Question for fair dinkum Swans and Lions

[InformedOpinion]

Last I went to a game in Sydney there were just 19,000 of us (5000 of which wore blue and white) for a final. A fair way to go until the current Sydney team is viable, much less a new one I would've thought.

On the other side of the country in Perth you can't actually go to a game of footy without having to buy a season ticket in November.

The rationale of the AFL in selecting where their new teams are going to be seems to be entirely based on fantasy rather than fact.

5000 hahahahahahahahahahahaha

YOUR SO-CALLED NUMBER ONE SUPPORTER WHO WAS IN SYDNEY AT THE TIME - PONTING - COULDN'T EVEN BE BOTHERED TO GO AND SEE HIS OWN TEAM!!!!!!!!!!

Why selectively use an abboration created by a perfect storm against the logical next step for Australian football?

Pissing down all week, cold, poor drawing and low-profile opposition, high ticket prices, game played out of Swans' hearland...

We desperately need another team in Sydney to grow our game and provide a product that is relevant to Western Sydney. My team, the Swans, are the 'silvertails' from the east/lower north shore. We need a product (team) that is relavant to the West to grow our game and ensure we are still relevant in 20-50 years.

 

[Skystyler]

I think its still too soon for a 2nd team in Sydney. I think its doomed to failure.

 

[DanA]

Happy to have the Coasters down the road, but I feel that in their efforts to avoid a Bears scenario, the AFL have gone too far in the other direction and have gone over the top in the draft concessions available.

A team earns soul by struggling, not being granted a flag in their infancy.

It will take 20 years IMO for them to become an establishment in the community. They won't win a flag straight up either. There is no way they will match Hawthron unless they get really lucky in the draft.

 

[Dont be a lemon]

On the other side of the country in Perth you can't actually go to a game of footy without having to buy a season ticket in November.

That may well be the case for West Coast but it's certainly not for Fremantle. I bought a ticket for Fremantle v Essendon last year the day before the game.

 

[nineteen eighty]

I'm for it. I love the idea of a cross-town rival, and the publicity of a new team from Sydney entering the AFL could only be good for the code's exposure. It's not really a matter of whether there is enough support for it, because the entire idea is to GENERATE support with the team to begin with. Will it succeed? I would say so, eventually. Unless it is an absolute disaster, I can't see AD admitting defeat, and he'll keep pumping money into the WS side until it finds its feet.

Hopefully, the introduction of the WS team coincides with the end of the global economic crisis and the streets of Sydney are flowing with cash (comparatively) that can be spent on supporting that new GAYFL team everybody is talking about.

Spot on! This has nothing to do with whether there is support for the team today...this is a long term initiative. I think I read somewhere that the AFL has only around 20% support in the largest state in AU and 3rd largest respectively. Very low figures with what they should be but decent figures compared with what they were 10 years ago. In another 10 years will have increased again.

 

[Sedition]

There needs to be a game played in Sydney every weekend (or near enough to it). With one team there are times when there is a game every three weeks. If ALF is be be taken seriously and is to be an 'in your face' part of the Sydney sports scene a second team is a must. Sydney and Western Sydney are almost parallel universes - a west syd team will thrive eventually.

I'll support the Swans but will attend West Sydney games as well.

 

[legend166]

I'm sick of talking about that final last year, by the way. Luckily the crowd on Saturday night against Hawthorn will be bad too, so we can start talking about that.


: (

 

[db swannie]

I am for it 100%. I will still go to Swans games, but can't wait to see the culture grow out west, where I'm confident it will succeed. I have a lot of family living out there (and grew up about 1km from where the home ground will be) and look forward to heading out there to see some more AFL. The Swans will always be MY team, but I'm hoping with a second team we will get better TV coverage (which is still pretty poor, especially Fri night games!).

 

[Hoops]

I think its still too soon for a 2nd team in Sydney. I think its doomed to failure.

Might be doomed to failure but I can't see how it could be too soon. How will waiting help? If you are waiting to convert them than they will jump on the swans bandwagon, making it harder for the WS side.

