Kevin Sheedy - GWS AFL coach
To coincide with Saturday night’s historic first ever elite-level AFL match at Blacktown, Team GWS launched their search for a nickname and colours on the weekend. You may ask ‘what’s in a name?’, but for the AFL’s 18th club, it is one small part of forming an identity to engage the local community.
Team GWS’s campaign centres on a website whereby supporters get their chance to a select a nickname and colours.
There are four nickname options, the Giants, the Rangers, the Pride and the Stallions. But fans can also submit their own suggestions, along with their preferred colours.
It is an open and slightly organic way of finding a team name, but we will await the results to decide whether or not it is a successful process.
Indeed, Team GWS’s campaign comes in the wake of several new Australian sporting franchises employing various methods to find a nickname in the last 12 months or so.
Back in late 2008, the AFL’s 17th club, Gold Coast FC, offered supporters five nickname suggestions but left the door open when there was no clear winner. Nothing appeared to capture the fans’ imagination.
But Gold Coast chairman John Witheriff said back then: “We will be the Gold Coast, GC or whatever the fans choose to call us. Nicknames evolve over time.” Indeed, the door is still ajar and they seem to have opted for an organic method.
Meanwhile, A-League new-boys Melbourne Heart launched a curious campaign where they named themselves, then offered fans a chance to select from four options months later whilst still being titled the Heart. It seemed inevitable nothing would change.
Others such as the Super 15’s Melbourne Rebels and the A-League’s Sydney Rovers were decided upon by management with a bit of consultation with the community, but mostly without a lot of fuss.
So with that in mind, it is interesting to observe Team GWS’s campaign and their reasons behind it.
In a press release from Team GWS this weekend, coach Kevin Sheedy said: “Right from the start we have made it clear that we want to build a club which is truly representative of this great community.
“What better way is there for the people of Greater Western Sydney and all of our supporters to help build this club than by helping shaping its name and identity.
“Our name really needs to capture the essence of Western Sydney – this is one incredible region with so much to be proud of and we need to celebrate that.
“We’re looking for something big, bold and ambitious – a great name for a great team.”
Whether anything ‘captures the essence of Western Sydney’ remains to be seen, but the Team GWS’s pre-existing four options hardly inspire.
On the website, it is claimed the Giants ‘embodies the size, strength and power of West Sydney’. The Rangers is about ‘adventurous people from where the plains meet the mountains’ while the Pride is ‘a region with lots to be proud of’ and the Stallions are ‘fast-moving, powerful and impressive.’
Curiously, it isn’t said how long the campaign runs for and you must submit your email address on the website to vote. It seems the campaign isn’t just about finding a team name and colours.
And many will say it’s a superficial topic, but it is another step in the developmental process of Team GWS’s push to engage the local community, and it is worth observation.
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February 25th 2010 @ 9:26am
Warwick said | February 25th 2010 @ 9:26am | Report comment
Yowies as they are a myth
February 25th 2010 @ 9:35am
BC said | February 25th 2010 @ 9:35am | Report comment
GWS Mexicans
February 25th 2010 @ 10:54am
JamesP said | February 25th 2010 @ 10:54am | Report comment
Get over it BC – GWS is coming whether you like it or not
February 25th 2010 @ 10:32am
JP said | February 25th 2010 @ 10:32am | Report comment
What about team …. ” NSW STATE GOVERNMENT ”
Cause the GWS team will be a money pit for years.
February 25th 2010 @ 11:42am
Rod said | February 25th 2010 @ 11:42am | Report comment
lol
That’s quite funny.
February 25th 2010 @ 10:32am
MD43 said | February 25th 2010 @ 10:32am | Report comment
Voted for Pride, along with the colours pink and purple. Perfect fit for a Sydney team imo
February 25th 2010 @ 11:44am
Rod said | February 25th 2010 @ 11:44am | Report comment
Yeah I think Pride is a good name too, magneta and purple colours.
February 25th 2010 @ 10:35am
Marshall said | February 25th 2010 @ 10:35am | Report comment
I like Rangers but is the name too connected to the Scottish team?
February 25th 2010 @ 10:43am
Ben Somerford said | February 25th 2010 @ 10:43am | Report comment
Thanks for all the feedback, readers…
Interestingly I was in touch with Team GWS late last night and I was informed these names were arrived at after some informed research and focus groups.
Also, I was told the four options currently on the website will be updated over time as new names from the community campaign come in. They made it clear these four names were just ‘initial’ ideas and they are very open to new suggestions.
February 25th 2010 @ 10:51am
Redb said | February 25th 2010 @ 10:51am | Report comment
Good to hear becuase the original four are pretty ordinary, although I didnt mind Rangers (Blue Mtns), etc, but Pride is just a gift to David Gallop. LOL
West Sydney Wolves (WSW). Wolves v Swans – plenty of marketing ammo there to get your ‘teeth’ into!
