So it’s been just over a week since we joined the conversation on our new club, the Sydney Rovers FC. What a fantastic week it’s been. We’ve heard the good, the bad and the ugly, which is exactly the way it should be.
We’ve been following the conversations but figured, given our own time constraints, we would weigh in from time to time, not every day.
There seem to be a couple of questions hanging out there that we think we can answer:
1) Our Name.
Anytime you create a name you invite multiple responses. We want to thank all of you who have given us your view. However, we have decided that we’re not going to be known as a club with a non-football related name.
So those of you who want us called The Octopuses, The Buffalos, The Rhinos, The Metros, The Kickers, The Strikers….. blah, blah, blah. Sorry to disappoint you, but we are going to stick to our strategy of remaining traditional.
Over the past few days, the name Sydney Rovers FC has begun to take hold. The media has been overwhelmingly positive, and while not everyone ever agrees totally with a name, initially we’ve had enough feedback to tell us we’re on the right track.
2) The Stars
The idea behind them is really simple. The star on the left represents the Southern sky, the star in the middle represents the Western sky, and the star on the right represents the Northern sky.
Nothing more, nothing less.
It’s not a hybrid version of the Southern Cross, nor is it a constellation of any sort. It’s just three stars representing the broader north, west and south of our city.
3) The Colours
Red, white and black. Yep as strange as it may seem, we think it’s nice to have a subtle link to the great clubs of the past, like Western Suburbs and Blacktown City, who also carried these colours in one combination or another.
We also know from a commercial point of view, these three colours are a very powerful palette combination.
We are moving forward to look at how we will commercialize our look. We want to thank all you guys who have suggested various strip options to us.
In the coming months, we’ll continue to refine our thinking and we’ll let you know where we end up.
So the journey has started, and we have many decisions to take in the coming months. From time to time, we’ll check back in and let you know the progress we are making.
We said from the outset we wanted to build a club that was inclusive, and by that, we mean we want it to be a club for every football fan in Sydney. To this point we know we have to be prepared to listen and learn as we go.
And we intend to live up to this fact.
Adem
Guest
Ian, I am a long time football fan and I have followed the A-League closely since its inception without following any team in particular. I, for one, am completely stoked about the Rovers coming in as they would actually represent my area of Sydney, unlike SFC who just represent those silvertails in the eastern suburbs. I am of the opinion that there should be no red in the Rovers jersey or badge. Like a lot of people have said in these comments, it looks a lot like St Kilda. I think it should just be black and white, much like Newcastle United in England. It would look like no other A-League team and the connection with Western Sydney will still be there because of the Wests and Penrith colours. Just my two cents...
Gibbo
Guest
you think west coast is worse than fremantle? blue and yellow at least look nice together, but white, green & purple??
AndyRoo
Roar Guru
How do you unite the ethnics? The hard core fans of Sydney United felt burnt, they lost all their players to Parramatta Power the NSL’s version of new soccer. Marconi, Parramatta Malita and Sydney Olympic still play in the state league why would they support another club when their old club still exists. You can’t be all things to all people, just don’t p### people off is probably the only realistic strategy. I think it’s an uphill battle to attract such hard core fans and I doubt you really need them. You are expecting too much from a football team, there not Barrick Obama and even he didn’t get 100% of the vote. Put a team there that doesn’t steal it’s entire roster from another team, doesn’t have a bunch of old cronies who have all done the dirty on someone or rubbed people the wrong way (Labozzetta and Lowry) and are full of new faces but football people (Rowden and Yankos). Just a good football team that has no baggage and is a peoples team (no bling tag). People have to want to get on board we can’t drag them to the A league, and I think there is enough fans in West Sydney that if they played out of Parramatta they would get 15k each week with a terrific atmosphere and football fans will want to get involved. It will grow from there.
