Sydney Swans, biggest club in Australia
- Thread starter GiantHawk
- Start date
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The King!
Chosen One
Got a link to those tv ratings?
Our attendance isn't too bad , I mean we are selling 4 home games a year yet
- Apr 17, 2007
- 4,408
- 4,423
- AFL Club
- Sydney
Comparing to rugby league, our membership and attendances are outstanding.
Sydney has no tradition of membership and attendances in Sydney are fickle.
Not at all surprised by the results of the survey. I think one day our membership will reflect the amount of support we have.
If you put a game on that anyone could attend say in Perth, is there any chance Sydney would get more supporters to the game than any of the big 4 Victorian clubs (I’d say most Victoria clubs) or Adelaide?
- Oct 3, 2008
- 7,434
- 7,928
- AFL Club
- Hawthorn
Imagine if they were half as loud as Blues or Pies or Tigers fans.
Taper
Club Legend
- Jun 9, 2023
- 1,380
- 1,686
- AFL Club
- Geelong
Swans are the AFL's version of the Storm.
Bjo187
Premiership Player
- Apr 30, 2020
- 3,315
- 4,410
- AFL Club
- Essendon
Not really, the swans are the biggest club in nsw across all sports, the storm would be about 10th in Victoria.
Taper
Club Legend
- Jun 9, 2023
- 1,380
- 1,686
- AFL Club
- Geelong
Spoke to my mate in Sydney this week and I asked him about the biggest club.
What he told me is this:
- Rabbitohs are the biggest club.
- Eels are the second biggest club.
- Swans and Roosters are neck and neck for the third biggest club.
mcgarnacle
Norm Smith Medallist
- Dec 2, 2003
- 9,853
- 4,268
- AFL Club
- Sydney
Who gives a toss about 'how big.' Premierships are what's important, and that's been a struggle and a disappointing since 2012 given how competitive the team has been.
Bjo187
Premiership Player
- Apr 30, 2020
- 3,315
- 4,410
- AFL Club
- Essendon
The rabbitohs got 8,000 to an all Sydney clash last week at the Olympic stadium.
They've done well, I suppose.
It's hard not to compare them with the Melbourne Storm, however. I know they're winning quite a few games (and that's been the case for a few years).
Pretty sure we lost a grand final recently, and I think they won a GF too in the past five years or so.
We have a player called Munster and another player called Pappenhausen.
I wouldn't waste my money going to watch them unless it were a final. And I'm saying that as someone who used to be really interested in the game in the late 80s and early 90s. I can name more Storm players from the 1999 premiership team than the current one.
It's hard not to compare them with the Melbourne Storm, however. I know they're winning quite a few games (and that's been the case for a few years).
Pretty sure we lost a grand final recently, and I think they won a GF too in the past five years or so.
We have a player called Munster and another player called Pappenhausen.
I wouldn't waste my money going to watch them unless it were a final. And I'm saying that as someone who used to be really interested in the game in the late 80s and early 90s. I can name more Storm players from the 1999 premiership team than the current one.
The Storm have done a terrible job of converting fans into players as well. Even after being in the NRL for 25 years or so they still don't have anywhere near enough Victorians in the NRL to actually form a starting line up.
- Jun 28, 2013
- 31,965
- 48,345
- AFL Club
- Hawthorn
In a way this a pretty sad indictment on your team not grabbing more of those fans and don’t South Melbourne me a response because you know that’s a rubbish argument
- Jun 28, 2013
- 31,965
- 48,345
- AFL Club
- Hawthorn
100%
Taper
Club Legend
- Jun 9, 2023
- 1,380
- 1,686
- AFL Club
- Geelong
NRL fans in Sydney aren't known for turning up for games, unless it's Origin or finals.
The vast majority of them prefer to watch the games on TV.
Rabbitohs have also won just one premiership in nearly half a century.
Eels haven't won a thing in nearly four decades.
Having said that, the Swans could definitely surpass the Rabbitohs and Eels to become the biggest footy club in Sydney.
AFL HQ know this and it's the reason why they love seeing the Swans constantly playing finals, and are happy to give them leg ups via the academy.
The bragging rights for AFL HQ would be massive if they could claim to have the biggest footy club in Sydney.
Bjo187
Premiership Player
- Apr 30, 2020
- 3,315
- 4,410
- AFL Club
- Essendon
I do think those two clubs have big supporter bases, but surely this 'rugby league fans don't like attending games' excuse doesn't wash anywhere else in world sport. It's a common nsw nrl media propoganda tactic to make it seem as though the competition is on the same level as the afl.
What's the point in fans if they don't put their hand in their own pocket and support the club, or even show up to any games? It could be said even on sheer fans metric, the swans would still be the biggest club due to all the casual observers that barely follow them, but say they support them if asked. They win on that metric and on people that actually show up to the stadium, with an average attendance of over 30k last year.
No team in the state in any sport even comes close to those numbers. Attendance, revenue from football (not pokies), sponsorship, membership, they dominate, the only thing they don't get is adequate media coverage in Sydney to match their popularity, something that is likely intentional to suppress the growth of the game in nsw.
Taper
Club Legend
- Jun 9, 2023
- 1,380
- 1,686
- AFL Club
- Geelong
Roy Morgan polls don't mean much apart from people in Sydney saying "I guess I go for the Swans" when surveyed, despite having little to no interest in the sport.
How many of these people can name a current Swans player? The average person living in Sydney would struggle to name anyone since Buddy retired.
Swans should be able to thrive and prosper without any leg ups from AFL HQ if they're truly the biggest club in Sydney.
Storm have been a good club for a very long time despite receiving zero favourable treatment from NRL HQ, even after being sanctioned for rorting the cap they've remained in premiership contention most years.
Swans have been receiving leg ups for 30 years, first they had cost of living allowance and now they have the academy.
Perhaps a Swans premiership this year would see AFL HQ finally remove the training wheels for good.
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