Daniel Bradshaw celebrates his sixth goal during the AFL Round 06 match between the Sydney Swans and the Brisbane Lions at the SCG, Sydney. Slattery Images.
As I was trawling through the Daily Telegraph’s sports section on its website, I was surprised to read some comments made by Sydney Swans Chairman, Richard Colless, in relation to the use of the SCG.
Responding to calls from fans and Swans forward Ryan O’Keefe to abandon ANZ Stadium for finals and use the SCG, Colless, in his wisdom, called the SCG “old tired and antiquated,” and also claimed the deal to play matches at ANZ Stadium was the most important in the clubs’ history.
Well, from someone on the outside looking in, I feel that Colless may have just alienated nearly all of the Swans fans.
The SCG is the Sydney Swans home ground, period. All of the Swans great moments since moving up to Sydney in 1982 have occurred at the great ground (Lockett’s point and 1300th goal, Davis’ last gasp winner).
The ground has an ability to get the Swans moving, as many players have noted over time, due to the wonderful atmosphere such as petite ground provides.
Despite the ground’s long history and its old stands, Colless forgot to mention the new grandstand built in 2008 that is the home of many of the most dedicated Swans supporters.
ANZ Stadium, on the other hand, is a concrete soulless jungle situated in an area where no-one cares about the Swans. While I agree it has provided huge crowds, it lacks the atmosphere that the SCG provides.
Essentially, the Swans give up home ground advantage when they play at the Olympic Stadium.
Colless also forgot to mentions that the crowds are falling at ANZ Stadium because the novelty of playing at ANZ Stadium has worn off. As well as that, the ground is a terrible place to get to by public transport, whereas the SCG is near ferries, buses, and trains.
When GWS enters the AFL, the Swans should play their matches at their home ground, the SCG, bar their match against GWS and Collingwood. It serves no purpose to play in enemy territory.
The SCG not only is top class, but in the heart of Swans territory, and the place the players want to play.
Maybe Colless could stop talking, get his head out of the Prawn Sandwich bar at ANZ Stadium, and listen to all his clubs’ stakeholders. The SCG is the place for the Swans.
Joel
Guest
No doubt you jumped all over the Swans giving out free tickets to juniors prior to the NAB cup practice match at Blacktown earlier this year. You can't have it both ways and say the Swans give out free tickets and the NRL doesn't. Free tickets are free tickets Billo, and the NRL gives away more of them than attend the entire competition in a year. I don't find it sad clueless people are given a voice, I find your transparent desperation extremely amusing. Perhaps though you should look around you before you start throwing rocks at other sports and embarrassing yourself even more, like this for example? http://www.rleague.com/db/article.php?id=33944 "...an official from Parra even said on the record that inflating attendance figures was commonplace." Google turns up plenty more links to similar stories, many from rugby league fans casting doubt on attendances themselves, so you can't accuse them of bias.
Redb
Roar Guru
You should take heed yourself of your last sentence. Your not suggesting Swans crowds are made up just freebies. Swans crowds are remarkably good given the decline on the field. It is a lesson for all codes trying to expand, success brings a bandwagon that will un-hitch and go elsewhere once the team declines on the field. The Swans bandwagon was huge, big crowds, and reasonable TV ratings for awhile, the residual left is still pretty strong based on the people who still turn up to watch the games. If Bradshaw had been fit, the Swans would have pushed a lot further up the ladder this year. Their finals chances are 50:50. Win this week and they are in, the bandwagon's wheels grow a spoke.
bilbo
Guest
Junior passes go to people who play the game, and who are affiliated with the game - not just random school students and sponsors employees. Its a good thing too - because no-one watches it on TV. Desperate and declining NRL? Make up crowd figures? It's a shame that the internet allows people with no idea to have a voice.
jimbo
Roar Guru
" ANZ Stadium . . . is a terrible place to get to by public transport." Obviously from Melbourne john. ANZ Stadium has a railway station and bus interchange right outside the front gates - it couldn't be any easier to get there by public transport if you really wanted to see the Swans play there. The SCG is a 25 minute walk from central station and the city traffic is a gridlock for buses.
