Bankstown: Swans or GWS?

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  • justabaraker
    Regular in the Side
    • Jul 2012
    • 972

    #31
    UCM, you are slowly "unconfusing" us all and again, thanks for your well put-together post.
    But I'm from the "Hills District bible belt" so I wouldn't claim to know whether your side of the story is the only side.

    Seems to me that junior soccer has cornered the market on Saturday morning sport and it would be delusional for the AFL to think they could penetrate there at this stage.
    After that, Sydney people expect to have sport on Sunday arvo, so it's not a big stretch to try to wedge our code into Sunday arvo...not sure that I agree with you about all the privey school families with their compulsory Saturday School sport.

    It's fair to say that A-League soccer is getting a good run at the moment, (and all credit to them for doing it well), but it doesn't translate to teenagers playing soccer and becoming bloody good at it, and taking from the gene pool of potential AFL draftees.

    Comment

    • justabaraker
      Regular in the Side
      • Jul 2012
      • 972

      #32
      HoleIn, I agree with your comment about how bad it is here in Sydney....I imagine it's like being in one of those AFL teams in London who are a "minority" of enthusiastic ex-pats who remember how it used to be............

      We have to remember just how minor our sport is here, and respect the AFL's efforts to get a whole lot happening real fast. Heads will be kicked, eggs will be cracked to make omelettes, feet will be trodden on, and it's all in the pursuit of getting AFL onto the map of one of the worst-placed markets for AFL footy.
      Last edited by justabaraker; 20 February 2013, 08:59 PM.

      Comment

      • unconfuseme
        Regular in the Side
        • Jan 2009
        • 681

        #33
        Originally posted by justabaraker
        UCM, you are slowly "unconfusing" us all and again, thanks for your well put-together post.
        But I'm from the "Hills District bible belt" so I wouldn't claim to know whether your side of the story is the only side.

        Seems to me that junior soccer has cornered the market on Saturday morning sport and it would be delusional for the AFL to think they could penetrate there at this stage.
        After that, Sydney people expect to have sport on Sunday arvo, so it's not a big stretch to try to wedge our code into Sunday arvo...not sure that I agree with you about all the privey school families with their compulsory Saturday School sport.

        It's fair to say that A-League soccer is getting a good run at the moment, (and all credit to them for doing it well), but it doesn't translate to teenagers playing soccer and becoming bloody good at it, and taking from the gene pool of potential AFL draftees.
        I have no problem with Sunday footy ... any reasonable religion is flexible!

        But it is not the only option.

        The AFL's own review of the Greater Sydney Juniors - which was briefly on the website, but removed as soon as it was pounced upon by Roy Masters who wanted to expose the shortcomings of the AFL - actually encourages clubs to embrace Friday Night Football to " ... enable cross code participation and free up the weekend" amongst all of the positives.

        It seems to be taken verbatim from the Bankstown Sports Junior AFL Youth Football Pathways Program. I was personally witness to Friday night Youth games at Kelso with Auskick prelude, a few years ago, that the coaches and volunteers went out of their way to coordinate, where there were not only parents, but as many as twenty NON-AFL 14-16 y.o.'s, boys AND girls, hanging out and watching their mates play ... naturally curiosity gets the better of them, and as many as 8 of those boys ended up playing at least one game on a Friday night (some the rest of the season) and were able to play either soccer on Saturday or League on Sunday. Other teams were requesting games. Yet this astonishing revelation ...

        ? Our AFL clubs Friday night community Auskick program was removed from the AFL?s 2012 draw.

        ? Our AFL clubs Friday night Youth Football, U16 fixtures all but stopped by the AFL in 2012.
        Just mind numbing

        So far as the Compulsory Saturday School Sports, it is a reality.

        Unless they have back flipped on it, there was a huge push by the AFL a few seasons back to get the game into private schools and have them feed to Universities, since they have no juniors. Sunday football was to enable that.

        St Ignatius College and Knox Grammar were to be the tip of the iceberg ... of course that could have all changed with a whim too!

