Jarrad's plea to ALL Swans Fan.

[Lucky Knickers]

Appreciate that DB and didn't take it that way.
I wish that the venue did not weigh so heavily on your and your friends enjoyment factor. It would be fantastic to have as many red and white people there to support the team.

[jono2707]

I think we're pretty much preaching to the choir here - all of us on RWO are passionate about the Swans and most attend matches when they can. The majority of us that can be at Homebush on Saturday will be, whilst a few have very valid reasons for choosing not to. Instead of wasting energy on here imploring people to show up, we should all be harrassing our friends, workmates, neighbours etc to make the effort and come to the footy on Saturday - that's how we'll get the extra bums on seats, the atmosphere, and, hopefully, a few converts to our shared religion of the Swans.

[Dirtyburt]

I respect anybody's decision to stay at home and don't necessarily believe that those who do so are any less passionate than those who don't but, seriously, complaining about Homebush is just wrong.

Yes, the SCG is our home but some of you Homebush haters would never have seen a game in the not-so-olden days. When I was teenager, we used to have to catch the train to places like Kardinia Park, Victoria Park, Western Oval, Arden Street etc. to see the boys in red and white Some of those grounds were cold, wet, dilapidated and full of seriously hostile home fans but it was still great to go and see the Bloods play. The pies were cold and the drinks were hot. Standing room only. Occasionally we won to boot.

Going to see a winning team at a large modern venue is a no-brainer. Harden up.

When I was young, we slept in cowpats outside lakeside Oval overnight to keep warm. In the morning we beat each other with sticks to remove the icicles from our nostrils. If we were really lucky we would find a dead pigeon or rat to roast for breakfast. I guess we are spoilt these days!

[Mrs Shaw]

I don't understand rating a venue over the team and deciding not to go to a game if it is in my city.
The moment I get off the bus and walk up to the ground I see the Swans match day stuff the club has going and my fellow red and white-rs and my heart beats a little faster, the smile widens across my face and I get that excited nervous, butterfly feeling. Game day! WOO HOO!
Out come the team for their warm up, up goes the banner, there's Cyggy and here is the club song! I'm watching the team I love play the best game in the world IMHO.
Those little annoyances at ANZ; watery beer, poor surface, poor attendance, poor stadium surrounds, just don't factor and fade completely into the background.
Been there at ANZ when there's 19k for a final and it's pouring rain, cold and windy and when there's 72k and we are battling the Pies. Each and every time I'm as energised, enamoured, engaged and delighted to be there at ANZ as I have been at the Gabba, Blundstone, Manuka, Subi, AAMI, Metricon, MCG, Etihad, Optus, BOP and the SCG. All stadiums have positives and negatives.
For me, the joy of being there to support the Swans onwards to victory, far outweighs any of the imperfections of the venue.

Here, Here

[Go Swannies]

When I was young, we slept in cowpats outside lakeside Oval overnight to keep warm. In the morning we beat each other with sticks to remove the icicles from our nostrils. If we were really lucky we would find a dead pigeon or rat to roast for breakfast. I guess we are spoilt these days!

Nope, we are still doing all that in Balmain. Th only way it's easier now is that there are more rats so we can have one each.

[BillyRayCypress]

Excuse me Wolfy but that was EXACTLY my point!! BillyRayCypress is the one casting aspersions on the people attending the Chairman's function. I was calling him on how anyone could call the $355 per head freeloading. You're right - the "freebies" go to corporate sponsors who pour big bucks into the club both directly and via co-marketing campaigns. I hope your quoting me in that context was just an unfortunate accident. I'm all for people who pay good money to go to club functions.

To quote you - see above. It is done by the company that uses the Club to promote themselves. The Company then gives tickets to its executives who turn into "pigs in a trough" and have a freeload. Yes, yes, I'm sure you can go on about how hard they work. As do the people on the lowest level of that company do and don't get a freebie to the Chairman's wacky doo lunch.

So the 30,000 Swans supporters that part with their money, to get nothing in return but be able to attend games, dont even get a bloody sausage sizzle compliments of the Club as we used to get in the 90's.

Sponsorship is vital to the Club but without a Club fan base they won't have nothing. Yes, the large majority at the Chairman's Lunch are freeloaders who couldn't give a toss about the Club.

[AnnieH]

I don't understand rating a venue over the team and deciding not to go to a game if it is in my city.
The moment I get off the bus and walk up to the ground I see the Swans match day stuff the club has going and my fellow red and white-rs and my heart beats a little faster, the smile widens across my face and I get that excited nervous, butterfly feeling. Game day! WOO HOO!
Out come the team for their warm up, up goes the banner, there's Cyggy and here is the club song! I'm watching the team I love play the best game in the world IMHO.
Those little annoyances at ANZ; watery beer, poor surface, poor attendance, poor stadium surrounds, just don't factor and fade completely into the background.
Been there at ANZ when there's 19k for a final and it's pouring rain, cold and windy and when there's 72k and we are battling the Pies. Each and every time I'm as energised, enamoured, engaged and delighted to be there at ANZ as I have been at the Gabba, Blundstone, Manuka, Subi, AAMI, Metricon, MCG, Etihad, Optus, BOP and the SCG. All stadiums have positives and negatives.
For me, the joy of being there to support the Swans onwards to victory, far outweighs any of the imperfections of the venue.