Cpaaa
Guest
My fear is this, that the west Sydney bid has been scrambled together out of urgency and runs the risk of simply being another franchise for the sake of expansion. This must be the most ambitious Club of all HAL. Uniting the NSL under one banner, and so far I don’t see it.The ethnics of west sydney are a part of the regions fabric,and if they are not directly involved or represented then who is the west fc exactly representing? If any team deserved to be called United then West Sydney would win hands down. “Sydney United” but that’s not possible. I was going to write more but I find im just repeating what KB has already said. my thoughts exactly. WhiskeyMac you asked me how did I feel about Sydney FC in the inaugural? And my answer is…. Great. Sydney FC is still the only team in the League not to carry a nikname in the clubs title. You cant get more traditional than that. Yet I feel just as comfortable calling them “the sky blues” even though its not on their birth certificate rather it being something that evolved. The dress is sky blue, this is Sydneys/NSW colour. ( ie state of origin/ rugby/cricket) The Logo has the Opera house, not as a featue but as a background (beautiful) it also has one giant football in the middle which I wasn’t to happy about, as if to point out that we are a football club, but its fine. We also had Dwight York which gave us “Bling” it also pumped up my rating to 9/10 satisfaction. In reference to the rovers, I cant think of anything on the logo,name or colours that represents Greater Sydney…woops there it is (Sydney) 3/10
cab711
Guest
Tell your parents he could have been a Vic supporter. Ian dont change the name its great, colours remind me of Schofield Scorpions.
cab711
Guest
Cpaaa speaks for all Western Sydney?
bever fever
Guest
St Kildas original colours of red, black and yellow - the colours of Germany could have had something to do with their large jewish support base, does not make sense now but in the 1860s it may have. BTW St Kildas home ground was judged the best in the colony in 1864
Midfielder
Guest
Just tho I would put this hear ... sorry Ian... change name to suit ... but enjoy.. Dear Kyle & Jackie O, I am 15 and pregnant and my parents don’t know. They haven't met my boyfriend. He is bisexual and HIV positive and he also has Tourettes. He is married and is 20 years older than me. He deals drugs and carries a gun. He lives in a squat and is just out of jail and he likes animal porn. My problem is how do I tell my parents that he is a Jets supporter
whiskeymac
Guest
KB i see what you are saying and in truth i am not that far behind you, it;s just i see less weight being attached to the issue and not being that upset over the colours/badge and actually quite liking the name. coming from the region (and thereabouts) i wld love to see a club realise the regions undisputable potential (both by harnessing its rich football past, engaging the diverse wider community it presently represents and developing the strong grass root support to see it become a fixture in it's own right) but arent we putting maybe just too much weight on a badge? if it had a croatian, vietnamese, italian, anglo, laotian, sudanese, thai, chinese, fijian, samoan, german and of course atsi representation would there be room for sponsorship? What if someone was left out? Would or could a single club unite all these peoples: is there something uniquely Western Sydney to place on the badge on a par with catalan or basque independence - actually a nod to the indigenous owners of the land would be a good move - or is it just best to do what HAL always inteded to do and start from scratch and have the clubs go out there and engage the people without having to rely on the past too much? you'll note all the question marks - i don't have answers and dont think there is a right one. it's why (and splintered bum or not) the stance is to wait and see what is of substance that is on offer first from Mr Rowden. The colours and name aren't bad, the badge cld be tweaked a bit more to appease some but these are really window dressings- the true test is how the club gets out there and engages the people. in that respect i see the uniform they wear as being of less significance (and can always be changed) than how they recruit, promote, market and go about their business.
KB
Guest
Whisky, as a SFC supporter I agree with Cpaaa, Ian has asked for input and he is getting it before it’s all too late.... West Sydney Rangers FC at present does not seem to me a club and its logo that represents the whole “Greater Western Sydney Demographic”... West Sydney has rich ethnic Football traditions across the whole region, which must be embraced otherwise it will not reach its full potential... You can’t just expect the old NSL soccer supporters from Marconi and Croatia to turn out if they don’t feel a connection to the new club; if it only recognises a couple Anglo-Celtic football associations... Ian Rowan at least try and get these folk interested to support this new club concept as it’s directly in their back yard, if you don’t connect in some way it will just be another Parramatta Power destined to fall over... A good idea would be to approach Marconi and Croatia and others ie their administrators to get their support as feeder clubs into this new franchise by recognising all the good work they have done in the past, by developing a great number of Australian National Football players for the country... Why not include a subtle touch of their colours in the new Rangers Club logo to show them that the Rangers are a club for all demographics of the WS region, not only for those of Anglo Celtic background... The Barca logo is a fine example of what a good logo can look like ... beautifully crafted; a delightful, classy design... ~~~~~ KB
whiskeymac
Guest
yeah - but a passionate response at least. I can see why cpaaa is desperate to raise the bar on a new team but surely it would be more reasonable wait and see how it pans out first before completely laying into it. Cpaaa were you this upset over the "sky"blues when Sydney FC was the only team in the city? were they compared to Coventry, smashed for chosing an insipid colour that didnt unite the various ethnicities and regions and traditions in the area.... or does it just look "good" with jeans and on bumper stickers?
