Sydney based supporters

[BayesysLeftBoot]

I've been a swans supporter all my life because I was tricked into it at a very young age by my family who are all old South Melbourne supporters.

I was just wondering why people that are Sydney born and bread would support an AFL team? and how do you think the swans could increase their membership in sydney?

[Ugly Duckling]

have you ever watched rugby league?

[BayesysLeftBoot]

Thats a good point but I just want to know what it is that drew people in? why did they go to their first swans game, why did they start watching the games on TV? that sort of stuff.

[Wil]

Re: Sydney based supporters

Originally posted by BayseysLeftBoot
I was just wondering why people that are Sydney born and bread would support an AFL team? and how do you think the swans could increase their membership in sydney?

AFL won't get much bigger in Sydney until it improves on a Grassroots level. Until we start seeing Aussie Rules posts at every school it wont improve much. At any rate it is too late as Soccer will probably overtake it in the long/medium term now. The AFL are not interested in making Aussie Rules a truly national game. They got very very lucky thanks to Superleague.

[Mike_B]

Take a look at this thread. While it does include supporters from all over, you might get some of the answers you're looking for.

[BayesysLeftBoot]

Wow, thats a big thread. The soccer issue is actually what I'm concerned about in a way. I love soccer (liverpool fc) but nowhere near us much as I love the swans. The problem is however that soccer australia seem to be making a big move on the sydney market and the AFL seems to think that aussie rules will just take off by itself.

[Dave]

Originally posted by BayseysLeftBoot
The problem is however that soccer australia seem to be making a big move on the sydney market and the AFL seems to think that aussie rules will just take off by itself.

Fortunately for the AFL, soccer isn't doing itself any favours by getting old has-been pommies as their gun recruits. That alone makes it a second rate comptetion IMO.
The main problem soccer will have to overcome is the ludicrous amounts of money that young players can get overseas if they are any good. We will always be left with the dregs in a domestic competition.
There also seems to be a trend with a lot of young kids playing soccer but progressing to the more physical codes when they get older. Nothing like a bit of biffo! (maybe that's why there are so many riots with soccer - not enough action on the field)
One of the reasons that so many kids play soccer as well, IMO, is that it is very easy for them to play - any kid can kick a round ball along the ground. It takes a lot more skill to drop punt an oval ball, let alone mark and handball.

FWIW the AFL is taking the grass roots development in Sydney quite seriously and is in the process of making changes that it hopes will increase numbers playing junior footy as the numbers are way short of what they had hoped at this point in time.

[Vivien]

Re: Sydney based supporters

Originally posted by BayseysLeftBoot
and how do you think the swans could increase their membership in sydney?

Win a premiership

[Thunder Shaker]

Re: Re: Sydney based supporters

Originally posted by Vivien
Win a premiership

True, very true.

[robbieando]

But then wouldn't the membership cap come into play because of the size of the SCG???? So if we won a premiership say this year (touch wood) and membership sales in Sydney went though the roof wouldn't that mean we would be limited in what we could sell membership wise to Sydney-siders????

At the moment the club is hovering just around 25,000 members of which, about 6000 are non Sydney members (ie Melbourne members), so going by the cap that was in place before wouldn't we have room to grow our membership in Sydney by about 6,000 at the very least???

[JF_Bay22_SCG]

Originally posted by robbieando

At the moment the club is hovering just around 25,000 members of which, about 6000 are non Sydney members (ie Melbourne members), so going by the cap that was in place before wouldn't we have room to grow our membership in Sydney by about 6,000 at the very least???

If we won a flag the AFL would be shipping shop out to Homebush faster than you could say "Cash bonanza!"

Forget the free rent at the SCG, forget the Basil Sellars Centre. The club would be playing every match out at Homebush by that stage. I'd guarantee it!

JF

[footyhead]

Originally posted by JF_Bay22_SCG
If we won a flag the AFL would be shipping shop out to Homebush faster than you could say "Cash bonanza!"

Forget the free rent at the SCG, forget the Basil Sellars Centre. The club would be playing every match out at Homebush by that stage. I'd guarantee it!

JF

If that's true, it would be a very big mistake.

The heart and soul of the Swans is now the east of Sydney and if those supporters are not catered to disaster could happen, even after a premiership win.

The west of Sydney can only be converted by a different team to the Swans IMHO.

[adnar]

Originally posted by JF_Bay22_SCG
If we won a flag the AFL would be shipping shop out to Homebush faster than you could say "Cash bonanza!"

Forget the free rent at the SCG, forget the Basil Sellars Centre. The club would be playing every match out at Homebush by that stage. I'd guarantee it!

JF

Y'know apart from the 20 year+ contract at the SCG..

[cruiser]

Originally posted by footyhead
If that's true, it would be a very big mistake.

The heart and soul of the Swans is now the east of Sydney and if those supporters are not catered to disaster could happen, even after a premiership win.

The west of Sydney can only be converted by a different team to the Swans IMHO.

Sorry footyhead but I think you are wrong. Since moving to the Central Coast to live two years ago (from the inner East) I have been amazed by the number of Swans supporters on the train into Sydney on match day. A huge number also get on and off at Hornsby. When I drive I also see many others driving in by car.

[robbieando]

Originally posted by adnar
Y'know apart from the 20 year+ contract at the SCG..

Y'know apart from the part of the said contract that allows the AFL and the Swans to move games out to Homebush over and beyond the 3 games and finals we play there now.

So basically while I doubt we'll ever play all 11 homes matches out there, there is room in our contract with the SCG Trust to move an extra game or two out West on top of the 3 games and home finals that we play there now if the need arises. That need "could" come, if we ever win a premiership because the rush to see us play LIVE could mean the SCG could be too small for our needs.

At the moment 3 games and home finals is more than enough to be played at Telstra, but on the back of a Swans premiership you never know what the extra needs for the club could be.