AFL to launch 2nd team in Sydney

[Zlatorog]

I don't believe why people still whinge about the second team in Sydney. As somebody has already pointed our here it is the AFL decision not the Sydney Swans. If AFL decides to go ahead (and I strongly believe they will) they will also promote it and make sure it's not a financial failure. They've learned from the Swans troubles how difficult it is to crack the Sydney market. There are a few basic reasons to expand in Sydney:
1. Not only it's a big market, but also there's a big inroad made in western suburbs by competing codes, especially soccer.
2. City like Sydney should have at least one AFL game every weekend not every fortnight and I believe they could do it with proper planning.
3. Local rivalry, it can potentially generate lots of money.

It makes no sense for us here to pass any judgement before the whole thing has even started to take shape. If AFL thinks it's OK and they are prepare to finance it than I'm more than happy to go ta a live AFL match every week even when the Swans are not playing at home. Would I abandon the Swans? No. The second team needs to develop its own following otherwise the whole exercise of a second team would be pointless.

I'm looking forward to it, actually, and since I live in Homebush area it would be fantastic to go to Olympic park to watch AFL games there (if that's where are they going to be played).

[TheGrimReaper]

When it does come in, I hope we smash the buggas. By 2012, hopefully we're still a good side and making the top 4 again.

What would the name of the new team be called?

[airpoe]

From my friends & colleges, alot more people who leave in the east support the swans than people in the west.

probably a 3 to 1 or 4 to 1 ratio

[SCGonasunnyday]

In the long term this will surely be good for the sport and it will be fun to have a local derby.

As a lifelong supporter of the underdog in any contest, it will trouble me however if the Swans come to be portrayed as the elites and the new team as the battlers - an AFL version of the silvertails (Manly) versus the fibros (Wests).

I fear this sort of marketing is inevitable and will hurt the Swans - and it will be a kick in the face to be branded the rich elitist team with the 'north and east' fan-base given the years of struggle in Sydney and the history of struggle as South Melbourne.

[BigD]

Front page was written by Caro.

Masters only had his photo on the front, his actual article was only on page 10.

Yes ready for a new team.

It would get more western suburbs fans to attend more games.

Also I live in the east & would not go to homebush for regular games & hence would presume its the same for the westies.
How would it grab the swans sponsors?
It would probably grab multinational sponsors from other codes.

So would QBE say ditch the swans for the other team, when the swans would presume have a bigger base & appeal?

I live in the southwestern suburbs and travel to all Swans games (SCG and ANZ(Telstra) Stadium).

I don't think Sydney is ready for a second team now or in four years time. I would never support it. SWANS FOREVER!!

[BigD]

Just to review some points...


Most of our supporters come from silver side of sydney..what a complete load of garbage...myself and hundreds of others travel from the SOUTH WEST
for every home game..so before you shoot your mouth off get the facts,,

travel on a south bound trains after matches,,,

HERE HERE!!

[TheGrimReaper]

I don't come from the Silver side of Sydney. I originally come from a battler suburb South Melbourne. lol

[ROK Lobster]

From my friends & colleges, alot more people who leave in the east support the swans than people in the west.

probably a 3 to 1 or 4 to 1 ratio

Having never left a friend or a college from the east I am not really qualified to comment, but the people in the west have my support.

[sWAns63]

I would of thought 3rd teams from WA & SA would be a better idea with WA a priority with it's booming economy & population growth.
I know WA could handle another team.

[TheGrimReaper]

Down the track they could have a 20 team competition, with each team playing each other once. The new teams could be, one from the Gold Coast, West Sydney, and one from Perth and Adelaide.

[connolly]

I keep hearing from "melbourne" media that the Western Suburbs is ripe for another AFL Club.

What is the ethnic demographic of the Sydney Western Suburbs. Just because a lot of people live there and it is an expanding doesn't mean people will go to AFL in their hoardes.

How in hell are you going to convince people who have never heard of the game to go and love it to the level of an additional 30,000 fans on top of our member base. It will take a century for another 30,000 fans to sign up to AFL in Sydney and when the natives are restless about the spread of soccer amongst Sydney kids, as I hear.

Fanciful stuff, and on top of that they will need another 90 NEW footballers as there is no relocation. A hotch potch of an idea for the sack of a few more TV dollars.

Spot on. The loonies are running the asylum. The AFL soft on drugs policy should go gang busters out Blacktown. Maybe Cousins coming off his fifteenth rehab could captain coach them.

[Glenn]

The AFL will be shooting themselves in the foot if they believe are second Sydney team is viable.
Would like to see what the figures are that have the AFL so convinced this can work, by all means expand the AFL but for long term viability there are several options better than Western Sydney.

[desredandwhite]

The troubling thing is that it is an unknown - no-one has plonked a completely new team in Sydney before. The only real way to know whether it is going to work, is to just try it out.

I live pretty close to Blacktown, and I would probably go to some games if a 2nd AFL team played in Sydney. I would still barrack for the Swans, but go along to a handful of games at ANZ just to see AFL level footy a bit more often. They might be my second team, or maybe I would end up hating them more than the other clubs - who knows?

A few of my mates would probably go along as well. Some would even identify more with the new team than the Swans.

I think it's worth a go, and if you can't do it now, just a few years after a Swans premiership and the increased promotion that it brings, then I reckon you couldn't ever do it.

[Wardy]

[QUOTE=Dave;357796]Roy Masters, passionate hater of anything not League wrote it.

Its funny that Roy Masters wrote it considering he is married to Elaine Canty - the first woman ever to be appointed to the AFL tribunal (and a woman who seems to like her footy). .

Also Roy has always had a bee in his bonnet about "Silvertails V Fibro's" I thought he may have come up with new material by now - seems not.

But just imagine - the Swans V Blacktown (in a kind of Eagles V Freo style) in a granny - fantastic!!!

[floppinab]

Although not a lot of this is new, the strengthening of language by the AFL heavies is no doubt leading to the knashing of teeth from the Sydney media.

There are a few other things driving this though.

I understand the club is budgeting on over 8,000 of the 3 game Homebush tickets this year. A phenomenal figure when you think about how many full Sydney members we have. The growth of these tickets is clearly suggesting there is an appetite for the game in the westish suburbs (keeping in mind of course Homebush is not Blacktown), but of course whether that translates to full membership of a different club is the question.

As others have said it has to happen now. Soccer will have a team out there soon and as with the Titans on the GC the AFL can't afford to lose any momentum, we are at a distinct disadvantage to those codes as well with the costs of an AFL team being threefold of the other codes.

The Olympic Stadiums roster is now getting very full as well. What have they got out there now..... 3 RL teams plus winter internationals......... hard to see how they will fit another 10 H&A AFL fixtures in there?????