Right on Lucky.
You've summed it up for me perfectly.
I hope we give them a good thumping and all the people who didn't go because "I don't like the venue" suck eggs for missing out on a pearler!!

[BillyRayCypress]

The only thing ANZ lacks is the $3:90 chips, Kebabs, Subway, Kransky outlet, Hot Wok.

Oh well, just fill up on the way and money saved at the venue.

[Jewels]

I gotta say I really don't like ANZ.
No particular reason - the parking is better (and cheaper) at ANZ, I don't drink beer and the wine is as bad at Homebush as it is the SCG, I've been to flat atmospheres at both grounds and electric atmospheres at both grounds and it takes me between an hour three quarters to two hours to both grounds, but somehow SCG just feels more like home and as Lucky said, when the boys run out for the warmup, it's then just all about the team.

[Lucky Knickers]

It's all good people. Get out there. Support the club in the best way you can. Through the atmosphere that we create on game day we will continue our fine tradition of converting those free-loading corporate attendees into passionate paid-up Swans fans who will continue to provide much needed corporate sponsorship and donations to the club.
Imagine converting more people like Frank O'Halloran to our great team and code?
Imagine if we could attract the kind of sponsorship that the Pies and West Coast get?
Imagine if we could grow the foundation donations and support and build an academy that regularly produces the next Kieran Jack, Lenny Hayes, Craig Bird et al into the draft each year and have first pick?
Imagine 80K members or a waitlist for a reserved seat????
Get that and we might force the AFL and NSW government to build a stadium in Sydney worthy of this great game and our fine team that challenges the traditional homeland of the MCG in terms of playing surface, player facilities AND the viewing comfort and enjoyment for our fans that isn't beholden to the whims of the Cricketing fraternity or Stadium deals with other codes and is at the centre of an integrated public transport system......oh wait.....I see......

[BillyRayCypress]

LK very passionate plea and correct too.

The stars of the future are produced at grass roots junior footy and then if they stand out enough go into the Swans Academy. The problem up here is that we have lots of Clubs with dedicated kids coaches who never played the game themselves. You need to be accredited to coach and that is really easy to obtain but you can't teach footy nous.

I'd add:

Imagine if we had Councils up here that didn't cancel weekend junior footy after two drops of rain.

Now that SKODA is built I can't see another ground being built. As much as people don't like it but that is what ANZ is for and the SCG. So we have 3 main venues plus Blacktown to watch AFL level footy in the city as compared to the two in Melbourne.

[Mrs Shaw]

We went through all this rubbish about Homebush just before the EF against Carlton in 2010. Remember? And that game ended up having the most brilliant atmosphere you could imagine with about 40,000 in attendance.

Can you imagine what it would be like to win on Saturday night with 60,000 in attendance? How could you call yourself a Swans fan and not want to be part of that?

EXACTLY.

[jono2707]

I just noticed one of my mates put a message on Facebook urging people to get out there and support the Swannies on Saturday - that's just one of many good ways of getting fence-sitters, potential-bandwagoners, Collingwood haters and newbies to the game. The more people we get out there, the more I like the Olympic stadium, even though the SCG has my heart....

[Mrs Shaw]

I respect anybody's decision to stay at home and don't necessarily believe that those who do so are any less passionate than those who don't but, seriously, complaining about Homebush is just wrong.

Yes, the SCG is our home but some of you Homebush haters would never have seen a game in the not-so-olden days. When I was teenager, we used to have to catch the train to places like Kardinia Park, Victoria Park, Western Oval, Arden Street etc. to see the boys in red and white Some of those grounds were cold, wet, dilapidated and full of seriously hostile home fans but it was still great to go and see the Bloods play. The pies were cold and the drinks were hot. Standing room only. Occasionally we won to boot.

Going to see a winning team at a large modern venue is a no-brainer. Harden up.

You are so right. Our society have been spoilt. The ANZ haters need to harden up a bit.

[Lucky Knickers]

I'd add:
Imagine if we had Councils up here that didn't cancel weekend junior footy after two drops of rain.

Excellent point BRC.

Now get on the phone DirtyBurt. Say to your mates "you know what? I know you hate ANZ, I do too. I know it will be a bit whiffy with all that black and white riff raff there, I know the beer is watery and we are going to see Jetta through a cloud of turf and sand as he lopes down the wing but we are going to witness the breaking of a 7 year hoodoo. We are going to watch Nafan's nose expand so wide it reaches around and his nostrils join at the back of his head as he sucks in the air in the final quarter when we kick 8 unanswered goals to go 60 points clear and his head explodes. I know that was a long sentence. Longer than the trek out to Homebush on the train but I got a feeling we need to be there."

Go on.