Gws

[Pekay]

[QUOTE=King Roosy;505735]

Why would City have bullied your club off your ground?

Last time I checked City play their matches at Lily Homes Stadium(Gabbie Stadium) in Seven Hills.

Very strange.

We used to play and train at Ashley Brown Oval, which backs onto Gabbie Stadium. I distinctly remember (Keeping in mind, this happens in about 1991, I was 10) turning up to training to find soccer posts up and kick-n-gigglers everywhere, on the ground we'd used for years! My dad and a few others fathers went searching, and thanks to our club patron Leo Kelly, then Mayor of Blacktown, we found Wrights Reserve, home of the Bombers today. That was the end of any fondness for soccer for me.

[Grady1993]

Yep, from out my way, just jump on a free bus full of footy fans on the T-way and you're there in no time. There was some criticism of them playing at Homebush as it isn't in the middle of GWS, but the infrastructure is impossible to ignore.

Well to be honest Blacktown isn't the middle either lol, but some people from the North Shore think that Homebush is Western Sydney.

[Ken Oath]

What I hate is that we're all being treated like idiots.

Oh look there's millions of people in this certain area, let's put a new AFL team in there and they'll all swear loyalty to them. Blakctown is in the middle, there that will do.

They should be called the Sydney max profis, or the Sydney ultimate marketings.
There's no history with these new franchises. So there's no passion or emotion to go with it.
A new club entering the AFL from Sydney should have been a local club backed by the AFL and pumped full of cash. At least the people of in the West would feel like there's a tiny bit of history to associate with.

i cringe when I see people supporting new franchises such as the Titans, Freo etc they look pathetic and have fallen for the millions that have been marketed at them. But their nice shiny colours look pretty.

But I suppose on the bright side, at least we didn't get another reject Melbourne club like N.M.shoved down our throat again.

[Big Al]

I am a league fan as well as being a passionate Swans fan and I think it's crazy to suggest Israel Folau is/was rugby league's best player.

Yes he is a good league player but I honestly believe Greg Inglis and Billy Slater(as much as I hate to admit it being a proud New South Welshman) are league's best players.

Not all league fans despise football, in fact as a supporter of both codes, I am proud to say I support both codes.

The thing that concerns me is there aren't enough AFL players/fans in Sydney to support two teams.

Most people I know from the west who follow AFL a bit support us.

In general most fans in NSW support us really.

The only people who will give a @@@@ about GWS are expats from the southern states who aren't Swans supporters.

Exactly my situation as well (mad Tigers fan) and also how I read things out west. In the 90's it was that Aerial Ping Pong nonsense but since the Swans success a lot of NRL fans at least appreciate the game and hope the Swans do well.

[Doormat]

King pls excuse PK.

FYI he has played AFL, Soccer, cricket, badminton, lacrosse, hockey & been Lake Hawksbury scuba driving champion all at a high level.(in his back yard)

He even played on Roger Moten who was a cyborg can you believe it? He also played on Brad Abbott did you know that?.
Pk carries this chip on his shoulder because Liverpool took some kid named Harry Kewell instead of him (yes he consistently played on Big H as he calls him after a couple of beers).We all do love PK especially his comments about himself so pls dont get your nose out of joint re the ground.

[QUOTE=King Roosy;505735]

Why would City have bullied your club off your ground?

Last time I checked City play their matches at Lily Homes Stadium(Gabbie Stadium) in Seven Hills.

Very strange.

[Pekay]

[QUOTE=Doormat;505753]King pls excuse PK.

FYI he has played AFL, Soccer, cricket, badminton, lacrosse, hockey & been Lake Hawksbury scuba driving champion all at a high level.(in his back yard)

He even played on Roger Moten who was a cyborg can you believe it? He also played on Brad Abbott did you know that?.
Pk carries this chip on his shoulder because Liverpool took some kid named Harry Kewell instead of him (yes he consistently played on Big H as he calls him after a couple of beers).We all do love PK especially his comments about himself so pls dont get your nose out of joint re the ground.

