By AlexMilic -
December 9th 2009 @ 2:29am
Get a Roar profile
Loading ...Related coverage
Western Suburbs football campaign a joke
What is the team called? Sydney Rovers? Where will the team play? Do people in the West even know what’s happening with the club?
Even a website that does not even work is an sign of money under the table for the men behind football Australia.
The Western Suburbs team will enter the A League in the 2011 season, and yet they have not branded the franchise at all. They better get started as quick as possible or they will struggle to pull 2,000 fans at games, if that.
The NSW Premier League is the main competition for football fans in the West of Sydney and it will remain like that.
Yes, the occasional trip to a Sydney FC match is good, but what are they playing at with this team for the West of Sydney? Will they even have players from the suburbs or will they sign out of form fringe players from the A League and fourth division English football?
If they want to start, they should start now.
First, choose a name that actually has something to do with the Suburbs. What in God’s name is Sydney Rovers? It isn’t that bad but why are the club colors red and black?
Get a website up and running, and interact with the public because they are the target for this franchise.
Or are they?
I think the team should represent the West and it should consist of the best players from the teams from the West in the NSW Premier League. It can be the origin club for these boys.
We don’t want any players from Brisbane or Adelaide.
The Western Sydney club should represent the best from the West.
Get Australia's best Football opinion emailed daily.
Like this content? Buzz it up!
Free Email updates:
Our daily emails are only sent if there is content for the sport or that author. You can subscribe to multiple daily emails; or get the daily Roar email with all our content in it. We value privacy. More...
(16)
albe said | December 9th 2009 @ 3:19am | Report comment
I think its a great move from Sydney Rovers. I grew up in ‘the west” and have never heard anyone from this region refer to themselves as from western Sydney. People identify with their regions, like Liverpool, Parra, Blacktown, Penrith, etc, not as from the West. At least in my experience.
“Western Sydney” is a name imposed from the outside. That they haven’t gone with this shows they are actually from the community, and not trying to jettison some team in where its not wanted.
The day Sydney FC change their name to “East Sydney FC” is the day Rovers should be known as ‘West Sydney”.
The battle for Sydney is on and i for one can’t wait. Its what derbies are made of the world over.
whiskeymac said | December 9th 2009 @ 8:53am | Report comment
I agree with Albe – Western Sydney is an artifical suburb and does not seem to be a source of allegiance or rallying cry from those living past strathfield. People are (for good or bad) more likely to say they are from Penrith or Bankstown etc.
the name and colours were explained on this site a while ago by Ian Rowden. He posted once or twice to field similar questions as to the authors. this was lauded by a lot of people at the time as engaging the community – unlike say many of the other franchises efforts in starting up (minus MV, CCm and NQ it seems). but the Rovers camp have been quiet of late… it would be good to hear what the plans are and how it’s all progressing. A lot of recent HAL press has gone south to the Heart with their recruitments etc.
PJ said | December 9th 2009 @ 4:19am | Report comment
I predict that just like the power in the nsl, this team will crash and burn. People in Sydney, and especially the west do not turn up in large numbers at all. There will be a time when the crowds are promising and going well, but once the free tickets dry up and the team is not winning, they will be another gold coast but without the billionaire.
whiskeymac said | December 9th 2009 @ 8:59am | Report comment
thats sadly true to some extent, and it’s why it would be interesting to see just how Rowden et al are shaping up the club (cannot bring myself to use the word franchise) – and a marketing campaign targeting the grass roots wld seem to be a primary ingredient to secure even a modicum of success.
But being realistic – if established clubs in the region dont pull in massive crowds say in NRL (unless the teams in the finals or on a streak) then HAL clubs, and fervent supporters, should cater their expectations accordingly for a new venture. 10K averages wld be great, any more a bonus and anything down to 7.5K acceptable, if a little disappointing. the derby with FC wld hopefully generate a decent crowd…
AndyRoo said | December 9th 2009 @ 9:03am | Report comment
Calm down mate until about a month ago when they appointed a coach and signed a few players we knew more about the Rovers than we did the Heart and the Heart (or whatever they will be called) will be playing next season.
They have Ian Rowden and Charlie Yankos involved and probably figure lets not show everything until they have a sponser on board because probably one of their first press conferences would be showing the kit (with sponser logo) then your next press confrence you announce the stadiums used and the lead photo is Charlie Yanks giving the Mayor or whatever a jersey (with sponser logo shown). Then after that you announce the coach and he holds up a shirt (with sponser logo shown).
You give the Sponser as much bang for their buck as possible in order to attract other sponsers….don’t just throw that info out on an internet forum
Also Alex I get the feeling if you already have a team in the NSW PL then your probably not going to come on board. For all the talk about reaching out to ex NSL fans I don’t think it will work. They already have a team, unless you pitch it as their summer team they won’t be interested. I can’t imagine too many Sydney united fans rocking up for a game played at Parramatta Stadium….not if their old enough to remember the NSL. Hmm perhaps a few will show up to the Perth Glory game so they can yell abuse at Dave Mitchell.
You will get a few that say support the Socceroos first Sydney United/Bonny Rig/Marconi second but for most of the ex NSL fans their ethnic based club is number 1,2 and 3 on importance and they don’t give a stuff about the A league.
