Sydney Swans: Most Fans, Least Loyal

[DLBIA14]

The marketing department has a lot to answer for. They're not nearly as active as they should be. The odd billboard or crap tv commercial isn't effective at all considering the money they pump into it, It would be smart for them to create a street team of committed swans supporters who cold volunteer to be a part of guerilla or localised marketing campaigns.

This thread is full of negativity and cynicism. I was hoping this would be an ideas thread guys! There is lots of smart cookies on this forum; die hard South Melbourne tragics, newly-enlightened Sydneysiders and everyone in between.

[Bas]

If I'm so fickle why do I have butterflies in my stomach seven hours before first bounce?

I've heard your wife has been looking for your hidden stash!

I didn't mean you but most of the non committed Swans supporters.

[Jewels]

They should bring back the "I'd rather be at a Swans game" campaign, that was fantastic!

[Go Swannies]

If I'm so fickle why do I have butterflies in my stomach seven hours before first bounce?

[Bas]

The fact that so many NSW people said their AFL team was the Swans is a positive thing. Plus it shows you the potential for growth in its supporter base as well. Hopefully they watch a game on TV or even better turn up to the SCG one day.

JF

I disagree. It's the only AFL team most knuckleheads know up here. That won't make them watch it on TV or turn up at games.

The Swans have to market themselves as the "place to be seen" and then in fickle Sydney they will get numbers. As history showed in 86-87 and 2005-2006.

They went from weekly packed houses to tumbleweed valley in the early 90's. The team winning or being competitive was a part but not the whole part. Penny might drop for our marketing dept one day.

[Bloody Hell]

It's like asking Melbourne people who they support in the NRL. After they're finished with all the diatribe about league I'm sure they'd say the Storm (I see Sheahan mentioned them on OTC), but how many attend games???

[GongSwan]

Don't get too excited, RM usually get their stats from phone calls and Internet surveys- if you assume that 50% of Collingwood fans can't afford a phone or Internet access then they'd thump us in numbers!

Can't count so no phone, and using a computer takes an IQ above 67 (borderline retarded), Test a few Collingwood supporters, might be fun.

Sydney is simple, if they win the average Sydney person loves em, lose and it doesn't matter, sort of moves with the press coverage. The best Swans coverage comes from On the Couch of course, no other footy show rates them a mention, not even now with a final coming up

[JF_Bay22_SCG]

Gotta love how Roosy does that!

It's so hard to come across meaningful ongoing dialogue on the AFL in general in Sydney media. There is some but not a great deal. Hopefully GWS will increase the exposure of AFL in Sydney from next year, and not halve the already minimal exposure the Swans get.

The thing I hate about the Sydney AFL media is that a lot of it is mere puff-writing or 'advertorials'. There is no stinging criticism & a lot of the journos simply cannot think for themselves.Often club media statements are merely taken as fact, when it often simply isn't so.Too many times when a negative article gets written about the Swans, the club in my view gets huffy as if to say "How are we going to draw fans through the gates if you keep writing negative stuff like that!"

I used to enjoy Jeffs Wells articles, because he not only showed he understood the game but he had the balls to actually say the truth when the Swans played poorly.

In many ways the Sydney AFL media market is all a bit of a fantasy land. It is as if the Swans marketing department & the journos meet for tea & scones to discuss which player the SMH or Terror should write up this week!

JF

[JF_Bay22_SCG]

What a dumb article!

Like it is so hard being loyal to Collingwood at the moment. They leave Melbourne 4 times a year, the MCG stands for "Mainly Collingwood Games", they have lost twice all season. Yeah, times are so tough for Magpie fans at the moment *rolls eyes*

How full was the Ponsford Stand in the second half last Friday? From what I saw the Pies fans deserted their team in droves as the Cats proceeded to flog them! Would these people have still been around if their club lost 27 games in a row?! They sure weren't when the Pies got the Wooden Spoon in 1999.

The fact that so many NSW people said their AFL team was the Swans is a positive thing. Plus it shows you the potential for growth in its supporter base as well. Hopefully they watch a game on TV or even better turn up to the SCG one day.

JF

[Damien]

My biggest gripe with Fox Sports is that non Victorian teams are referred to as interstate teams! HATE IT. They aren't interstate teams, they are non Victorian teams.

[thejones,s]

well ive been thinking about getting a group of melb based die hard swans fanatics and booking seats at THE HOT SEAT WITH EDDIE..all turn up in our best swans attire..reckon we would get in???

[CureTheSane]

I suspect you also refer to the Collingwood and District Daily, aka the small paper The Herald Sun.

On those Fox Sports Shows this week you would think Colingwood was playing themselves in the finals. On Football 360 we got a cursory mention about the game being a war. More as an afterthought. In Melbourne they purely pander to the perceived audience. On SEN they give little news or discussion on interstate teams because they need to have a quota of talk back calls, most of which are from 3 or 4 Melbourne teams, plus the favoured "character" callers. If it was Richmond lamenting second bottom it would be done to death., but Port Adelaide; not a cracker. So much for a national competition.

To be honest, readinga paper is a luxury when I'm at McDonalds
years ago I had it delivered and it was half an hour killed off every day.
who has the time?

What I will say is that I tend to get excited when I hear the Swans being talked about on TV.

really, like Al said, it is expected.
we live in Melbourne, so it's cool.
What I cannot stand is that of the Melbourne teams, currently I would guess that Collingwood get around 50% of all press, Geelong maybe 20%, Hawks & Carlton 20%, and the rest get the last 10%

I'm kinda biased because I hate the Wobbles so much.
Maybe I'm just infuriated about it because I hate them so much lol

[CureTheSane]

When I first read that line I don't think I read it the way you intended!

Nope that's how I meant it.

I've been the house hubby this week. They're driving me crazy

Naw, I did mean that they have lost interest in teh Swans - and that's mainly my fault, but such is life.
My son won the year 8 footy tipping competitiona nd he selected the Swans every week though

[CureTheSane]

Is it surprising that Melbourne radio mainly discusses teams in Melbourne. They have an audience to cater to after all. It would be the same for Perth radio. I'd say the Weagles and Freo get a fair bit of air time on those stations.

As for the Fox shows, discussing 17 teams in an hour is a tough gig. I think the Swans get a reasonable run on those shows.

I for once disagree with Big Al

If I supported St.Kilda, I'd want to know everything about the Swans.
Most die hard Saints supporters would know their team inside out, you'd think they'd want to know a bit more about their opposition

[Nich]

AFL Teams was more than usually annoying last night. The coverage of the Swans-Saints game naturally referred to the Cats win and they went off on a tangent about some Cats players and came back to move to the Saints players immediately. So the Swans coverage was mainly about the Cats. Weird.

Loved the part when Johnno mentioned that LRT had come back into the Team so we had a taller presence up front with Reid. You think some of these guys would do a bit more research then just look at a Team sheet and refer back to what position they are named in. Considering Johnno was given the task of talking about the Swans, you would have thought that he would have read or listened to press conferences/media articles and known we were short with Grundy and LRT needed to come back in.