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Is the AFL too good for Sydney's west?

Roar Guru
25th May, 2010
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Roar Guru
25th May, 2010
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So where are we at with the AFL’s foray into Greater Western Sydney? Is the frontier club beginning to bed down in its new home of Blacktown? Or are there worrying signs already, since the west really means within walking distance of Homebush rather than “city within a city.”

After Blacktown Council welcomed the AFL with open arms, the buzz grew with the opening of the $27 million NSW government funded training facility at Doonside.

The AFL talked of generating permanent economic and social benefits for the region by providing new jobs and economic activity.

However, if media reports are correct, the AFL has been lobbying the NSW government for a $45 million re-development of the Sydney showground – adjacent to ANZ Stadium – at Homebush.

The AFL has wanted to gain access to a redeveloped 30,000 seat showground, rather than hold GWS games in front of the anticipated 15,000 crowds at ANZ Stadium. The latter is apparently not a good look for the code.

One option was to play games at the Blacktown facility, but that too is beneath the AFL’s standards.

It’s an interesting situation.

The AFL boasts a war chest of $200 million to ensure GWS survives its early seasons, yet has lobbied hard for NSW government spending on grounds primarily for its use, now exceeding $72 million.

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So we know for certain that GWS will not be playing any further west of the Sydney GPO than the Olympic precinct at Homebush.

According to Roy Masters in The Herald, the AFL knows few, if any, of its players will choose to live in the Blacktown area and surrounding suburbs.

Consequently, it is claimed that team GWS will not train at the Blacktown facility, but instead the Showground at Homebush.

A visit to the contact page on the GWS website gives no physical address, with a phone number that takes the caller to Moore Park and the NSW AFL office.

Masters also reveals that GWS has begun to target the upper-middle class of the hills district, including Castle Hill, Baulkham Hills and Pennant Hills. For those not familiar with Sydney, these are not Blacktown nor western Sydney.

Just what is the connection between GWS and Sydney’s west?

Is there any permanent connection at all, or is the AFL just paying lip service to the people of Blacktown and western Sydney?

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Has the AFL abandoned Blacktown and Sydney’s west before its venture has even begun?

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