Sydney Swans want GWS out of Sydney

[Colonial]

Canberra is not a viable spot for an AFL team. The Raiders are set as the biggest show in town, and its a far bigger Rugby city than people understand. Whatever AFL interest is there comes from the people who have moved there from the AFL states for political reasons, and they arnt natives. They also tend to be in Canberra for a set amount of time before moving back to their original states once their political appointments are over.
Add to that, Canberra is the most sterile place I have every visited.

I think that GWS are doing it the right way with playing some games there during the year to tend to those AFL people in Canberra, but the Sydney market is far bigger and more potential that moving soley to Canberra. Throwing in some random other country areas like Wagga doesnt make the case any stronger for a move to Canberra.

They need to lose the Western tag first so they can appeal to people from all over NSW, and start there.

As for the Swans, of course they would prefer no competition in the Sydney market. They arnt worried about growing the game.in NSW, they are worried about capturing the whole state for themselves.
The Swans have had over 40 years to get their foothold, and when they were there in the early years they were playing in front of 5,000 people at times.
Sydney also had the allure of the Dr and Capper to draw attention to the club in theit early years.

Let GWS cook.

Couldn’t disagree more

 

[joeykanga]

What are you talking about? Sydney have been an AFL charity case since day dot ffs.

Your team has been a charity case on the field for years.

 

[randyzany]

And all I want al the neps in QLD and NSW out of the competition but we can't always get what we want.

 

[Adnico26Parker]

“Proudly Sydney.” A motto but not a way of life it seems.

 

[Giant YoYo]

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From The Age article published November 2010.

New AFL team to be called the Giants

The AFL's 18th club will be known as the Greater Western Sydney Giants, it was announced at a function in Sydney on Tuesday night.

www.theage.com.au

New AFL team to be called the Giants
November 16, 2010 — 9:09pm

Once they join the AFL in 2012, their home games will be at the redeveloped Showgrounds stadium adjacent to ANZ Stadium

 

[The_Reaper]

That's not his role one bit. His role is to improve the Swans, that's it. You don't become a CEO and think..'hey gotta improve my rival'. Heck no.

Swans get a lot of money and investment from the AFL as a tool to grow the sport in the region.

Pridham is very happy to accept the money and player access when it suits him.

 

[joeykanga]

And all I want al the neps in QLD and NSW out of the competition but we can't always get what we want.

So true so you shouldnt be too disappointed with a loss this weekend

 

[oak79]

I expect better from Pav. He played in the "2nd" team in WA for his whole career.

 

[sherb]

And all I want al the neps in QLD and NSW out of the competition but we can't always get what we want.

Why?

 

[Colonial]

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Well that’s what happens when things fall through such as being allowed to be full time at the facility, which NSW cricket and this cricket mad mayor said no to. Personally think the AFL were used to get the funding for the facility over the line. But that’s just my opinion.

Oh and I think I’ve been pretty up front Matthews, AFL and our board have failed in what our club is and should be.
I don’t think our staff have, but they only have the tools they are given.

Edit, notice you didn’t argue my motto not lifestyle comment

 

[Altum Volantes]

Seriously, **** Sydney.

The neverending leg up.

 

[joeykanga]

Seriously, **** Sydney.

The neverending leg up.

Get back into your cave. Seriously lazy poster

 

[speedpeck23]

Anyone want to compare the crowd growth in the Giants 15th year (compared to their first) to the Swans in their 15th year as well?

Pridham is a self serving idiot.

He's obviously worried that the Giants will get some home games at the SCG.

 

[Colonial]

He's obviously worried that the Giants will get some home games at the SCG.

Only need 1 double header during the Easter show.

 

[Philhawk]

The numbers don't back that up and with our 15th year in Sydney being 1996 they are well behind us with our big averages coming in 1997 and 1998. The Swans had 5 seasons over 15,000 average crowds (including 3 over 20k) and 4 seasons over 12k in their first 15 years. The Giants have been over 12k average 5 times (and should get to a 6th this year) and that's not excluding games played in Canberra from their averages.

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While the expectations on the Giants crowds are unrealistic in general, they have not matched what the Swans have done other than get to what our rock bottom average was which is a good starting point and built a good solid base of support to grow from.

The Swans have never wanted the Giants in Sydney, that is not new news. What should be put on the Swans is the expectations that they are here to stay and that both clubs need to work their own areas to grow the game.

Convenient you use 96 and not 95.

 

[Canberra Pear]

Canberra is not a viable spot for an AFL team. The Raiders are set as the biggest show in town, and its a far bigger Rugby city than people understand. Whatever AFL interest is there comes from the people who have moved there from the AFL states for political reasons, and they arnt natives. They also tend to be in Canberra for a set amount of time before moving back to their original states once their political appointments are over.

It's also a far bigger footy town than people seem to understand.

Canberra is a multi-code town. It's very common for people to follow multiple codes and not buy in as heavily into code wars as the rest of the country. An AFL team would be just as popular as the Raiders.

Many people move to Canberra from around the country, but more and more people are staying. People move for work, realise how good it is, and stay. I'm one of them. People moving for "political reason" would make up such a minor aspect of our population.

And what that means is while a lot of Australia's population growth is fuelled by international migration, Canberra has a lot from AFL-loving areas.

Add to that, Canberra is the most sterile place I have every visited.

I'm sorry it was such a clean, safe city while you were here.

the AFL have learned their lesson about expecting these backwater markets

Calling the city with the second highest subnational HDI in the world a "backwater market". You have to be trolling.