Pippinu
Roar Guru
That's some pretty harsh criticism? I can't see what's wrong with the choice of colours.
Sloth
Guest
I sure hope its not similar to Man U cause that will alienate a lot of potential fans.
Cpaaa
Guest
I got to say that the symbol and logo in no way shape or form represent sydney, the west, NSW, Australia or the multiculturalism of that region and it’s a poor excuse for choosing three stars. Ian that means nothing,. This Logo, its colours and its name has been dished up over a late night dinner. Ian, even your article seems very simple to say the least …and like the name and logo I thought…is that it! , The Barcelona Logo was mentioned earlier and it is a superb reference. Look at it and observe it……its just beautiful. Its says a lot about the nation of catalonia. Just like the ethnic clubs of the west all carried some sort of symbol of national heritage etched into the outfit. “Red, white and black. Yep as strange as it may seem, we think it’s nice to have a subtle link to the great clubs of the past, like Western Suburbs and Blacktown City, who also carried these colours in one combination or another.” 1) Key words here are “strange” and “nice”. Mr. Ian I am a football supporter and I hate strange and I don’t like nice. 2) great clubs like western suburbs and blacktown City. So why pick these clubs. What have these clubs got to do with Sydney Rovers. Will someone that has supported Marconi or Sydney United feel any attachment to the Logo/club of Rovers when you mention Blacktown? Lastly. This is the Heartland of Football. It has to be magic, connect with all of Sydney, NSW , Australia even,and everyone has to say YES iTS BRILLIANT. Not your words .. “What a fantastic week it’s been. We’ve heard the good, the bad and the ugly, which is exactly the way it should be.” NO Mr.Ian it shouldn’t be! and what was so fantastic? Sorry mate but I cant say it simply enough…. the Logo and colours sux ,(it unites no one) im even trying to like the name P.s Ian. Next time you write to us on the Roar write it with your heart otherwise don’t write it at all. Im already looking forward to your next article, in the meantime “Do Your HomeWork” PSS Mr. Ian I don’t mean to come off as aggressive and I do appreciate you coming on this site. But this is by far the most important club yet in the HAL and I am not convinced that the right team is in place.
Pippinu
Roar Guru
Art as I said to Republican - the colours were red, white and black from day one, St Kilda changed the white to yellow during the Great War, till 1922, then reverted to their old colours. The current design goes back to 1923. In the end, Sydney Rovers will be a rival club - so I don't give a damn what their colours are - but I simply said that from what I've seen, it looks like a rip off of St Kilda - if they end up doing something different with the colours - good luck to them. I said from day one that I didn't mind the name: Sydney Rovers. Either way - it doesn't really matter what I think - I won't be cheering them on!!
tifosi
Guest
I think you will find that the rovers kit will be a red shirt, white shorts, black shorts ala Man utd. They wont have a kit similar to st kilda.
cab711
Guest
He chose the colours cause he used to work at coca-cola.
cab711
Guest
Interesting about the registering. I play six-a-side aswell and this is the first time I have had to be registered this year.
cab711
Guest
Very close to the gay pride flag, I see your angle. Dipping into the untapped gay market, brilliant!
cab711
Guest
I dont know, I think it will get respect. ACL final of Urawa Reds vs Sydney Rovers sounds nice. Maybe Wild West FC.