February 25th 2010 @ 11:19am
AndyRoo said | February 25th 2010 @ 11:19am | Report comment
You would be surprised how good “Pride” playing in orange and pink actually looked on the http://www.namethe team.com site
I would expect the ones from the public will be the best, like the girl from Adelaide who designed the port jersey.
Certainly with Rovers the fan desiged kits (who weren’t just rip offs of overseas designs) were better than the official ideas.
February 25th 2010 @ 12:24pm
Redb said | February 25th 2010 @ 12:24pm | Report comment
I liked the sky blue and dark blue (NSW colours) with a bit of orange. Try that.
Wolves to eat the Swans I like that, especially if they play an attacking style and dont bore us to death like the Swans.
Pretty nifty site nametheteam.com
February 25th 2010 @ 12:38pm
AndyRoo said | February 25th 2010 @ 12:38pm | Report comment
Wolves playing in mainly sky and dark blue but with silver/grey sleeves is a winner for mine.
I am serious about the sleeves bit, would be something different from other teams and it would look good. It would also make it pretty clear that Swans are the traditional club and the Wolves definitely aren’t a Vic team.
Having that modern vs traditional undertone as well as well as the geographical differences would be a PR dream. You could end up with Swans fans who live in Blacktown and Wolves fans living in the inner city 30 years before you would expect that to happen naturally.
February 25th 2010 @ 4:41pm
Simmo said | February 25th 2010 @ 4:41pm | Report comment
“I liked the sky blue and dark blue (NSW colours) with a bit of orange. Try that.”
We did but dropped the orange after a couple of seasons (SFC).
February 25th 2010 @ 11:46am
Rod said | February 25th 2010 @ 11:46am | Report comment
Nothing wrong with Pride at all, the Soccer has the Glory and the Union has the Force, chuck a little pride in as well
February 25th 2010 @ 12:27pm
Redb said | February 25th 2010 @ 12:27pm | Report comment
Rod, Apart from the…. “not that theres anything wrong with that” stuff, Pride is just too much of a wishy washy name.
Animals work best. Good for mascots as well.
February 25th 2010 @ 1:07pm
Sharminator said | February 25th 2010 @ 1:07pm | Report comment
Sydney is famous for its Gay Pride mardi gras .. so maybe if the team were called the Pride they could also tap into the gay market .. which traditionally the Swans have had in the Sydney Sports market.
Being the Pride would also get the team support and perhaps even members from gay people overseas .. helping the much discussed international growth of AFL.
The rainbow striped jumpers could become an international symbol for Australia as a nation of tolerance.
Rainbow jerseys and the Western Sydney Pride!! Looks and sounds great for marketing.
February 25th 2010 @ 1:18pm
Redb said | February 25th 2010 @ 1:18pm | Report comment
Sharminator, we’ll leave all the flowery stuff to the Waratahs.
February 25th 2010 @ 4:43pm
Simmo said | February 25th 2010 @ 4:43pm | Report comment
In the NSL era we had the Perth Glory, Northern Spirti, Eastern Pride and Adelaide Force. I don’t think it’s entirely a coincidence that only 1 of those names survives.
Abstract team names are just awful. Animate objects and colours FTW
February 25th 2010 @ 10:46am
Art Sapphire said | February 25th 2010 @ 10:46am | Report comment
West Sydney Fibros!!
Roy Masters will jumping up and down claming copyright
Sydney Swans Silvertails versus the West Sydney Fibros.
Class War – the best way for the AFL to promote the game in Sydney.
February 25th 2010 @ 10:55am
JamesP said | February 25th 2010 @ 10:55am | Report comment
West Sydney COUGARS – that word seems to the flavour of the month…
February 25th 2010 @ 11:01am
Michael C said | February 25th 2010 @ 11:01am | Report comment
can just see the Blacktown Mayor along with the NSW premier on hand to unveil the temporary sign in the lead up to the first match to make Blacktown instead “Cougartown”,
…tell me again why that might make the premier a little uncomfortable??
February 25th 2010 @ 11:06am
Michael C said | February 25th 2010 @ 11:06am | Report comment
I kinda like “Pioneers”,
but, it’s a slightly more feeble ‘mascot’ that is a fine ‘Ranger’.
and ‘Pioneers’ would become less relevant as time progressed.
February 25th 2010 @ 11:16am
Simmo said | February 25th 2010 @ 11:16am | Report comment
Michael are you gonna buy a membership for this club?
February 25th 2010 @ 4:32pm
Nick said | February 25th 2010 @ 4:32pm | Report comment
I like the “Pioneers” too. It doesn’t lose relevance if you relate it to the fact that Sydney was the landing place of modern Australia’s first pioneers. It’s the only name I’ve seen suggested that doesn’t sound too American and has some anchor in local history.
February 25th 2010 @ 11:45am
Tom said | February 25th 2010 @ 11:45am | Report comment
West Sydney Ugly Ducklings