        Comment

        • The Runt
          Aging Rapidly
          • Jan 2009
          • 49

          #34
          ?The next "good news" story was around the "Phoenix rising from the ashes", this time in the shape of an Eagle .... Liverpool Eagles! The crowd was told how under the AFL's direction, this former defunct club now had an Auskick centre + a competitive team that has never won a game (I think?). This was quickly brought into perspective by a mother who stated that she was "... part of the 30 families that had moved from Liverpool Eagles to Bankstown years ago because of the actions of the AFL in undermining the club volunteers and restricting their recruitment area" ... sounds familiar! ... perhaps not the best example in hindsight????


          The Phoenix was a small club called the Holsworthy Tigers that started to recruit players and become competitive Yulong oval was home the canteen a trailer in Black & Gold then along comes the AFL in the shape of a blokes called Mike Kenny and Bill Webb it was strongly suggested that the Tigers move to Rosedale and in the process change to a name more appropriate with the location hence the team now known as Liverpool Eagles, seemed a good thing to do at the time even though 80% of the players were from Holsworthy Wattle Grove. 3 to 4 years later the 2 gents from the AFL turns up at club meeting with the great news that the AFL had some expansion plans Mt Annan Bradbury and Holsworthy it had a new club to form in Holsworthy it was to be called the TIGERS and the Eagles (formerly the Tigers) were no longer able to recruit in the Holsworthy Wattle Grove area. This along with a committee at the Eagles that was not people friendly, personality clashes at higher levels led to up to 40 players moving to Bankstown some to the new Tigers and some to Holroyd, at proud club that had 120 players 2 12s teams and great success was down to a handful never defunct don?t let the truth get in the way of the story . At the same time games against the new Tigers were bloody horrid as in the club room was all the trophies with the Holsworthy name on them that the new Tigers thought they should have, the arguments and crap that went on surrounding the games made for an atmosphere that was at best poisonous. Even today on the Southwest tigers website they proudly announce they are the oldest club in the area celebrating 40 years when in reality they were formed in 2000.

          To my eyes all the money and effort that has been spent in the SW has been just to move players from club to another I doubt that the player numbers have increased much from the late 90s to now.

          This is what happens when lazy people get a great idea if anyone could find the records for the old Campbelltown Junior Ass the amount of teams that are now defunct would surprise all within 20 years. The senior club the Blues in all the time I was involved with the juniors never visited never called and done absolutely nothing to foster the game in an area that they were at the time king pins so it is to a lot of people out there it is a matter of you reap what you sow.

          I could really go on about this and a lot more areas of waste.

          In regards to Sunday games it will work I didn?t believe until my youngest played in the Parra 15s on a Sunday and even though it was a far flung comp it was competitive and well rounded give a while it will catch on.

          Comment

          • ShortHalfHead
            Senior Player
            • Dec 2008
            • 1024

            #35
            [QUOTE=The Runt;604924In regards to Sunday games it will work I didn?t believe until my youngest played in the Parra 15s on a Sunday and even though it was a far flung comp it was competitive and well rounded give a while it will catch on.[/QUOTE]

            Everything works if you employ the right bean counters.

            Comment

            • tara
              Senior Player
              • Aug 2005
              • 1514

              #36
              Too late for bankstown

              Comment

              • tara
                Senior Player
                • Aug 2005
                • 1514

                #37
                Actually I should say too sad. Standing in the club rooms at Kelso looking at trophys and photo tonight and realising yet another junior club is gone was disheartening. What annoyed me more was the fact I was speaking with the last president at the time and knowing it definitely wasn't thru a lack of dedicated people.

                The sooner the afl stop putting people from interstate with no feel for the market they are running the better. Put people in positions that matter that actually understand the market they are operating.

                Comment

                • The Runt
                  Aging Rapidly
                  • Jan 2009
                  • 49

                  #38
                  [QUOTE=tara;604964]Actually I should say too sad. Standing in the club rooms at Kelso looking at trophys and photo tonight and realising yet another junior club is gone was disheartening. What annoyed me more was the fact I was speaking with the last president at the time and knowing it definitely wasn't thru a lack of dedicated people.

