Everybody knew from the outset that the AFL’s push into the Western Sydney region was going to be a tough one.
“Nobody likes that crap,” people muttered. Pejorative names such as Aerial ping pong, GayFL and “that shit sport where they wear short-shorts” were used interchangeably.
And while the Giants have somewhat made their mark out west, they are a long way off of entrenching themselves in the region.
Take the Giants position and compare it to the new Wanderers A-League franchise and it’s basically chalk and cheese.
It’s actually surprising how well the Wanderers have done on and off the field.
And maybe that on field component is part of the success.
Nobody likes watching a team get thrashed (unless Collingwood’s on the receiving end), so while the Giants are in their infancy and copping 100-point beltings each week, the naysayers will continue to have a smirk on their face and the potential fans won’t turn up until the club starts winning games.
You need to win games to engage support.
Perhaps another reason you could say the Wanderers are doing much better is because of the sport itself.
Due to West Sydney’s immigrant communities, soccer has a purpose and is representative of those communities.
The AFL is entrenched in the southern states; however it takes a back seat to the other three codes in Sydney.
It’s all about culture. If you don’t grow up with a sport, you find it very hard to feel a part of it. Only until recently have I taken an interest in soccer. In Adelaide, it’s footy in the winter, cricket in the summer. So I enjoy those sports’ more due to my upbringing with them.
For example; when you see the Giants doing things such as displaying the rules of the game to the crowd on the big screen, you know it’s reflective of the areas’ lack of knowledge on the sport.
The failing experiment of bringing Israel Folau to the Giants was highly controversial. When you head hunt one of the superstars of a rival code simply to get a bit of attention and a couple of extras through the turnstiles, it shows the club in a negative light.
Ok; say Adelaide got a rugby league team and head hunted Patrick Dangerfield to play for the new team just to get attention, do you think it would work?
They’d certainly get attention; but more along the lines of white collar workers and grandmas rioting in Victoria Square than a sell out at a rugby league match.
Essentially the Giants have gone about things haphazardly.
Not only have they pissed off the population with their head hunting of a player from West Sydney’s favourite code, they’ve also created an inexperienced team set to lose the majority of this season’s games in the fickle sporting landscape of Sydney that’s expectant of winners.
The Giants also need to let the game grow in the region, and avoid tacky approaches to create interest in the game, such as displaying the rules on the scoreboard.
Soccer has come in, put a team together and a winning team at that, and hasn’t worried about poaching players to make headlines.
The Wanderers have played it cool, put a competitive team on the park, represented the region properly and as a result, seem a natural fit in West Sydney.
Playing it cool is the name of the game.
So do I think it will be alright in the future? Sure, but not for a while yet.
It took the Sydney Swans fifteen years to even be recognised as a big player in the Sydney sporting landscape, and since then they’ve still had trouble consistently gaining significant media attention year in, year out.
But sure, in time the Giants should get a pretty decent following.
West Sydney’s population is massive and if the Giants start representing the region properly, I think more people will start to show their support.
But until that happens, the Wanderers will continue to be miles ahead.
I am Curious
Guest
"The Giants on the other hand is the team we were told we had to have". Please provide reference. I dont recall this comment. "Sheedy came in screaming and hollering about how great it is for the poor people of the Western Sydney he will save us all with AFL." Please provide reference (Sheedy "hollering" for a Marshall doesnt count). I don't believe he ever said these express words or similar. If he did (highly highly unlikely), I apologise. If he didnt, you made this up. "We were told that we needed a team despite only a handful of people being interest". I dont recall them saving this, though I do agree only a small percentage of WS residents have an interest, similar to the soccer club Wanderers (if it were a "large" interest they would need to play games at Homebush in front of 80,000 (about 5% of the WS population) "We had no voice on name, colours and in the end home ground." This is incorrect. A website was established and advertised asking for nominations I also think you need to replace "we" in your comment with "I" Win games = win supporters
db swannie
Guest
Fred... ANTI football,? If you are using the word FOOTBALL or FOOTY in SYDNEY ,you are talking about RL or Soccer,not AFL.. No charge for enlightening the southerners.
Redb
Roar Guru
ha! pay that :)
Redb
Roar Guru
Methinks you doth protest too much, Eddie McGuire who has nothing to do with GWS made a comment about a Falafel and GWS folk defended the region.