I see that time in hospital did nothing to improve, or decrease, the exponential rate at which your mind works. I suggest Nepean's Paella next time. Those inner suburb crazy houses are all material.

[Adelaide Swan]

[QUOTE=Doormat;505753]King pls excuse PK.

FYI he has played AFL, Soccer, cricket, badminton, lacrosse, hockey & been Lake Hawksbury scuba driving champion all at a high level.(in his back yard)

He even played on Roger Moten who was a cyborg can you believe it? He also played on Brad Abbott did you know that?.
Pk carries this chip on his shoulder because Liverpool took some kid named Harry Kewell instead of him (yes he consistently played on Big H as he calls him after a couple of beers).We all do love PK especially his comments about himself so pls dont get your nose out of joint re the ground.

Nothing out of joint from me, Doormat.

Being the passionate Swans fan that I am I am concerned it is us who stands to lose out with GWS in town more than league will.

The fact was that we were financially screwed up the arse in the 1990's and almost folded and the AFL did nothing to pull us out of that hole.

I am pissed because the AFL did nothing for us yet want to put a rival team in our backyard and fund it all themselves yet did nothing for us.

The fact is it cuts our supporter base in half.

I have been to all of our games at ANZ Stadium for the last few years and if we play there again in the next few seasons we'll be lucky to get half what we already do.

[Doormat]

thanks for understanding PK, King.

Totally agree with you re GWS/AFL.

[QUOTE=King Roosy;505760]

King pls excuse PK.

FYI he has played AFL, Soccer, cricket, badminton, lacrosse, hockey & been Lake Hawksbury scuba driving champion all at a high level.(in his back yard)

He even played on Roger Moten who was a cyborg can you believe it? He also played on Brad Abbott did you know that?.
Pk carries this chip on his shoulder because Liverpool took some kid named Harry Kewell instead of him (yes he consistently played on Big H as he calls him after a couple of beers).We all do love PK especially his comments about himself so pls dont get your nose out of joint re the ground.



Nothing out of joint from me, Doormat.

Being the passionate Swans fan that I am I am concerned it is us who stands to lose out with GWS in town more than league will.

The fact was that we were financially screwed up the arse in the 1990's and almost folded and the AFL did nothing to pull us out of that hole.

I am pissed because the AFL did nothing for us yet want to put a rival team in our backyard and fund it all themselves yet did nothing for us.

The fact is it cuts our supporter base in half.

I have been to all of our games at ANZ Stadium for the last few years and if we play there again in the next few seasons we'll be lucky to get half what we already do.

[AnnieH]

You guys know I'm die hard one-eyed swans.
I can't stand the blacktown bogans and what I'm afraid they're going to do to us "financial" wise.

We've just got to make sure our footy remains in the class that it is. It helps greatly that we didn't bottom out like the west-cokers - we really can't afford to bottom out. Fickle people will kill us.

[Adelaide Swan]

You guys know I'm die hard one-eyed swans.
I can't stand the blacktown bogans and what I'm afraid they're going to do to us "financial" wise.

We've just got to make sure our footy remains in the class that it is. It helps greatly that we didn't bottom out like the west-cokers - we really can't afford to bottom out. Fickle people will kill us.

I agree with you 100% Annie.

Very well said.

[Doormat]

Annie - agree with all your comments.

I wouldn't be calling PK fickle? Bogan yes, but not fickle. GWS must see something in him as he was going to set up the bogans membership base out west. Thank god he was on to them & declined.

You guys know I'm die hard one-eyed swans.
I can't stand the blacktown bogans and what I'm afraid they're going to do to us "financial" wise.

We've just got to make sure our footy remains in the class that it is. It helps greatly that we didn't bottom out like the west-cokers - we really can't afford to bottom out. Fickle people will kill us.

[beameup]

I look at it slightly differently and probably with a slightly less jaundiced eye. The AFL have given the Swans a great deal of assistance over the years and at some time you have to get off the teat. The Swans will lose some match attendees who will switch to GWS just from convenience. They are not Swans supporters.

Gws will pick those people up and convert more therefore the interest base in Sydney will grow. Within 5 years the recognition factor will be 50% higher with both teams drawing reasonable crowds from the different parts of Sydney. For example my attendance will probably go from 1-2 games to 3-4 games simply due to Homebush proximity.

