Why the GWS Giants will be a raging success

The AFL's $1billion payday dependent on ch 9 entering the fray: http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/b-tv-goal-hinges-on-nine/story-e6frf9jf-1226011650222?from=public_rss

This thread contains various comments on the suitability of Blacktown over The Showgrounds for the GWS club. Blacktown is too small long term - AFL Clubs aim higher for attendances. Here is some info on the upgrade of the Showgrounds to eventually 25,000. If all goes to plan site works start up is only 3 months away. Sydney Royal Easter Show April 2011 Site establishment May 2011 Commencement on site May 2011 Early Work Commencement May 2011 Stage 1 Work Commencement June 2011 Stage 1 Construction Work June 2011 to April 2012 There are further stages planned which ironically may fit in with the clubs growth in actual membership and support etc. We assume the possible change of NSW Govt in March will not affect this program.

This sort of thing is a little too obvious, "Australia's Game": "Because when that see the Giants fly everyone would abandon rugby league,rugby union & football to become apart of Australia's game the greatest game of all AFL". Good effort all the same. Cheers, Roar Mods.

my point will never be put across whilst you people consider every suggestion from me to be offending your code, it is not, it was a comment on how they're branding could be improved, using marketing materials and names from the local area would be much better suited to a code impeding its values and game on an area which is otherwise absent minded on the status of this code. Back to Melbourne Rugby. Whilst it may not have the depth now, the point of its existence is to improve on this problem, whilst it may have a lack in this department in terms of players, support and sponsorship and demand for a rugby team havent and are not lacking. In any case, the administrators in Victorian Rugby and the people of Melbourne who are supportive of the code have embraced the naming, which is atleast, suitable to the manner which they refer to their city. This is opposed to those administrators calling the franchise "The greater melbourne and beyond that to the murray and then to some western boundary rebels" or the "the city founded by Batman rebels", no they called it the Melbourne Rebels, and as far as I'm concerned, people in Melbourne refer to their city as Melbourne. I Travel to Penrith everyday for Uni and I can see Parramatta and Homebush from my house, we do not call it "Greater Western Sydney" or "GWS"

Sorry mate nothing personal. I was thinking to myself as I read it that I would love to read a glowing piece just like that from someone who'd been to a Sydney FC game. All we've been getting recently is slings and arrows.

betamax - a bit of a time line. around Oct 2008 - rival codes announced as agreeing to support the bid, AFL stated unambiguously that they intended to retain Docklands stadium (Telstra Dome at the time) and play on as best as possible. FFA said there were several options. FOr most part of a year, nothing really said. Although, May 2010, Vic Govt minister Tim Pallis proclaims the soon to open Melb Rectangular Stadium as having the foundations to be expanded for any future world cup. Oct 2009 - FFA goes public with Docklands stadium as one of their required stadia. Golly - it's gone public. Now - you say 24 hours.......Demetriou and the AFL held off for a month until the first week of December. During the month of Nov Demetriou was actually off work with paternity leave. There were some comments made during Nov by Mike Fitzpatrick , but, the media didn't jump all over it. Also Nov 2009 - NRL is vocal, Gallop stating it's unworkable, and some club chiefs claiming that if the NRL accepted as was proposed that there would be a revolt and that clubs would be at risk. Dec 2009 - NRL rejects FFA official proposed work arounds. Across that weekend, Demetriou is in Perth briefing clubs, when asked what he was talking to them about the story breaks....because Demetriou has provided quotes that mostly were what Fitzpatrick had stated 2 weeks earlier. The media either didn't comprehend it earlier. Or was waiting for Andy D to ......add gravitas to it. At any rate - we DO know that Ben Buckley knew intimately the AFL position. He knew that the AFL couldn't seriously function in Melb without both Docklands and the MCG for 2 months mid season. He knew from 2008 the AFL's position. The AFL perhaps in good faith should've been able to assume that providing the MCG would be fine, because AAMI park would complement it and away they go. It was the FFA that threw the spanner in the works, very publicly, by asserting that Docklands was on the list. IN fact, Michaels Cockerill, Lynch and Ray Gatt had been briefed by the FFA and ran articles in late Oct 2009 before the FFA announcements - - preparing the way by claiming that rival codes would have to vacate host cities for the 4 weeks, plus give up venues for the 4 weeks lead in and that Docklands was getting used. Demetriou reminded them that they might want to confirm arrangements with the lease holder first, and that no combination of the MCG and Etihad would be workable. The FFA suggested the AFL would cost Victorians WC matches....which was odd hissy fit stuff, 'cos, SKilled Stadium had been offered up as a 2nd venue by Premier Brumby back to 2008, so, 2 venues in MElb/Vic was never in question....and it all was hissy fit stuff. Don't you go attempting to blame the AFL only. The FFA was severely complicit in the issue getting out of control. With Ben Buckley in the role he has - ignorance was no excuse. THey all played a high stakes game of poker, bluffing, blustering - in many respects, Frank met more than his match in Demetriou, and that was admitted via articles post the bid book being submitted. I can provide links for you to all of it. Been there done that. Main question I always wanted an answer to was what happened to AAMI park after May 2009? It was claimed to be too hard (re the roof, but the builder was quoted as saying it wasn't that hard), it was claimed the $150 million was too much, but, the proposed work around of building a stadium at E-Gate for footy was going to cost more. None of it really stacks up. I'll be very interested if someone compiles an insiders book on the WC bid from the different camps. Roberto - just one season - but, it was NOT the job of the AFL or NRL to organise or carry the cost burden. The FFA as an organisation was way to 'immature' to arrange it in the Aust context. That said, Qatar is a joke, but, a very well funded joke.

