Giants fans will outnumber Swans fans

[Mountain Giant]

I really think that this home ground situation is going to largely miss the western population hubs of the metropolitan area and just pick up fans in the eastern areas of western sydney and the Swans inner west who generally dislike travelling all the way into moore park for swans games.

I think the biggest flaw in GWS is where their homeground is. Homebush is barely "Greater Western Sydney" anymore.

They would have been better investing in the Blacktown precinct. Make that a new mini-Olympic Park. It has rail already, it is just off the junction of two of the biggest motorways in Sydney. And this area of Sydney is desperate for regeneration. When you consider the World Cup bid had a 40,000+ seat stadium there, putting a Metricon-style 25,000 seat stadium there would have been brilliant. Then eventually put in a 15,000 seat AAMI park-style stadium for a West Sydney A-League team to play out of and turn that area into the West Sydney sporting precinct.

What is the story with Blacktown? Apparently the Giants can't even use it for training, and are having to move around from place to place each week to train. I read somewhere this is a huge problem for them and could result in them losing players. Has the AFL been dudded on Blacktown? - I think they put in millions of their own money to develop it and there isn't even a spare oval there they can use for training. Surely if they want to connect with the locals they have to have a fixed training base in the local area

Can't be used for training in summer as it shared with Cricket NSW. Apparently the summer training area got stuck in Council bureaucracy. And is also one of the main reasons the last GWS CEO got let go. It is an issue but if anything having them train all over Sydney is better for connecting to locals, not worse. And anyway, connecting with locals in Blacktown then playing in Homebush is kind of silly.

Oh and Blacktown council area is pretty huge.

 

[The AXXXMAN]

I think the biggest flaw in GWS is where their homeground is. Homebush is barely "Greater Western Sydney" anymore.

They would have been better investing in the Blacktown precinct. Make that a new mini-Olympic Park. It has rail already, it is just off the junction of two of the biggest motorways in Sydney. And this area of Sydney is desperate for regeneration. When you consider the World Cup bid had a 40,000+ seat stadium there, putting a Metricon-style 25,000 seat stadium there would have been brilliant.

it wouldve taken a bit of AFL investment and coercing of the State government, but the long-term benefits to the Giants, as well as Western Sydney wouldve been invaluable. afterall, the Giants are a long-term venture for the AFL, and wouldve made it a truly western sydney team, not a hybrid cannibalising existing support.

ps - olympic park is technically not homebush, but it is very close. if it were homebush, it wouldnt even be within western sydney at all......just sayin'.

 

[zachary]

I don't think having home games at Olympic Park instead of Blacktown is much of an issue after all it is westish. Hawthorn's home ground was Waverley for a while and we are now very happy for it to be our training base. St Kilda played at Moorabbin for years and are now at Frankston. Collingwood no longer play or train in Collingwood.
I don't know Sydney, but I presume it is easier for people from the western suburbs to make it to Skoda Stadium than the SCG.

 

[Cudi_420]

As the article states - http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sp...gainst-the-swans/story-e6frexwr-1226298657626

You'd hope there is ffs. It's a city with 5 million people!

 

[SM]

Surely GWS fans will be going on their membership...?

I'm just rocking up and buying tickets on the day.

 

[The AXXXMAN]

I don't think having home games at Olympic Park instead of Blacktown is much of an issue after all it is westish. Hawthorn's home ground was Waverley for a while and we are now very happy for it to be our training base. St Kilda played at Moorabbin for years and are now at Frankston. Collingwood no longer play or train in Collingwood.
I don't know Sydney, but I presume it is easier for people from the western suburbs to make it to Skoda Stadium than the SCG.

No ones proposing the Giants play at the SCG. On the contrary, apart from the Derby Olympic Park is the perfect location for it, they should play other games further west than they will be.

 

[toeknee2]

Listening to all you footy fans from Sydney I get the feeling the AFL is ballsing this up.
They did the same thing many years ago in Melbourne when they built a stadium in Waverly. It took a minimum of 1hr to get to from Flinders st station (train and bus). My own team (Carlton) from the other side of the city would pull about 25% less fans than they would to the MCG.

 

[baja]

GWS supporters are either brand new to football, or traitors.. either way football cred equals zero.
The AFL will create favorable figures its all spin.

 

[Mountain Giant]

I don't think having home games at Olympic Park instead of Blacktown is much of an issue after all it is westish. Hawthorn's home ground was Waverley for a while and we are now very happy for it to be our training base. St Kilda played at Moorabbin for years and are now at Frankston. Collingwood no longer play or train in Collingwood.
I don't know Sydney, but I presume it is easier for people from the western suburbs to make it to Skoda Stadium than the SCG.

What you describe is what I think is the biggest problem with AFL in general. A lot of the flavour has been lost. If I was a fan in Melbourne I don't know how I would feel about all that. That's why I am so glad to finally have my own real Sydney team rather than a reject Melbourne team.

What I say about West Sydney etc is really just my nitpicking opinion. I really think Skoda is going to be brilliant and Sydney Olympic Park is so much better than it used to be from only a few years ago. Blacktown could never compete but would be an interesting risk.

 

[cos789]

They did the same thing many years ago in Melbourne when they built a stadium in Waverly.

Waverley was built on the promise of the government building a railway which they eneged upon.
The AFL would never had never gone to Waverley if not for the expensive MCG rents. The same thing happenned at Westlakes and SACA. Cricket is the outer in WA because it also doesn't want to co-operate with football and the government.

