My Sydney to Sydney Journey has Finally Begun!! (Plus - some tickets available)

[Meg]

Welcome to warm, sunny Sydney from a much cooler, less sunny Madrid! Pleased you have made it, now to get over jet lag ready for the big match. Sad I will miss it, the first for the year at SCG is always so exciting.

Go Swans!

[Ludwig]

Welcome to warm, sunny Sydney from a much cooler, less sunny Madrid! Pleased you have made it, now to get over jet lag ready for the big match. Sad I will miss it, the first for the year at SCG is always so exciting.

Go Swans!

Take a day trip to Toledo if you haven't already done so. The cathedral and its paintings are fantastic. The Burial of the Count of Orgaz by El Greco, in the Church of Santo Tom? is one of my all time favourites.

[Wardy]

Maybe email Neil Cordy at News and contact Chris Bath on Twitter she?s a Swans ambassador

[Meg]

Take a day trip to Toledo if you haven't already done so. The cathedral and its paintings are fantastic. The Burial of the Count of Orgaz by El Greco, in the Church of Santo Tom? is one of my all time favourites.

Thanks Ludwig, I went to Toledo on Tues (so did zillions of other tourists!) and yes the cathedral and El Greco are amazing. As are the Prado, the Thyssen-Bornemisza, the Reina Sofia, the Caixa Forum, the Royal Palace .......! The art here is extraordinary. Still thinking about the Hieronymus Bosch ?The Garden of Earthly Delights?.

[Ludwig]

Thanks Ludwig, I went to Toledo on Tues (so did zillions of other tourists!) and yes the cathedral and El Greco are amazing. As are the Prado, the Thyssen-Bornemisza, the Reina Sofia, the Caixa Forum, the Royal Palace .......! The art here is extraordinary. Still thinking about the Hieronymus Bosch ?The Garden of Earthly Delights?.

I too find Bosch amazing, especially considering he did these kinds of paintings around the year 1500.

[DaveyCaper]

Not the game result we wanted but had a great time at the SCG today! it was so great to finally see a game in person.

But the Swans themselves made it extra special for us today. A member of their marketing department brought Alex Johnson with him and presented me with a Swans jumper signed by the entire club. It is an incredible gesture that I feel emotional thinking about as I type this.

Also let me say that Alex is a super nice guy who took time to speak to both my wife and I. A super class act!!

Between that and starting the day watching the sun rise over Sydney Harbour, this is truly a day that I will never forget!

Bring on GWS next weekend!

[Meg]

Pleased you and your wife had a good day. Sad the Swans couldn?t win, hope next week will be the full deal!

[mcs]

Not the game result we wanted but had a great time at the SCG today! it was so great to finally see a game in person.

But the Swans themselves made it extra special for us today. A member of their marketing department brought Alex Johnson with him and presented me with a Swans jumper signed by the entire club. It is an incredible gesture that I feel emotional thinking about as I type this.

Also let me say that Alex is a super nice guy who took time to speak to both my wife and I. A super class act!!

Between that and starting the day watching the sun rise over Sydney Harbour, this is truly a day that I will never forget!

Bring on GWS next weekend!

Great to hear you ad a fantastic day! Great gesture about AJ and the Swans jumper - and lets hope the boys can get the job done next week so you get to see a win!

[Danzar]

Not the game result we wanted but had a great time at the SCG today! it was so great to finally see a game in person.

But the Swans themselves made it extra special for us today. A member of their marketing department brought Alex Johnson with him and presented me with a Swans jumper signed by the entire club. It is an incredible gesture that I feel emotional thinking about as I type this.

Also let me say that Alex is a super nice guy who took time to speak to both my wife and I. A super class act!!

Between that and starting the day watching the sun rise over Sydney Harbour, this is truly a day that I will never forget!

Bring on GWS next weekend!

That?s awesome mate, top class of the the club to do that. Glad you and your wife had a great time.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Danzar]

Article has been posted Canadian Swans fan revels in first match day - sydneyswans.com.au

[CureTheSane]

No mention of RWO.

[liz]

Article has been posted Canadian Swans fan revels in first match day - sydneyswans.com.au

It's a pretty good article, to boot. Loved reading some of the history of Australian football in Canada, albeit brief.

I notice it's written by the new Swans media dude. Maybe we can hope for a gradual lift in the overall quality of material on the website (especially if Mr Gates learns of the existence of the NEAFL team).

[Ludwig]

It's a pretty good article, to boot. Loved reading some of the history of Australian football in Canada, albeit brief.

I notice it's written by the new Swans media dude. Maybe we can hope for a gradual lift in the overall quality of material on the website (especially if Mr Gates learns of the existence of the NEAFL team).

Leave me out of this!
Very deep and personal stuff.
Maybe even Top Secret.

Sounds like a job for Zuckerberg.

bill-gates.jpg

[Sandridge]

Please tell me you were definitely there for the win over the Giants, Davey!!!!

[DaveyCaper]

Oh I was there!! Sitting on the wing in the O'Reilly Stand..

Absolutely loved being at the SCG! I knew about the unique traditions (for this North American anyway) of AFL/ Australian Rules Football (going through the banner, the club songs etc.) but I just love them even more experiencing them in person.

I have been to a few Canadian and American stadiums and arenas in my days but I did like the SCG. The different stands are different than what we see in the Western Hemisphere and it makes for a bit of a maze like situation getting anywhere but the vibe is very cool! With all the Swans banners on the walls, it adds to the atmosphere of the place as well. As with most of our time here, the people at the matches have been nice and courteous (except maybe to umpires haha) and generally we have been so impressed with the people here. The views from both the Brewongle and O'Reilly stands were great.

I am still surprised by how little attention the NEAFL game gets. I think the doors did not even open until after the game started (at the time we were waiting for the Clearance trailer to get their credit machine working so we didn't go in as the doors opened as planned). We did like the activities outside though and pre-game has a very fun vibe. Transportation to and from the stadium using public transport was flawless.

Also notable for me was how accessible players are - last week I saw Sam Reid walk by me, Allir Allir standing around after the game, Zac Jones in the Brewongle VIP area (where the toilets are located). This week saw Michael O'Laughlin after the game and saw Buddy Franklin walk to the stadium before the game. Grand total number of pictures of this - zero LOL. I have to be content with the picture with the Buddy Franklin cardboard cutout LOL

Kick to kick last week was an interesting experience as well. Kids and grown men kicking balls in every direction. It would never be allowed in North America because it would be considered dangerous. I was glad though go to get a picture of me on the bench and going through the interchange gates!

Some of you won't like this but my wife and I enjoyed singing along to Sweet Caroline. Generally found the game presentation less in your face than most North American sports games. Enjoyed singing the Swans club song after the GWS game much more however!!!

Got a bit emotional leaving the SCG last night knowing that it will be the last time that I will be there for a long time but all being well it will not be the last time.