Having a new side will create interest that millions spent on development officers can't buy, plus the cost of running an AFL side is only going to go up so there's no point starting even further behind the field.

 

[grayham]

I'm sick of talking about that final last year, by the way. Luckily the crowd on Saturday night against Hawthorn will be bad too, so we can start talking about that.


: (

They are predicting 35,000 in the papers today. Not unreasonable when you have 24,000 swans members, plus 7000 4-game-passes, + stadium members before you even get to the general public.

 

[FootyJunkie]

I always though a North Sydney side would be a better option.

Playing at picturesque North Sydney Oval with the ball always getting stuck in the tree

 

[handy point]

Playing at picturesque North Sydney Oval with the ball always getting stuck in the tree

lol... I'd love them to bring back the preseason game there though.

 

[cos789]

Might be doomed to failure but I can't see how it could be too soon. How will waiting help? If you are waiting to convert them than they will jump on the swans bandwagon, making it harder for the WS side.

Having a new side will create interest that millions spent on development officers can't buy, plus the cost of running an AFL side is only going to go up so there's no point starting even further behind the field.

My sentiments exactly as well as an AFL game every week and the potential for cross town rivalry .

.

 

[cos789]

I always though a North Sydney side would be a better option.

I think this is a terrific suggestion .

The Sydney Swans should merge with North Shore Bears .
Think of all the benefits .
We lose the insipid Swans and gain the strong Bears monika .
The team represents it's geographical area .
The team gets promoted as a native Sydney side coming from a foundation member of the NSWFL 1903 .
We get trial games at North Sydney oval .
We pick up thousands of disaffected rl Bears fans .

 

[tempting]

I will comment but i would need to research the issue before i answered emphatically.

I am not keen on a second team in sydney because i worry it will pilpher some of our supporter base.

 

[Hollow Knight]

I think this is a terrific suggestion .

The Sydney Swans should merge with North Shore Bears .
Think of all the benefits .
We lose the insipid Swans and gain the strong Bears monika .
The team represents it's geographical area .
The team gets promoted as a native Sydney side coming from a foundation member of the NSWFL 1903 .
We get trial games at North Sydney oval .
We pick up thousands of disaffected rl Bears fans .

Speaking as a member of the Brisbane Bears Fitzroy Football Club...







No.

 

[tempting]

I think this is a terrific suggestion .

The Sydney Swans should merge with North Shore Bears .
Think of all the benefits .
We lose the insipid Swans and gain the strong Bears monika .
The team represents it's geographical area .
The team gets promoted as a native Sydney side coming from a foundation member of the NSWFL 1903 .
We get trial games at North Sydney oval .
We pick up thousands of disaffected rl Bears fans .

Terrible terrible terrible idea.

 

[swansational05]

I think this is a terrific suggestion .

The Sydney Swans should merge with North Shore Bears .
Think of all the benefits .
We lose the insipid Swans and gain the strong Bears monika .
The team represents it's geographical area .
The team gets promoted as a native Sydney side coming from a foundation member of the NSWFL 1903 .
We get trial games at North Sydney oval .
We pick up thousands of disaffected rl Bears fans .

....and what, lose thousands of Sydney fans?
Where is the gain in that?

...It'll never work.

 

[swansational05]

They are predicting 35,000 in the papers today. Not unreasonable when you have 24,000 swans members, plus 7000 4-game-passes, + stadium members before you even get to the general public.

Yeh, can't wait to go tomorrow, with 35 000 people its going to be awesome.

 

[Refried Noodle]

I'm cautious of a Western Sydney team. But at the same time optimistic about the possible positives that would come out of it. The AFL, when, if they grant the 18th licence and the WS team enters the competition the AFL will keep them afloat financially no matter what as they will get more money back (in the form of TV rights revenue) than they put in. It is in business terms a very sound investment.
But this is more than a business, WS needs to be succesful for themselves, footy in Sydney and the overall growth for footy. I see great benefits in decades to come with greater numbers of NSW born players playing in the AFL as a result of being exposed to the game as kids now. Not only exposed to the Swans, but another Sydney team.

