairman and chair of the SCG Tony Shepherd floated the idea during a radio interview of playing home games against high-drawing Victorian opposition at the SCG.
The Giants are contracted to play seven of eight games at Engie Stadium – with one game “a floater”. Last year the team took that game to Accor Stadium.
The Giants also have three contracted home games in Canberra.
When the Easter Show was on, they played games at Manuka Oval in Canberra, selling them both out. The first attracted a crowd of more than 13,000 when they played the Brisbane Lions. Around the same amount of fans attended the game against St Kilda at Manuka.
Their best crowd this year was 21,235 when they played reigning premiers Collingwood at Engie Stadium. Their poorest was against the Western Bulldogs with 7747 people turning up.
For a decade, the Giants have seriously tossed around the idea of playing their “big” games at the SCG – as the franchise moves closer to Sydney’s CBD and into Swans territory, and away from their original western Sydney base.
By the middle of 2012, their first year in the AFL competition, it was announced that the GWS Giants would leave their original and multimillion-dollar training facility in Blacktown, western Sydney, and move 25km closer to the centre of the city. Their current home base at Sydney Olympic Park was officially opened in 2014.
“The Giants need to decide if they are going to be Sydney’s second team in one of the biggest states in Australia or a Western Sydney team,” said one informed Sydney AFL insider.
One idea being canvassed is treating the SCG like the MCG, which is the main home of the AFL in Melbourne and features clubs such as Collingwood, Richmond, Melbourne and others all hosting home matches throughout the season.
Similarly, Fremantle and West Coast share Optus Stadium in Perth and Port Adelaide and the Adelaide Crows both play at Adelaide Oval.
The Giants in recent years have moved away from the “Greater Western Sydney” title and more towards a solitary Giants branding.
It’s no secret the club has struggled to grip a Western Sydney fan base since it entered the AFL competition in 2012, with codes such as rugby league and football still dominating participation numbers. In 2019, the pioneering Auburn Giants, Western Sydney’s first women’s AFL team, was shut down.
“This was never about making history, but we did,” Amna K-Hassan, the Auburn co-founder, wrote on LinkedIn in 2019 after the team’s demise. “First ever Western Sydney Women’s Team. First ever team with strong participation and representation of Muslim Women. This lay the groundwork for Haneen Zreika to become the first Muslim Woman in the #AFLW.”
“We were born out of resistance to the way society shuts out wo#AFLW.”isrepresentation of Western Sydney, Muslim communities and diverse cultures.”
This week the Swans celebrated 150 years and announced a record 70,740 members, and have had a string of sellout or near-capacity crowds as the team rides high at the top of the AFL ladder and looks likely to host finals matches at the SCG.
Meanwhile, the Giants have been struggling financially off the field especially since the Covid-enforced lockdowns of 2020 and 2021 interrupted the club’s momentum after it appeared in the 2019 grand final – where it suffered a heavy loss to Richmond.
The most recent GWS financial report lodged with the corporate regulator, for the 2023 financial year and AFL season, showed the clubs making a loss of almost $3.5 million – from a $3m loss in 2022.
GWS also has a $9.4m loan to the AFL outstanding and trade payables of $2.7m to the league and governing body.
The financial report revealed the club would receive $30.4m in funding from the AFL during the 2024 season. It received $32m in AFL distributions and match receipts in 2023 and $29.5m in 2022.
“The company is economically dependent on the continual support of the AFL and the AFL has confirmed this economic support will continue for at least 12 months from the date of the financial report,” a note in the GWS accounts said.
EXCLUSIVE
By JESSICA HALLORAN
CHIEF SPORTS WRITER
and JOHN STENSHOLT
EDITOR, THE LIST
21 JUNE 2024
The Giants could soon play “blockbuster games” at the SCG, the home ground of their bitter rivals, with club officials couching the idea with the AFL and powerbrokers to grow the franchise’s fanbase.
The Weekend Australian understands members of the Giants hierarchy have also sounded out Venues NSW about the possibility of accommodating big matches at the SCG.
“It would need the full blessing of the Swans,” a source said.
The Giants will play the Swans in the local Battle of the Bridge derby at Engie Stadium at Sydney Olympic Park on Saturday night. It is expected to be a sellout crowd for the Giants – their first of the season.
The Giants have averaged a home crowd of 11,910 this season. The Swans have enjoyed a bumper season with an average crowd of 39,950 attending the SCG.
It’s understood the Giants “would never take the derby to the SCG” but are again actively exploring playing games at the iconic Sydney venue, sources told The Weekend Australian.
When approached for comment by The Weekend Australian, Sydney Swans chairman Andrew Pridham said: “I don’t know anything about it. It’s news to me.”
Swans sources said the club would be unimpressed, though, if any Giants matches were moved to the SCG, believing their rival that was supposed to represent Sydney’s west should not encroach on their eastern suburbs heartland.
The Swans in late 2014 signed a 30-year contract to play all their home matches at the SCG in a deal starting in 2017, bringing an end to playing games at what is now Accor Stadium at Olympic Park.
That Swans deal has an exclusive component to it, but it is understood there is a review period every decade – which could pave the way for the Giants to potentially shift some games to the SCG within two years.
In 2022, then-Giants chairman and chair of the SCG Tony Shepherd floated the idea during a radio interview of playing home games against high-drawing Victorian opposition at the SCG.
The Giants are contracted to play seven of eight games at Engie Stadium – with one game “a floater”. Last year the team took that game to Accor Stadium.
The Giants also have three contracted home games in Canberra.