                  The sooner the afl stop putting people from interstate with no feel for the market they are running the better. Put people in positions that matter that actually understand the market they are operating.[/QUOTE

                  As the posts on this subject have ceased to keep coming in what is the latest news or is it all over if so have the players found alternatives to play at

                  Comment

                  • King Zog
                    On the Rookie List
                    • Feb 2013
                    • 25

                    #39
                    No competitive teams will be fielded by the club this year, as deadline from the GSJ passed without anyone coming forward to run the club.
                    Sydney South or the renamed Sydney harbour White competition will only have 6 clubs this year.

                    Unfortunately, lots of kids and families will be lost to the sport from the area. The closest club has shut its books and wont take any more kids from Bankstown.
                    So far about 20 odd kids from 100+ have registered with other clubs.

                    There are a lot of wonderful hard working volunteers who are completely disenfranchised by the events that have occurred, which with only a tiny bit of common sense been completely avoided.

                    Comment

                    • DLH
                      Warming the Bench
                      • Jun 2004
                      • 378

                      #40
                      Originally posted by King Zog
                      No competitive teams will be fielded by the club this year, as deadline from the GSJ passed without anyone coming forward to run the club.
                      Sydney South or the renamed Sydney harbour White competition will only have 6 clubs this year.

                      Unfortunately, lots of kids and families will be lost to the sport from the area. The closest club has shut its books and wont take any more kids from Bankstown.
                      So far about 20 odd kids from 100+ have registered with other clubs.

                      There are a lot of wonderful hard working volunteers who are completely disenfranchised by the events that have occurred, which with only a tiny bit of common sense been completely avoided.
                      This beggars belief, and is soul destroying for those of us who commit our own time and energies for the betterment of the game, which would be most on here.

                      Of course, there'll be someone somewhere in the AFL's paid employ patting themselves on the back on a job well done.........

                      Comment

                      • unconfuseme
                        Regular in the Side
                        • Jan 2009
                        • 681

                        #41
                        Originally posted by DLH
                        This beggars belief, and is soul destroying for those of us who commit our own time and energies for the betterment of the game, which would be most on here.

                        Of course, there'll be someone somewhere in the AFL's paid employ patting themselves on the back on a job well done.........
                        ... not when the Daily Telegraph and Nine get the details. You think Rooty Hill was unimpressed with Joolia's visit, lets see what they do to the AFL when this comes out ...

                        Comment

                        • justabaraker
                          Regular in the Side
                          • Jul 2012
                          • 972

                          #42
                          Originally posted by unconfuseme
                          ... not when the Daily Telegraph and Nine get the details. You think Rooty Hill was unimpressed with Joolia's visit, lets see what they do to the AFL when this comes out ...
                          Sorry, UCM, but I don't think we're NEARLY that important. No-one except for us few gives a rats+++ about what happens in grassroots footy in Sydney.

                          Comment

                          • King Zog
                            On the Rookie List
                            • Feb 2013
                            • 25

                            #43
                            Stay tuned as I hear there are still forces at work trying to make Victorians understand that volunteers don't grow on trees.

                            Comment

                            • Pekay
                              Well retired, still sore
                              • Sep 2004
                              • 2134

                              #44
                              Originally posted by King Zog
                              Stay tuned as I hear there are still forces at work trying to make Victorians understand that volunteers don't grow on trees.
                              This wins Post of the Year. Couldn't have put it better myself.

                              Comment

                              • unconfuseme
                                Regular in the Side
                                • Jan 2009
                                • 681

                                #45
                                Congratulations to the AFL on another job well done!

                                Close on the heels of the hatchet job done on Bankstown Junior AFL ... sorry, there IS NO Bankstown Junior AFL is there!? ... the AFL has another project to be proud of.

                                In spite of the neigh sayers, Macarthur Giants u/18's - that team that no one at Camden or Campbelltown wanted - continues to defy gravity and stay afloat!!!

                                Playing with 15 players today, they conceded 38 goals (13 in the first 1/4) in going down, not to the team leading the u/18 div 1, but to the team running 6th, Illawarra!

                                The Giants are now 0 and 7 and don't meet the next to last side Southern Power for 2 months ... it will take all of Bevo's cajoling to keep a side on the park each week, let alone get some meaningful training sessions. Still, if they get to that game, they will probably draw a bigger crowd than GWS and The Crows

                                WELL DONE AFL NSW/ACT ... their motto ... "We will work as a team ... and YOU VILL DO IT OUR WAY!"

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