I feel that the best thing for any WS team is to culturally be the opposite of the Swans. Adopt a vicious moniker, blue guernsey, appeal to working class and blue collar class of western Sydney. The creation of hate between the Swans and WS to me is a very important factor in future success of footy in Sydney and the WS team. In Perth and Adelaide the derby and showdown create huge hype and a massive level of interest. Imagine something like that in Sydney in front of large crowds at Stadium Australia twice a year. It may take years and years to eventuate, but it would give another incentive for Sydneysiders to get on board a club if there were such marquee matches in ther similar vein to that of Rugby League State of Origin.

I'd love to have an arch rival to hate (there nothing I love more than wallopping the Waratahs in the Rugby) as the Swans really do lack one (as do the Lions), but I fear that the sporting culture north of the Murray is very much against the establishment of Melbourne and Victoria and many Swans supporters would quietly support WS as their second team.
I just know that harvesting a hateful relatioship between Sydney and WS is not going to appeal to the kids and the ultra-sensitive, family-conscious AFL won't go for it.

However I do agree that having 22 matches in Sydney and a match every week is a definite positive. In theory it would be double the exposure.

A question to any footy fan in Sydney (if you're still reading) - are there sections of the genereal public that fit into either of these categories:
A - They like sports in general including Aussie Rules, but dislike the Swans and could jump on board a WS team? or
B - Working class people that generally have a Rugby League team, dislike AFL, hate the Swans, but could be swayed by a 'blue collar AFL team'?

 

[cos789]

Speaking as a member of the Brisbane Bears Fitzroy Football Club...
No.

Apart from the fact that you are a Lion now , the bear in Brisbane was a Koala .
The Bear in North Shore AFC is a black bear .
The North Shore AFC have had the bear as a mascot for a very long time .
The North Shore AFC go back to 1903 unlike the Brisbane Bears .
The North Shore AFC are highly successful unlike the Brisbane Bears ..

 

[tempting]

I don't live in Sydney but have a few non afl friends who do.

They're very anti AFL and wouldn't jump on board a Western Sydney team. I understand this is hardly representative of the whole of sydney. I reckon the fan base would come from sydneyites who love afl and currently follow the swans through lack of options. Not good news for the swans.

Not only that but games are expensive especially in this economic climate and sydneyites aren't as fanatical about sport as melbournians - this is not an insult.

Finally, I don't think AFL will remain the no. 1 code in Australia. Soccer will take over and the AFL only have themselves to blame... The constant rule changes and ambiguous umpire decisions confuse fans especially new comers but even worse is the Victorian media. It's putting fans off and and as a result are not taking AFL as seriously as they previously did. The bullshit coverage over ben cousins is a perfect example, it's a blight on the game and turning people away because it's farcicle.

hahah Anyways, i digress, it would surprise me if a Western Sydney team took off. It wouldn't surprise me if it started the downfall of AFL. I know it will always be around but the AFL need to humble themselves a bit and stop thinking they can take over the world.

 

[tempting]

Apart from the fact that you are a Lion now , the bear in Brisbane was a Koala .
The Bear in North Shore AFC is a black bear .
The North Shore AFC have had the bear as a mascot for a very long time .
The North Shore AFC go back to 1903 unlike the Brisbane Bears .
The North Shore AFC are highly successful unlike the Brisbane Bears ..

For it to happen you'd essentially have to cut ties with sth melbourne, which will never happen.

 

[cos789]

I reckon the fan base would come from sydneyites who love afl and currently follow the swans through lack of options.

Well playing out of homebush allows people who follow the Swans or follow AFL to actually support a team by attending Homebush .

I don't think AFL will remain the no. 1 code in Australia. .

At the moment the AFL is overseer to successive record growth unmatched by any other sport . Various other sports are in decline .


.

 

[tempting]

Well playing out of homebush allows people who follow the Swans or follow AFL to actually support a team by attending Homebush .



At the moment the AFL is overseer to successive record growth unmatched by any other sport . Various other sports are in decline .


.

In Australia? and how is the growth measured?