- Apr 24, 2018
- 3,342
- 2,681
- AFL Club
- St Kilda
I will give credit here the membership number so far for this season is a good result for gws after making the gf let’s hope we can finally start to see some similar growth in there home crowd numbers for spotless stadium this season as well !1. GWS has just reached 25,392 members- this is a 51.5% increase cf. the same date in 2019. Extraordinary (in NSW) for a club that has been in the AFL for only 8 years, based in Sydney's previously barren for AF WS.
The 2019 final tally of 30,108 (which included c. 5500 from the ACT) will be easily broken in 2020.
30,000+ easily surpasses virtually all non-AF pro sporting clubs in NSW & Qld. (Swans in 2019 had 60,000+; Broncos & South Sydney also reach 30,000+).
Many pro clubs (a few in existence for 100+ years) in NSW & Qld. well under 20,000 final members in 2019.
GIANTS Reach 25k Members in Record Time
The GIANTS have recorded 51.5 per cent membership growth compared to the same time last year.www.gwsgiants.com.au
2. GWS CEO D. Matthews said on 9.2.20, on Radio 1017AM Sky Big Sport Breakfast, GWS will reach c. 35,000 members in 2020, & possibly 50,000 the next few years.
I suspect the majority of Sydney memberships are less than a full 8 game season for Giants' Stadium matches. For the 3 Canberra games, only 3 game memberships exist.
To count as being an Official member in the AFL, one must be a minimum 3 game member, having paid at least $50.
50,000 would be a stunning achievement for GWS.
All Matthews' early membership predictions in the last 7 years (when he made a prediction in every year) has been vindicated by the final years' tally.
Asked about membership in 5 years time, Matthews replied
"...I would like to see 50,000...35,000 members this year, get to 50,000 in 2 to 3 years ...17 other clubs, most about 100 to 150 years old...we want to be as robust as we can be...our absolute priority is western Sydney...Essendon, under Sheedy, was once the second most supported club in the rest of Australia... This (Essendon) example is set for us. There is no limitation for us. We want to grow our fan base in any way we can".
(go to 4 minutes 20 secs. - 6 mins. 55 secs.)Whooshkaa Shows
player.whooshkaa.com
EDIT:
3. GWS has some very wealthy supporters from Pimco Bonds in the US (who control over $300 billion in assets). These US supporters, some of whom regularly visit Australia to watch GWS games, have taken over the sponsorship Rights from Spotless- & are paying GWS $2.5m. pa to rename their stadium "Giants Stadium".
(go to post #1162; & post#1174- P.Williams 27.9.19 tweet, for the full Pimco Bonds GWS article in The Australian).A Third Team In Sydney - It's Only a Matter Of Time !!
I don't think you know what "over the very long term" means. GWS should be reviewed after 30 years of existence. If support is strong (20k average) and NSW continues to produce more players, then this sets the 3rd team in motion. If not, more time is obviously required so any plans should be...www.bigfooty.com
About 5.5m. people live in the USA who are immigrants from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka & Bangladeshi- but most are from India.
How A $1 Billion Investment Into American Cricket Will Kick-Start A Professional U.S. T20 League
American cricket is gaining serious momentum after the historic $1 billion investment to develop the sport highlighted by the development of a professional T20 domestic tournament set to start in 2021.www.forbes.com
When asked about the AFL game that GWS has recently stated it wishes to play in the USA, Matthews said
"There will be a meaningful 20-20 competition established across America...with facilities (cricket grounds, with large accomodation for fans etc. -my words)... We have a lot of partners (ie GWS & AFL supporters- my words) in the US, we have a lot of people who are encouraging us to take a game".
(go to 7 mins.2 secs. - 8 mins. 30 secs. of Radio 1017 link above)