NF You may be right but you have to consider the real possibility that Melbourne will struggle to sustain a shared patronage i.e. the Storm and Rebels. Both have ex pat foundation support and the Storms is very much made up of those who are of the Union persuasion and took to the Storm because that was the closest thing on offer. Now all that is about to be put to the test. The Storm membership hasn't grown since early days and Leagues grassroots are unimpressive in the state of Vic, whereas Unions GR are superior and they have only just been afforded an elite presence in Melbourne. It is a luxury to have a brand as marketable as the Storm in a city of 4.5 mill with a membership of around 12K only, mind you a large part of this marketability is that they are associated with the Southern Capital. The only reason League continues to persist with having a presence in Melbourne is commercial criteria and especially tele. That this is enough is a moot point indeed.

If nothing else, GWS games will hopefully give me an opportunity to see my team (Adelaide) play in Sydney. I think the last 3 years, plus this year there has been no Sydney - Adelaide game in Sydney. Fans based in Sydney of other clubs might be thinking the same thing. BTW, I can see GWS being a success eventually.

What's with with you wanting to relocate the Storm to QLD/NSW as far as I'm concerned despite midnight coverage and indifference from the media the Storm are going pretty well despite everything that being happening. Melbourne Storm will stay full stop for the NRL to front up to the media companies with just a QLD/NSW competition that be getting less than every before. There's room for both league and union as much as you don't like that thought deal with it Republican. As far as I'm concerned Storm games should be shown live and don't give that 'it doesn't rate' excuse considering the pitiful ratings of the Swans & Lions in QLD/NSW markets. It's only fair that Storm get shown live too if the Swans/Lions wereh able to be screened live no matter how terrible there ratings are in the QLD/NSW markets.

Wall -Nut It's hard to say really. The Storm haven't grown in respect of Vic League's grassroots or their membership. What they do have however is membership of a very strong domestic product as well as a profile that goes with being a very successful side in a relatively short time. If the Rebels can be competitively successful on the field within a season or two then Union could very well have the wood on League. To fair better in respect of membership would not be a big ask and in fact I believe you alluded to this with 13K signed up already. Whether they can build on this healthy start which League clearly have not been able to do is crucial, especially considering this early membership as with the Force and Storm are the true believers who are in the main, made of of ex pats and in particular Kiwi ones. Unions grass roots are superior by along way copmpared to Leagues in Vic and especially in Melbourne, so I reckon Union will trump League if it comes to any forced relocation. The Super comp is also quite a niche product that doesn't have to sustain anywhere near as many fixtures throughout the footy season. This may afford it a better chance of capturing the fringe supporter in Melbourne, who goes for the novelty and especially given it's international status. I think Super Rugby will work in Melbourne however it is unlikely to threaten Soccer or Australian Footy for patronage. It will be compatible me thinks and League will actually be better off in the long term for re locating the Storm to another NSW or Qld demo. This should have happened along time ago in reality. Cheers.

Rugbyfuture Yes having locals represent your tribe is sadly null and void which is why I don't support a team but only a code these days. In respect of Union in Melbourne this has been taken to the cynical extreme in generic engineering of a brand, given the lack of depth here in this struggling code. This 'Melbourne Rebels' brand has such a large overseas component and ex pat support base that it makes GWS look positively indigenous. I cannot fathom why you entertain even having a case to crit a name in GWS at the same time defending the farcical Union illusion that is being rolled out in Melbourne and Vic presently as some sort of local entity. As far as 'Rebels' go please - what an oxymoron when you consider the cultural DNA of this extremely contrived brand. I don't think any of them would have the foggiest or even care about the derivation of it's namesake. Nuff said.

OzFootballSherrin, Given that it was about 24 hours between the Etihad stadium being proposed as a venue and Demetriou throwing his toys out of the pram, I don't think he thought it through properly, if at all. If I can put my business hat on, I'm sure if he would have engaged in a little more dialogue with the FFA, he could have come out of it with a result for the AFL if not a mutually agreeable compromise. But no, he took the hissy-fit-grandstanding approach, which made him and the code he represents look, well, stupid.

it was just one season, that's all, in exchange for a once in a lifetime opportunity to be the centre of the World's attention and to bring so much joy into the lives of all Austrlalians it was an opportunity to announce our arrival on the world stage, to declare to the world that we had finally made something of ourselves, that we had some real esteem amongst the world's population

betamax - seriously now, with a business hat on - - just please propose the model that BOTH the NRL and AFL would have been humanly possible in a free market economy, and given the size of each industry and the responsibilities of the executives of the AFL, ARL and NRL - please tell us just how you would have managed the scenario you reckon was so simple - - to pull up stumps on the AFL (and I'm assuming you'd have the NRL do the same) for a season. Just how do you figure that would've worked? (because, what is common knowledge is the numbers were rubbery, inflated by 'intangible's such as 'feel good factor', and what's also well known is such major events always OVER estimate benefit and UNDER estimate costs). Let's please all reside in the real world.

Incredible, both betamax and punter have deep seated issues with the australian indigenous game, and continually post on Australian football boards, yet profess to know no players, and understand very little about the game, the irony is amazing, i am flabbergasted !!.

I cannot agree with you more Betamax.

no I didn't. read my posts, I never inferred that just because a footballer doesnt come from the area he can't represent, however I did imply that using the proper cultural divides and words used in the areas in the naming of a franchise is.

My point is that with Australia and the Australian population set to gain so much, that the AFL simply had to step aside and allow the Government to get on with it

mds1970 - It's not about it making a difference to the result. The WC campaign exposed the AFL for being recalcitrant, protectionist and just down right stubborn. Of course it made no difference to the result, which I personally think was predetermined, but the way Andy D handled his side of negotiations was ugly and a bit childish.