 

[Professor Knowall]

Just getting directly back to the thread topic - Giants fans will outnumber Swans fans - I know it was made only in reference to the Rd 1 match, but what might be -field success (e.g finish top 4), is it possible that GWS could have more barrackers/members in Sydney than the Swans? Or is that simply unrealistic?

 

[cos789]

Just getting directly back to the thread topic - Giants fans will outnumber Swans fans - I know it was made only in reference to the Rd 1 match, but what might be -field success (e.g finish top 4), is it possible that GWS could have more barrackers/members in Sydney than the Swans? Or is that simply unrealistic?

If GWS were say a top four chance that would be a sensation (literally) and the hype could possibly generate a lot of bandwagonners but members take a long time to cultivate.

 

[cuttlefish]

I really wish I could go to this game, as a neutral. I've lived in Sydney for 30+ years, and I've literally dreamt of a Sydney "derby". Finally it's here, and I'll be in Melbourne !
Ah well, I'll just have to try to get to the Hawks v Pies game at the "G".

I'm a Hawks man, but I'll back the GWS to make a game of it.

Get ready, Sydney !!!!!

.....an historic night....

 

[Ichabod Noodle]

GWS supporters are either brand new to football, or traitors.. either way football cred equals zero.
The AFL will create favorable figures its all spin.

Wake up to yourself w***er. You know nothing.

 

[Dangas]

Why wouldn't you play at ANZ that holds 80k, GWS (who have 7k members currently ) home ground is right next door I will enturing up from Melbourne to see the Syderby

 

[Grongey]

Bring it on, can't wait. 8 more sleeps. My tip, Giants to make a game of it in the first half, Swans to win by 7 goals.

Crowd - near even I'd suggest.

 

[.Shotties.]

ps - olympic park is technically not homebush, but it is very close. if it were homebush, it wouldnt even be within western sydney at all......just sayin'.

You can talk about LGAs all you want, anything West of Laziko's International Cafe is is western Sydney.

 

[The AXXXMAN]

You can talk about LGAs all you want, anything West of Laziko's International Cafe is is western Sydney.

Nice one, but no.

Western Sydney begins across Homebush bay from Inner West Rhodes (Canada Bay LGA) at Wentworth Point (Auburn LGA), across Powells Creek from Inner West Concord West (canada bay) at Bicentennial Park (Auburn), across Homebush Bay Drive from Inner West North Strathfield (Canada Bay) at Sydney Olympic Park (Auburn), and across the Sydney Olympic Park rail line from Inner West Flemington (Strathfield) at Lidcombe (Auburn).

I'm referencing the LGA co-operation recognised at a Federal, State and Local Government level, which the AFL have also referenced as shown by their PR focus on the 14 LGA's of Greater Western Sydney, inclusive and all West of Auburn which is the LGA Sydney Olympic Park is loacted.

The AFL boast that Giants home ground is in Western Sydney, which is technically true. But it is closer to those Inner West areas above and many others to its east than Blacktown, Penrith, Campbelltown, etc. Let's hope this doesn't affect the Swans. For the long-term, they shouldve really pushed for a stadium in the heart of western sydney.

PS: you end up joining the Dockers? Uni blues and reds are training down at Petersham Oval until end of cricket. Close to home, I might head down for a kick.

 

[lock33]

Wake up to yourself w***er. You know nothing.

But he is right.

 

[Cadsky]

Currently Swans Membership Tally sits at 23,355 Giants at 7,264. had this been a Swans home game i dare say the crowd would be much larger and 70% swans supporters purely because 90% or more of the swans members would show up if not more. Swans members would not be used to having to pay to attend matches in NSW and therefore many wont attend.

 

[Bollox]

You can talk about LGAs all you want, anything West of Laziko's International Cafe is is western Sydney.

The formal westie cutoff was always the pacific/princes hwy nth/sth.
I still see no reason to venture west of Hadrians Wall. I lost a sister recently over the wall, i'll miss her.

 

[Andrew Mc]

Currently Swans Membership Tally sits at 23,355 Giants at 7,264. had this been a Swans home game i dare say the crowd would be much larger and 70% swans supporters purely because 90% or more of the swans members would show up if not more. Swans members would not be used to having to pay to attend matches in NSW and therefore many wont attend.

Just curious if they offered the GWS home games as an option to Swans members? In the past there were 12/13 game options that included the Doggies and Kangaroos home games (or was it just the Doggies - can't remember now). Perhaps something they'll do in the future...

 

[dlanod]

the only ads I've seen on the 4 promoting this match have been near the Olympic Park precinct. I wouldve thought that if the Giants really want to target Western Sydney residents, they'd have a couple further out west on the motorway.

Bit disapponting if true. I've seen a couple of those banners and I really like the look of them (you can see why they tossed the money at Folau - anyone else up there would've looked stupid because everyone'd just be going "who"). However yeah, one by Olympic Park and one by Parramatta Road near Concord Oval (ish) is all I've seen. They should be everywhere.

 

[.Shotties.]

I'm referencing the LGA co-operation recognised at a Federal, State and Local Government level

I'm referencing what the year 10s told me when I started in high school.

PS: you end up joining the Dockers? Uni blues and reds are training down at Petersham Oval until end of cricket. Close to home, I might head down for a kick.

No, they wasted money on WAFL recruits rather than a hometown hero. Come on down. There's about 80 blokes looking for spots in three teams so it's nothing if not robust.

 

[cos789]

:AFL boast that Giants home ground is in Western Sydney, which is technically true.

"techically true" would make it very true, not false or completely and absolutely true.