1st Qualifying Final Sydney Swans v GWS Giants at ANZ Stadium

[YvonneH]

Ahhh safetyboy, until you're a tiny female who has to venture out to homebush by them self if they want to see the final, don't go judging people's state of fan ness...

I won't be going by myself. I've been a member of the club for well over a decade..but travelling to Homebush via train is uncomfortably awful if you are a sole female ...sorry, it just is......

If I can find somebody to accompany me, I will go...if not, I have two memberships if anybody wants to use them...

But if the final was at the SCG, I would go alone with no problems...

I am a 67 y.o. 145cm female who lives 'out west' and I have had no trouble going on the train by myself to Homebush (or SCG) even after a Saturday night game.
Until I do have trouble I will continue to do so, although not to Homebush. I too prefer the SCG by the way.

[AnnieH]

Ahhh safetyboy, until you're a tiny female who has to venture out to homebush by them self if they want to see the final, don't go judging people's state of fan ness...

I won't be going by myself. I've been a member of the club for well over a decade..but travelling to Homebush via train is uncomfortably awful if you are a sole female ...sorry, it just is......

If I can find somebody to accompany me, I will go...if not, I have two memberships if anybody wants to use them...

But if the final was at the SCG, I would go alone with no problems...

You're not by yourself... the trains are crowded.

[mcs]

You are such a doomsdayer mcs. Luckily for you this is the last ever AFL game at the grand old lady...

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As usual you just play the man Barry without even attempting to respond to the points raised.....

- - - Updated - - -

Remember Friday, 22 September 2006 (8:00 pm) Sydney 19.13 (127) def. Fremantle 14.8 (92) Telstra Stadium (crowd: 61,373) so why shouldn't it be a big night.
We're a better team with more members. Its time to flex our muscles and say this is our City.

That was a preliminary final however and in the middle of our first 'golden age', when Olympic stadium attendances were consistently good. Any crowd above 50K will be an excellent effort indeed in my book. I think there will be a fair indication of how ticket sales are going by how many tickets turn up on those 'lasttix/last minute' style websites next week at discounted prices. The AFL certainly will have egg on its face if they don't manage to draw 48K+.

At least they've done the right thing by scheduling it at a time which should maximise attendance in terms of families etc.

[Doctor]

Ahhh safetyboy, until you're a tiny female who has to venture out to homebush by them self if they want to see the final, don't go judging people's state of fan ness...

I won't be going by myself. I've been a member of the club for well over a decade..but travelling to Homebush via train is uncomfortably awful if you are a sole female ...sorry, it just is......

If I can find somebody to accompany me, I will go...if not, I have two memberships if anybody wants to use them...

But if the final was at the SCG, I would go alone with no problems...

Even on a Saturday afternoon?

[barry]

Daisi, you are playing the role of an eastern suburbs socialite magnificently.

Last time I went to Homebush, I got stabbed, mugged twice, and my car was firebombed. Some say I was lucky.

[barry]

As usual you just play the man Barry without even attempting to respond to the points raised.....
The AFL certainly will have egg on its face if they don't manage to draw 48K+.

Thats not playing the man mcs, and you know it.

The AFL have gone into bat for the Swans a lot by breaking the contract with ANZ for H&A games and other finals.

Breaking contracts is not something that is done lightly. Anyone in business would know that.
Stop the romantic view and accept that its actually worked out in everybody's best interest. Or maximized the benefit that was possible.

[ScottH]

Damn.
I was hoping to have a night game. (Fri or Sat)

I guess I'll have to cut my trip to the Noosa Country Show short to get back to the hotel in time!!

[mcs]

The AFL have gone into bat for the Swans a lot by breaking the contract with ANZ for H&A games and other finals.

Breaking contracts is not something that is done lightly. Anyone in business would know that.
Stop the romantic view and accept that its actually worked out in everybody's best interest. Or maximized the benefit that was possible.

The AFL will have egg on its face if it doesn't draw more than 48K - as it has come out in the media saying that is the key reason why it chose to ultimately have the game at ANZ - for instance: AFL 2016: Sydney Swans to play Greater Western Sydney Giants in finals derby

There is absolutely no excuse not to draw a crowd of at least that figure - but I think there is fair and justifiable reasons and evidence to suggest that they may struggle to do so. I'll be interested to see if tickets do indeed turn up on 'LastTix' and the like next week as the game draws nearer - it's been a constant tactic used by the AFL and the Giants to support their home crowds all year, so it'll be interesting to see if they do similar next week if crowd figures aren't looking great.

The contract for H&A games was between the Swans and ANZ, not the AFL and ANZ - Swans exit ANZ Stadium deal one year early - AFL.com.au.