Rich_daddy
Roar Guru
Could not agree more, It's not just the stadium that's the issue, it is what is surrounding it. Around the SCG there are shops, pubs, restaurants where people can go before a game starts. It is perfect if you want to grab something to eat apart from overpriced pies and chips inside the ground. Telstra Stadium on the other hand is in the middle of nowhere with nothing to do except going to watch the game. It is majorly boring if you travelling up from somewhere like Canberra and have to sit there for 2 hours before hand. The only advantage Telstra stadium has is its capacity but this is usually not an issue as crowd attendances for those games would have easily fit in to the SCG. Worldsbiggest, You are exaggerating a bit with the 70,000 attending the preliminary final in 2006. It was just over 60,000 and I know because I was there. It probably would have been over 70,000 but there was a league final scheduled on the same night.
AL
Guest
Have to agree. The SCG is just a gimmick for the NRL to get people back to see the old inner city Sydney clubs by playing on nostalgia. Unfortunately for the NRL, the fact is people just simply do not go to games even with the blanket press coverage. You would have to say sooner or later people will figure out the king actually does not have clothes on and soccer or AFL will roll the NRL once and for all.
Joel
Guest
Your making too much sense. Homebush is a good location, it's just the stadium design that sucks. The SCG has a much better atmosphere. Is there anything that can be done to to improve the ground, like sound reflectors or closing off parts of the stands to make it feel more enclosed? They have to do something, it's an anti-stadium.
Joel
Guest
I love you haters, you make it so easy. The desperate and declining NRL has given away at least 175,000 free passes which can be used to enter any game. That's nominally over 4,500,000 free tickets for the season. http://www.nrl.com/NewsViews/LatestNews/NewsArticle/tabid/10874/newsId/57675/Default.aspx But that's not enough. When they aren't giving away free tickets they just allow free entry. http://www.nrl.com/NewsViews/LatestNews/NewsArticle/tabid/10874/newsId/58158/Default.aspx The Swans have given away some tickets to juniors and foreign students, but nowhere near the largess of the NRL. The NRL can't even sell out it's most important games and they make up crowd figures.
Worlds Biggest
Guest
JohnHunt92 - if your a passionate Swans fan ( sounds like you are ) don't you want to see your Club grow it's fan base ?. By playing all your home games at the SCG will preculde this from happening. Just sticking to your heartland base ( Eastern Suburbs and Nth Shore ) is a narrow minded approach which some Waratah supporters also embrace. Your comment " As well as that, the ground is a terrible place to get to by public transport, whereas the SCG is near ferries, buses, and trains " This is laughable stuff. Sydney Olympic Park Train station is a 5 minute walk to ANZ Stadium. The ferry stop at Homebush Bay is closer to ANZ then Circular Quay is to SCG. There is parking in the precinct for over 15,000 cars whereas parking at Moore Park is a shambles. I'm sure the strong Swans fan base in the Hills / Nth West Sydney appreciate getting to ANZ a hell of a lot more than the SCG. Regarding the crowd numbers dropping, would that have anything to do with Swans no longer dominating ?. They have won big games at ANZ most notably a Grand Final qualifier in front of over 70,000 in 2006. Sydney loves a winner so the Swans need ANZ for there bigger matches.
bilbo
Guest
Stunts to get the fans in? Well I guess the NRL havent got to the step of giving thousands of free tickets to every game like the Swans still do. League has a great history at the SCG - recognising and celebrating tradition is not a stunt. Why doesnt the MCG trust prevent AFL games from being played at the MCG - considering all the money that has been spent on Docklands? As for ANZ - its a shame that, in the attempt to build a stadium that covered every base and was multi purpose, they built a stadium that wasnt really ideal for anything.
Redb
Roar Guru
The AFL/Swans need to weigh up the best opportunities for a crowd year to year. In a first up elimination final I would go with the SCG, it has 45K capacity now - that is ample. The stadium use should match the crowd expectation, if the Swans were Top 4 with a home final then go with ANZ.
FNRL
Guest
The AFL should demand the SCG Trust stop allowing NRL matches to be played there. The spent millions building the SFS, so go and use the place! Instead you are always using stunts to get the fans in.
LK
Guest
I wouldn't read too much into Colless' comments. I just think he is being diplomatic and/or strategic. With GWS coming in the Swans wouldn't want to alienate their western Sydney fans. Also, there would be quite a few Swans fans who find ANZ easier to commute to.