What is not recognised is that there are a lot of Swans supporters and game watchers who are not really AFL fans, they just follow one team and a good night out. Having two teams in Sydney will build rivalry forcing people to actually select and support a team. This is when attendance and memberships will climb. At the moment it is just Sydney v Melbourne thing.

Comparisons to Basketball are not valid. It is an American game and I went to dozens of games at the Ent Cent but it died right across Australia. What has to happen is that GWS have to get the communication right. That was lacking this year in a big way and turned a few people off before they even started in the big time. They have a big chunk of sponsors which will get bigger as the benefits of national exposure come to western sydney.

One city, two teams, great rivalry and I will be at first clash no matter what.

[Rowdy#8]

Comparisons to Basketball are not valid.

Agreed. And also what people who keep drawing comparisons to Basketball overlook is the fact that an extra game per week is worths millions to the AFL in TV rights, whereas the total annual TV revenue for the NBL would have barely been enough to pay for Steve Carfino's teeth whitener

[Adelaide Swan]

I look at it slightly differently and probably with a slightly less jaundiced eye. The AFL have given the Swans a great deal of assistance over the years and at some time you have to get off the teat. The Swans will lose some match attendees who will switch to GWS just from convenience. They are not Swans supporters.

Gws will pick those people up and convert more therefore the interest base in Sydney will grow. Within 5 years the recognition factor will be 50% higher with both teams drawing reasonable crowds from the different parts of Sydney. For example my attendance will probably go from 1-2 games to 3-4 games simply due to Homebush proximity.

What is not recognised is that there are a lot of Swans supporters and game watchers who are not really AFL fans, they just follow one team and a good night out. Having two teams in Sydney will build rivalry forcing people to actually select and support a team. This is when attendance and memberships will climb. At the moment it is just Sydney v Melbourne thing.

Comparisons to Basketball are not valid. It is an American game and I went to dozens of games at the Ent Cent but it died right across Australia. What has to happen is that GWS have to get the communication right. That was lacking this year in a big way and turned a few people off before they even started in the big time. They have a big chunk of sponsors which will get bigger as the benefits of national exposure come to western sydney.

One city, two teams, great rivalry and I will be at first clash no matter what.

The thing you fail to realise is football is very much a minority sport in Sydney.

Western Sydney is the absolute heartland of Rugby League.

Even though we are the only AFL team in Sydney our ratings on TV are woeful.

We have been outrated by reruns of Japanese cooking show, The Iron Chef on a few occasions now.

If you look at Sydney newspapers and watch the news, sports bulletins always start off with league news.

If you seriously believe that interest will grow in GWS, you are seriously as deluded as Demetriou is.

League is king in Western Sydney and it rates the house down on TV.

Coupled with the fact that there will be a second Sydney A-League soccer franchise coming in next season as well.

The fact that Kevin Sheedy has totally made a goose of himself in the papers doesn't help their cause.

A lot of league fans view the AFL as an arrogant organisation intent on burying their game into the ground.

Don't forget soccer fans already have the @@@@s with Demetriou and his cronies with his grandstanding over Australia's FIFA World Cup bid.

[unconfuseme]

Now this is very old news, but I'm sure none of you are aware of this:

As you all know, Israel Folau signed with GWS a few months back. This is what happened to the local AFL ground (right in the heart of Sydney West or Rugby League "central") the very next day. I also trust the proud AFL supporters out there in Sydney not to make a big deal out of this as that would just be playing their (Rugby League) stupid games. I am only sharing this with the forum as I believe it might give an insight into why team GWS won't work.

This is not the reason GWS won't work

... the reasons GWS shouldn't work is because of their lack of professionalism, and the attitude of the AFL to "stick it down our throats", like it or not! ... NO consultative process, no common sense, they will burn more people that are already involved in the game, before they attract a newby ... and they do not seem to care! Oh and they lie.

However, if NRL is the only impediment, they have far better management, and more cash, so they will ultimately be succesful in spite of themselves!