 

[Mighty Eagles]

Clearly the giants haven’t been able to win the hearts and minds of those in Sydney’s west. That is concerning, particularly, if they’re heading for a rebuild.

Perhaps it’s time to spread their tentacles to places like Newcastle & Wollongong and expand in Canberra. If they are considering a rebrand, which I think is necessary, they can do this under the ‘Greater Giants’. Four names is excessive hence the acronym.

 

[Former Decathlete]

GWS was always a bad concept and a bad name.
Doomed to fail from day 1.

Should be the Canberra Giants

We don't have enough players for an 18 team comp so a 20th club is really a bad idea unlless you really crave more crap teams and more crap games .

 

[Altum Volantes]

Get back into your cave. Seriously lazy poster

Far from it.

I am just sick of your club's holier than thou attitude when they benefit regularly from the millions and millions of dollars, raised by other clubs in successful markets like Melbourne, Perth and Adelaide, pumped into NSW.

How does a 'we don't want to 'share' Sydney' attitude help grow the game in NSW?

Happy to enjoy the benefits of being a financial and development charity case for decades - but not actually interested in football being played each week in NSW?

So yeah, I stand by my original statement.

 

[joeykanga]

Clearly the giants haven’t been able to win the hearts and minds of those in Sydney’s west. That is concerning, particularly, if they’re heading for a rebuild.

Perhaps it’s time to spread their tentacles to places like Newcastle & Wollongong and expand in Canberra. If they are considering a rebrand, which I think is necessary, they can do this under the ‘Greater Giants’. Four names is excessive hence the acronym.

Two areas that come under the Swans catchment area. Newcastle and Wollongong. No thanks. You must be trolling

 

[Mighty Eagles]

Two areas that come under the Swans catchment area. Newcastle and Wollongong. No thanks. You must be trolling

1) This is the league’s board where all fans debate and discuss issues pertaining to the league. I’m not trolling.

2) As state, the Giants haven’t been as successful as we would like in winning the hearts & minds of Sydney’s west. You don’t want them to play in Sydney, at the SCG specifically. Either let them grow their brand in other places like Newcastle & Wollongong, or let them play some games in Sydney. You can’t have your cake and eat it too.

 

[yeahmate]

Sydney and GWS are both AFL owned and controlled franchises relying heavily on funding from the AFL and not clubs run by members. Pridham can make alot of noise but at the end of the day the Swans do what the AFL tells them to do

 

[WesternSydneyHawk]

The Giants haven't helped that one bit

The Giants' board could be doing more at a grassroots level. But it's a big stretch to say the club has done nothing to increase the number of people who engage with footy, or the depth of their engagement.

I mean, every home game there's about 10,000 people attending, and that's 10,000 people mostly from Western Sydney who are deepening their engagement with the sport...

I mean they aren't even in Greater Western Sydney

The Giants are based at Olympic Park.

Strathfield is probably the furthest west you can go and still be considered Inner West. And Olympic Park is a long way west of Five Dock.

And FWIW, I've argued before that ideally, long term, the Giants' home ground should be a new stadium in or near Parramatta.

and we won't even discuss playing in Canberra whilst in the same note wanting to build a market in Sydney.

Completely agree Canberra should get the 20th AFL club, and the Giants should ideally play all home games in Western Sydney.

You either want to be from Sydney or you don't. In other words play home games at home, and rebrand the club to satisfy the area. Not that hard that part.

Again, I agree the Giants should be the Western Sydney Giants, and I've argued the point elsewhere.

The position that the Giants should play all 11 home games in Western Sydney and be called the Western Sydney Giants is very different to what Pridham is advocating for.

He's basically calling for the Canberra Giants, with the Swans having Sydney to themselves.

Which, IMHO, would be awful for the code.

V'Landys will absolutely be crowing and mocking the AFL for years if the Giants abandon Western Sydney.

And there's no second chances. You won't be able to relocate the Giants, and then have another go at Western Sydney in 20 years' time.

 

[Grumpyshades]

boo hoo...poor little downtrodden Sydney

 

[WesternSydneyHawk]

Canberra is not a viable spot for an AFL team.

Canberra has roughly the same population as Tasmania in a single city. It has roughly half the population of Adelaide, which supports two clubs. It has 1/10th the population of Melbourne, which supports 10 clubs.

So there's enough people.

Some of the local footy clubs, like Ainslie and Eastlake, are nearly as old as the city itself. So there's a long history of footy in the city.

it has had regular season AFL games consistently since 2001, and people have regularly showed up for clubs based in other states.

The market is there. And it's the ideal location for the 20th AFL club.

The added benefit is the Western Sydney Giants will then be able to grow the game in Western Sydney.

The Raiders are set as the biggest show in town, and its a far bigger Rugby city than people understand.

Only because the AFL never got around to giving them a local team.

Whatever AFL interest is there comes from the people who have moved there from the AFL states for political reasons, and they arnt natives.

Not just political folks. Public servants promoted to a higher pay grade, ADF personnel.

So there's a consistent base of people who already follow the game.

They also tend to be in Canberra for a set amount of time before moving back to their original states once their political appointments are over.

Get them to buy a membership for their club that includes games for the new Canberra club and you've basically sold out Manuka.

As for the Swans, of course they would prefer no competition in the Sydney market. They arnt worried about growing the game.in NSW, they are worried about capturing the whole state for themselves.

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