Phelpsy
Guest
So it is. Didn't realise it was a cover either ... There you go
Kasey
Guest
Its already been said that take out the Swans v GWS game and the giants attendance starts to look really anaemic. That derby crowd was 38k and as you point outBrendanL how many were AFL-funded freebies joining the Swans members (Swans membership is roughly 32k, leaving the last 6k made up of the combo of GWS members and freebie users)?
Redb
Roar Guru
Western Sydney is a main soccer area its not a big deal they are doing well. GWS have a much harder road to hoe, more akin to the Storm, Force and Rebels in the AFL states.
mds1970
Roar Guru
GWS currently have 6,902; Gold Coast have 6,921. There's no breakdown available of where GWS's 6,902 members come from. Wouldn't expect either club to move many in January, but they've both got home NAB Cup triple-headers in February where they'll be pushing them heavily. But if you want to be spared the ghastly sight of Sheeds in budgie smugglers, you know what you've got to do.
jb
Guest
ababhbhahaah thats gold, yeap, little old Nike deliberetly didnt want to make money to keep that corporate giant FFA happy and limited supply
Kasey
Guest
Exactly. It was the colonialist attitude of the Vic-media ”we just have to show these Northern Heathens what a ‘real sport’ is and they’ll like/love it just like we do” was theoverwhelming public impression generated by the way GWS went about their business. Going in WSWs favour was the fact that as redb mentions assembling a competitive football team is a lot easier when you are only constrained by the minimal restrictions placed on HAL teams (salary cap+ squad size) being the only two I can think of. Going against WSW was the shoe-string budget they had and the severely compressed time-frame with which to work. Balancing out the positives and the negatives of the hand WSW were dealt one can only say that regardless of comparisons with other sports, they've done a remarkable job.
jb
Guest
years ago??? they've only been aroud 1. everyone i know who went to GWS games also went of free tickes.
Redb
Roar Guru
but but but lol
Redb
Roar Guru
jb, I refer you to this article today: http://www.theroar.com.au/2013/01/10/gallops-pays-tribute-to-wanderers-success/ WSW are aiming to be bigger than Collingwood, do you think they will stay play at Parramatta?? Even if they are half the size of Collingwood in a few years they will outgrow that stadium very quickly and guess where they will be playing their home games.... What then? your arugment is lying shattered on the virtual floor.
jb
Guest
this: "But the AFL have the time and money" is what gets people and what the AFL doesnt understand, we (western sydney) are constantly being told that GWS have the time and money to be a success and you will eventually be won over. sorry AFL, its not time and money, its heart and you dont have that. WSW came out to our suburbs and spoke with us, not at us, listened and are now doing great. Please don think you can buy our support. GWS needs to rethink its strategy and start again, as the RBB says, 'shoulder to shoulder'.
Redb
Roar Guru
Wrong on the team colours and name, GWS did the same thing.
Redb
Roar Guru
AR, That's right. The Swans are much bigger in Sydney compared to the Storm in Melbourne and have been for a decade. The time was right for a second Sydney team. We are constantly told how Western Sydney is a city in its own right.
jb
Guest
WSW were rushed in a year early becuase of the fall of GCFC (was killed off essentialy when clive palmer lost interest) and the impending television deal. Without 10 clubs they could not put on 5 matches per week for pay tv, this would have smashed the tv deal, with the success of WSW and other clubs increasing their attendance, and record (yes lower that AFL) tv numbers they have massively increased the tv deal and will also have 1 game per week on free to air. that coupled with constant pressure from the Asian federation (for AFL fans, yes, some games are played by more than 1 country) to hold onto ACL spots meant that they needed to act fast (i know this doesnt compare to the AFL tv deal or numbers, but that is not the point of this thread)
jb
Guest
for those not in Sydney, homebush is west OF sydney but it is not seen as being IN western sydney. Parramatta is central to most of western sydney with direct access from all directions and more importantly, it is seen to be IN western sydney. When the WSW were consulting with the community there was a huge push from the fans to play anywhere BUT homebush as it is not seen as being in their backyard. With the GWS moving out to homebush, this was seen as an abandonment of the west and they are western only by name.
jacket
Guest
Reaching 200,000 should be easy, just use the birchgrove oval afl auditors!
jb
Guest
the difference being that nearly all the WSW fans have paid for their tickets, you could pick up free tickets to any games, even the swans match, for GWS across most of the western sydney suburbs i frequent. It got to a point that you didnt even think of paying to attend a match, just hunt down the closest freebie. Having rubbish comments coming from within the AFL about 'kebab land' also did not help your cuase one bit.