Oh and I'm not sure what 'romantic view' you are on about... after all its you that keeps pining about the 'grand old lady' on here....

[barry]

It is true the swans members have a golden opportunity to embarrass the AFL will a low attendence. But are they really embarrassing themselves instead ?

I'm sure the AFL wont really care. They brushed off the 19,000 a few years ago. They move on.

Your romantic view is that contracts are meaningless. Breaking a contract cost $$, especially when ANZ hold all the cards.

[KTigers]

The Swans did sign the 15 year contract with ANZ Stadium. They decided it would be OK for their members to travel to Homebush to watch three games a year plus finals. They didn't ask the members & supporters, they just did it. I get that they were trying to reach people in the west of Sydney, and they were partially successful. Goswannies is on a bit of roll with stats this morning so maybe he can look up the average attendance at ANZ games vs the SCG in the period we played games at ANZ.
Maybe the club received a good deal financially from playing at ANZ. Maybe the club used ANZ as leverage to get a better deal out of the SCG
Trust. In the industry I work in it is completely standard to play one venue off against another. It's called trying to get a better deal.
Anyway, they got part way through the ANZ deal and they decided they didn't want to be in it anymore. And who knows, maybe halfway through the new thirty year
deal with the SCG, the Swans will be trying to get out of that too. I guess I think signing these very long stadium deals in the somewhat mixed market for the code in Sydney
is pretty risky.

[AnnieH]

Daisi, you are playing the role of an eastern suburbs socialite magnificently.

Last time I went to Homebush, I got stabbed, mugged twice, and my car was firebombed. Some say I was lucky.

Sorry, but I just gotta laugh.

[dejavoodoo44]

The Swans did sign the 15 year contract with ANZ Stadium. They decided it would be OK for their members to travel to Homebush to watch three games a year plus finals. They didn't ask the members & supporters, they just did it. I get that they were trying to reach people in the west of Sydney, and they were partially successful. Goswannies is on a bit of roll with stats this morning so maybe he can look up the average attendance at ANZ games vs the SCG in the period we played games at ANZ.
Maybe the club received a good deal financially from playing at ANZ. Maybe the club used ANZ as leverage to get a better deal out of the SCG
Trust. In the industry I work in it is completely standard to play one venue off against another. It's called trying to get a better deal.
Anyway, they got part way through the ANZ deal and they decided they didn't want to be in it anymore. And who knows, maybe halfway through the new thirty year
deal with the SCG, the Swans will be trying to get out of that too. I guess I think signing these very long stadium deals in the somewhat mixed market for the code in Sydney
is pretty risky.

Yes, and when the deal was signed, I suspect that there were no real plans by the AFL to put a team into western Sydney. Or if there was, they may not have mentioned it.

[mcs]

Your romantic view is that contracts are meaningless. Breaking a contract cost $$, especially when ANZ hold all the cards.

Please point me to the post I've made where I've made any comment about the contract, the renegotiation or indeed the decision to play the game at ANZ?

My comments in this thread have been mainly focused on what the likely crowd is going to be.

The only place I have gone near that is stating that the AFL has come out, publically, and said key reason for not moving a Sydney Derby final was due to they expect to draw more than 48K - therefore making the observation that it won't look good if they don't draw that crowd size. Of course there are other factors in play as well - but the AFL has gone out of its way to highlight that in the media.

[barry]

Please point me to the post I've made where I've made any comment about the contract, the renegotiation or indeed the decision to play the game at ANZ?

My comments in this thread have been mainly focused on what the likely crowd is going to be.

The only place I have gone near that is stating that the AFL has come out, publically, and said key reason for not moving a Sydney Derby final was due to they expect to draw more than 48K - therefore making the observation that it won't look good if they don't draw that crowd size. Of course there are other factors in play as well - but the AFL has gone out of its way to highlight that in the media.

Contract and crowd figure are connected. You are being silly arguing that the only reason its at ANZ is crowd. Maybe gill didnt go to every bit of detail in his interview . Hes not the sharpest tool on the shed and loves nothing more than closed door negotiations

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[KTigers]

The ANZ Stadium deal was signed either nine or ten years before GWS played their first season. It's a while ago now, but I think the formation of GWS was announced around 2007, which was five years into the 15 year ANZ deal. What gets forgotten is that not every Swans member hated ANZ. ANZ never bothered me, and most folks I know, while preferring the SCG, weren't too put out by the Homebush trip three times a year. We all just hope for a win really. It's just a stadium. It's not worth getting too worked up about.

Yes, and when the deal was signed, I suspect that there were no real plans by the AFL to put a team into western Sydney. Or if there was, they may not have mentioned it.