Swans in Sydney v Storm in Melbourne.

[mikey127]

Just wondering which club has the bigger impact on there city.

Correct me if I'm wrong but I feel in Sydney there are Swans fans abd then there are rugby league fans and few who strongly follow both.

In Melbourne I feel that there are a lot more people who are AFL fans but follow the Storm. When there is a double header between footy at the G and Storm at AAMI Park there are always plenty of people doing the double.

 

[PhatBoy]

Just wondering which club has the bigger impact on there city.

Correct me if I'm wrong but I feel in Sydney there are Swans fans abd then there are rugby league fans and few who strongly follow both.

In Melbourne I feel that there are a lot more people who are AFL fans but follow the Storm. When there is a double header between footy at the G and Storm at AAMI Park there are always plenty of people doing the double.

Can’t speak for Melbourne but tonnes of my league fan mates hopped on the swans wagon circa 2005 and are still on it

 

[mikey127]

Can’t speak for Melbourne but tonnes of my league fan mates hopped on the swans wagon circa 2005 and are still on it

Are they genuine Swans fans or passing interest?

 

[PrinceCharles]

Didn't realise the Storm were still a thing.

 

[mikey127]

Didn't realise the Storm were still a thing.

Just one of the most successful organisations in Australian sport

 

[Zevon]

Correct me if I'm wrong but I feel in Sydney there are Swans fans abd then there are rugby league fans and few who strongly follow both.

Not in my experience. Everybody has their primary sport that they tend to follow above others, but a lot of NRL supporters here follow the Swans. There are definitely still a few of the old guard who can’t stand aussie rules but I would have said they’re the exception these days, not the rule.

I also suspect that if you asked the average NRL fan if they’ve been to a Swans game in the last year or two or even watched an AFL game on tv you would probably find a lot more saying yes than you would find AFL supporters in Melbourne saying the same thing about the Storm (will concede this is hugely anecdotal and just my opinion so take it with a grain of salt).

One final point is that when the Swans are up and about most of Sydney seems to know, and huge numbers jump on the bandwagon. Sure they don’t all tend to hang around once the fun is over, but I still don’t get the sense that the Storm attracted that same groundswell of support even in their most successful years.

 

[PrinceCharles]

Just one of the most successful organisations in Australian sport

I'm sure there's some ten pin bowling teams that are up there.

 

[mikey127]

Not in my experience. Everybody has their primary sport that they tend to follow above others, but a lot of NRL supporters here follow the Swans. There are definitely still a few of the old guard who can’t stand aussie rules but I would have said they’re the exception these days, not the rule.

I also suspect that if you asked the average NRL fan if they’ve been to a Swans game in the last year or two or even watched an AFL game on tv you would probably find a lot more saying yes than you would find AFL supporters in Melbourne saying the same thing about the Storm (will concede this is hugely anecdotal and just my opinion so take it with a grain of salt).

One final point is that when the Swans are up and about most of Sydney seems to know, and huge numbers jump on the bandwagon. Sure they don’t all tend to hang around once the fun is over, but I still don’t get the sense that the Storm attracted that same groundswell of support even in their most successful years.

Fair enough. I know membership is tiny in NRL compared to AFL but Storm broke thr all time NRL membership revird last year.

If I asked 100 people in George St to name a current Swans player other than Buddy I wonder how many would be able to

 

[Zevon]

Fair enough. I know membership is tiny in NRL compared to AFL but Storm broke thr all time NRL membership revird last year.

If I asked 100 people in George St to name a current Swans player other than Buddy I wonder how many would be able to

Sure but I feel you’d get a similar response in Melbourne. Most would probably say Cameron Smith and he retired 2 years ago

 

[PhatBoy]

Are they genuine Swans fans or passing interest?

Most of them will go to a game or two per season, a handful will you would say are genuinely dedicated

 

[mikey127]

Most of them will go to a game or two per season, a handful will you would say are genuinely dedicated

I reckon that's similar down here. A lot of people go to Storm games when there AFL team play interstate but a lot def do the double header between Storm and the G

 

[juss]

my Thoughts would be Swans in Sydney are more supported and invested than Storm in Melbourne.

 

[mikey127]

my Thoughts would be Swans in Sydney are more supported and invested than Storm in Melbourne.

Why?

 

[RUNVS]

Think it comes down to how many AFL players have been drafted from Sydney and how many NRL players are from Melbourne.