When the Easter Show was on, they played games at Manuka Oval in Canberra, selling them both out. The first attracted a crowd of more than 13,000 when they played the Brisbane Lions. Around the same amount of fans attended the game against St Kilda at Manuka.
Their best crowd this year was 21,235 when they played reigning premiers Collingwood at Engie Stadium. Their poorest was against the Western Bulldogs with 7747 people turning up.
For a decade, the Giants have seriously tossed around the idea of playing their “big” games at the SCG – as the franchise moves closer to Sydney’s CBD and into Swans territory, and away from their original western Sydney base.
By the middle of 2012, their first year in the AFL competition, it was announced that the GWS Giants would leave their original and multimillion-dollar training facility in Blacktown, western Sydney, and move 25km closer to the centre of the city. Their current home base at Sydney Olympic Park was officially opened in 2014.
“The Giants need to decide if they are going to be Sydney’s second team in one of the biggest states in Australia or a Western Sydney team,” said one informed Sydney AFL insider.
One idea being canvassed is treating the SCG like the MCG, which is the main home of the AFL in Melbourne and features clubs such as Collingwood, Richmond, Melbourne and others all hosting home matches throughout the season.
Similarly, Fremantle and West Coast share Optus Stadium in Perth and Port Adelaide and the Adelaide Crows both play at Adelaide Oval.
The Giants in recent years have moved away from the “Greater Western Sydney” title and more towards a solitary Giants branding.
It’s no secret the club has struggled to grip a Western Sydney fan base since it entered the AFL competition in 2012, with codes such as rugby league and football still dominating participation numbers. In 2019, the pioneering Auburn Giants, Western Sydney’s first women’s AFL team, was shut down.
“This was never about making history, but we did,” Amna K-Hassan, the Auburn co-founder, wrote on LinkedIn in 2019 after the team’s demise. “First ever Western Sydney Women’s Team. First ever team with strong participation and representation of Muslim Women. This lay the groundwork for Haneen Zreika to become the first Muslim Woman in the #AFLW.”
“We were born out of resistance to the way society shuts out wo#AFLW.”isrepresentation of Western Sydney, Muslim communities and diverse cultures.”
This week the Swans celebrated 150 years and announced a record 70,740 members, and have had a string of sellout or near-capacity crowds as the team rides high at the top of the AFL ladder and looks likely to host finals matches at the SCG.
Meanwhile, the Giants have been struggling financially off the field especially since the Covid-enforced lockdowns of 2020 and 2021 interrupted the club’s momentum after it appeared in the 2019 grand final – where it suffered a heavy loss to Richmond.
The most recent GWS financial report lodged with the corporate regulator, for the 2023 financial year and AFL season, showed the clubs making a loss of almost $3.5 million – from a $3m loss in 2022.
GWS also has a $9.4m loan to the AFL outstanding and trade payables of $2.7m to the league and governing body.
The financial report revealed the club would receive $30.4m in funding from the AFL during the 2024 season. It received $32m in AFL distributions and match receipts in 2023 and $29.5m in 2022.
“The company is economically dependent on the continual support of the AFL and the AFL has confirmed this economic support will continue for at least 12 months from the date of the financial report,” a note in the GWS accounts said.
Not this again. They need to stick to the plan and do the hard work.
Do something to fix the "2 months without a home game" problem, then they'll be on the right track.
Do something to fix the "2 months without a home game" problem, then they'll be on the right track.
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MelbourneGWS
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Not going to be at the cost of a Canberra game - Canberra will have at least 3 Giants AFL games a year (as well as a preseason and 2 AFLW) game till at least 2032. In fact under the terms of the contract, the ACT Government has the option of buying a 4th game for Manuka, if the club agrees. The club also has a contract to play 7 AFL games annually at Giants Stadium but am not sure when that contract expires
Given that the club has a contract to play 7 games at Engie I feel as though this story is mainly pertaining to potentially playing the one floating game at SCG. Unless, of course, that 7 game contract is due to expire soon.
I can't see them getting it over the line to play all games at the SCG, the sightlines at Giants stadium are much better than the SCG anyway. Bar the lack of liveliness and Sydneysiders reluctance to go to SOP unless there's a major event (hopefully changing when the light rail and metro come in), I think Giants stadium is better for watching games.
I can understand that the club would want to make decisions to minimise reliance on funding from the AFL as quickly as possible and becoming a fully viable club much quicker. Playing a game at the SCG could help with that, particularly given the Swans are selling out and turning fans away so the club may wish to absorb some of the footy interest and swing it the Giants way.
I wouldn't be surprised if the club has a deadline for when it must reach certain targets and is wanting to reach them quickly after covid threw a spanner in the works. I can't see the fans warming to this idea anytime soon though.
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IMO the correct way to interpret this news is that Tony Shepherd - as Chair of the SCG Trust - is going to give us a chance to play a game during the Easter break at the SCG from 2026 onwards.
The Swans will oppose, and AFL likely override their opposition to support SCG Trust and NSW Government.
If the Easter Show really is unworkable for us at present, then this is the only way to play in Sydney and the NSW government may chip in to support Easter tourism.
Opposition team would only be a big VFL club.
Also remember that TAS team will add a game in due course.
Perfect? Heck no.
Least bad idea available? Probably yes.
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The Swans will oppose, and AFL likely override their opposition to support SCG Trust and NSW Government.
If the Easter Show really is unworkable for us at present, then this is the only way to play in Sydney and the NSW government may chip in to support Easter tourism.
Opposition team would only be a big VFL club.
Also remember that TAS team will add a game in due course.
Perfect? Heck no.
Least bad idea available? Probably yes.
Sent from my iPhone using BigFooty.com
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