I think the market will be westies that watch the Premier League or A league on TV or guys that played football for a local team like Blacktown, Parramatta Melita or Greystanes where Football was more important than ethnicity. Those guys aren’t looking for reasons not too support the team and want it to work.
Mxjosh said | December 9th 2009 @ 11:43am | Report comment
Im lookin forward to the rovers debut season, I believe the west needs a football team. However I agree it needs to be marketed correctly. It can’t make the same mistakes GCU have been making, we need the team to engage the comminities, market themselves to the old NSL fans without trying to replace the teams they already follow. I think the team has potential so long as it follows a strict criteria and embraces the fans and not isolate them
AlexMilic said | December 9th 2009 @ 11:53am | Report comment
Do you think it should consist of players from the West?
AndyRoo said | December 9th 2009 @ 12:10pm | Report comment
The Western Suburbs provide a huge chunk of A league players allready, I don’t think it would even be possible to form a team without a lot of players from the burbs….not a good one anyway
Any team based in Western Sydney should have the best NYL team in Australia.
For the first year when they are putting together a team I don’t mind them signing a few experienced A league players to build a core because you can’t just rely on 11 state league players as your first 11. But after the first year I wouldn’t want too see the club target players form other A league Clubs. Overseas players are fine by me, they sort of create a bit of interest, would like too see a good Marquee for sure.
If you look at how Brisbane Roar, Newcastle and MV have recruited it’s been with only a handful of exception players from outside the HAL. That’s the way to go.
Then you look at Sydney FC with Brosque (Bne), Bridges (Newcastle), Brokie (Knightz), Aloisi (Mariners) and now their targeting Reddy and Van Dyke and I don’t like it. That’s the Eastern suburbs culture (buy other teams players and be hated) and rely on winning to gain fans.
After they have been in the comp 5 years I would expect their team to be around 4 overseas players and the rest NYL graduates.
DiCanio said | December 10th 2009 @ 9:43am | Report comment
Or maybe thats just the nature of football to buy and trade players?
Not to mention the salary cap.
I mean what if your youth team provides you with 9 excellent midfielders and no defenders. SHould they just go out about playe a 0-9-2?
Melb Victories success has alot to do with the imports and players they bought in. Not their Youth League.
AndyRoo said | December 10th 2009 @ 9:48am | Report comment
Yes but Melbourne as opposed to SFC have made the effort to bring in good foreign players through scouting.
The Brazilians, Hernandez and now the Thais all add to the league. Signing someone from CCM….. very uninspiring.
Having an A league monopoly on the Western Suburbs they should be able to find pretty decent young players in all positions.
whiskeymac said | December 9th 2009 @ 1:13pm | Report comment
No. its unrealistic for a football team to be so local (even one playing for Royston Vale). There are not many clubs nowadays that can point to a roster where the majority are truly local, or even developed by the club itself. Arsenal buy players, Barca buy players and just about every club that can afford to will always dip intot he transfer market to get the best player they can afford. and these clubs have amazing academies and massive local player catchments.
So why fetter the club from the outset with such a limitation in talent.
Its hard enough not to have foreigners in the team (Central Coast capitulated on this recently) let alone exclude players who werent born and bred in a 40 km radius.
In saying that the more local (and academy developed which IMO is just as important) boys and girls that represent the club the better – using an EPL example(s)- Gary Neville, Scholes, Giggs at Man Utd; Gerrard, Carragher at Liverpool, …. they can provide a passion, loyalty and pride that can drive the team.
Killer_Tomatoes said | December 9th 2009 @ 12:09pm | Report comment
Thanks for the insightful comment on Western Sydney football from your great vantage point down there in Adelaide, or was this one written from Belgrade? For a start, the Western Sydney franchise already has at least 3 advantages over the Melbourne club that is to come in to the competition a year earlier. 1) an actual known geographical area from which to draw its target demographic and a base for a community minded approach to attracting fans (eg. the working calss club). Heart does not have this, it’s approach seems to be to draw old-soccer/NSL fans with no interest in the A-League and scavenge fans from the Victory, so much for the South-East/Casey base they talked up for so long. 2) a brand name, Sydney Rovers, which you allude to in your first paragraph, yet then go on to disregard half a sentence later. Heart is still a working title, 8 months out from its first competitive fixture, it still has no official name. 3) An actual reliable interest in the game in the area they’re entering. West Sydney is Australian football’s heart land and spiritual home. It has massive participation rates yet no top-flight representation due to the cultural and social schism between West and East Sydney. Do a bit of research first before writing on a topic you know nothing about, or stick to writing about your precious Srbija
Art Sapphire said | December 9th 2009 @ 12:23pm | Report comment
KT – you did not mention the 1 major disadvantage the Western Sydney team has over Melbourne.
They are from Sydney
Regardless, good luck to Sydney Rovers
.
Just a word of advice Alex Milic’s proposal to only field Western Sydney will not work, bad idea.
What’s to stop the best Western Sydney players playing for other A-League. Won’t leave you with much of a team.
As long as they have a core group the fans can identify with, that will be sufficient.
AlexMilic said | December 9th 2009 @ 1:12pm | Report comment
whats with you and Belgrade can you stop getting out of line
estragon said | December 10th 2009 @ 8:01am | Report comment
perhaps the rovers should only be allowed to sign bonny rigg players…
AlexMilic said | December 10th 2009 @ 6:50pm | Report comment
you are a child who has not received his daily intake of breast milk! typical checker