 

[juss]

Why?

Crowd size, membership, media coverage, fact that I'm a sports nut in Melbourne and my whole life it's incredibly rare to fund someone who I can genuinely talk to in Melbourne with genuine Storm and NRL knowledge.

I could be wrong, it's just my experience/perception.

 

[Underarm]

Fair enough. I know membership is tiny in NRL compared to AFL but Storm broke thr all time NRL membership revird last year.

If I asked 100 people in George St to name a current Swans player other than Buddy I wonder how many would be able to

That's more to do with Victorians being more used to having memberships, as they have been vital for finals tickets the last 15 years.

Swans are definitely bigger than the Storm.

 

[mikey127]

Think it comes down to how many AFL players have been drafted from Sydney and how many NRL players are from Melbourne.

Not sure about that because that is to do with how much effort the AFL puts in to Sydney v the NRL in Melbourne and I wouldn't argue that for a second. I would argue that the Storm are more loved by the wider public in Melbourne than the Swabs are by the wider public in Sydney.

I should add this is not a put down on the Swans. Both clubs do a great job in 'enemy territory'

 

[WillHayward]

This is a really decent question I think.

It's hard to measure and not clear cut.

I feel like a rugby league person would think the storm are bigger than they really are and Aussie rules fan think the swans are bigger than they really are .

Swans are probably more woman friendly maybe?

Maybe that gives the swans the edge overall?

 

[mikey127]

I really feel like this suns it up

Sydney; your either a Swans fan or a rugby league fan and there isn't a lot of crossover

Melbourne: Most follow their AFL team and the Storm

 

[Danw0w]

Sure but I feel you’d get a similar response in Melbourne. Most would probably say Cameron Smith and he retired 2 years ago

He did?

 

[qman]

I really feel like this suns it up

Sydney; your either a Swans fan or a rugby league fan and there isn't a lot of crossover

Melbourne: Most follow their AFL team and the Storm

Melburnians love their sport in general, so much more than sydney siders. Melbourne is culturally 'a sports mad' city but the Swans had around a decades head start over the Storm. AFL seem to have pushed the Swans harder in Sydney than the NRL did with the Storm. I honestly don't know but you'd think the more people interested in sport in general in Melbourne would give the Storm the edge?

 

[Zevon]

This is a really decent question I think.

It's hard to measure and not clear cut.

I feel like a rugby league person would think the storm are bigger than they really are and Aussie rules fan think the swans are bigger than they really are .

Swans are probably more woman friendly maybe?

Maybe that gives the swans the edge overall?

I think also that the Swans are a bit of a regular social event for some Sydney folk who aren’t even all that into AFL, almost like a day at the races although obviously not to quite the same extent. So that can boost their numbers whereas the Storm don’t really get anything other than actual sport fans to their games.

 

[WillHayward]

I think also that the Swans are a bit of a regular social event for some Sydney folk who aren’t even all that into AFL, almost like a day at the races although obviously not to quite the same extent. So that can boost their numbers whereas the Storm don’t really get anything other than actual sport fans to their games.

Yeah agree. That is probably because of the venue and even the colours.

A female Sydney sider can head out in the red and white and head to the SCG for a few proseccos.

Dunno if that really is the same at Aami Park... Which is basically just a sports ground only and lacks that social night out.

 

[RUNVS]

Melburnians love their sport in general, so much more than sydney siders. Melbourne is culturally 'a sports mad' city but the Swans had around a decades head start over the Storm. AFL seem to have pushed the Swans harder in Sydney than the NRL did with the Storm. I honestly don't know but you'd think the more people interested in sport in general in Melbourne would give the Storm the edge?

Melbourne have had a lot more success than the Swans though. There has barely been a season where they haven't been either favourites or near favourites for the premiership.

 

[Zevon]

Melburnians love their sport in general, so much more than sydney siders. Melbourne is culturally 'a sports mad' city but the Swans had around a decades head start over the Storm. AFL seem to have pushed the Swans harder in Sydney than the NRL did with the Storm. I honestly don't know but you'd think the more people interested in sport in general in Melbourne would give the Storm the edge?

That certainly helps the Storm, but I think it’s offset by the party time element that the Swans bring to non-AFL or even non-sporting fans in Sydney which is significant - especially for night games. A lot of people here will roll up for a Swans game before a night out to get the party started.