The success of the Western Sydney Wanderers as a sporting franchise has been pretty astonishing over the past couple of years.
The circumstances fell into place so well, with the Wanderers slipping into an environment which had missed major sporting success in recent years.
The emergence and prominence of the RBB and “active support” at games was a major attraction to those who’d never considered the A-League before.
The fairytale ran through the whole season with the side becoming regular-season champions and going one win away from taking the double in their debut year.
The change in atmosphere around Parramatta was palpable, Peter Wynn’s started promoting Wanderers gear alongside their usual NRL gear outside the shop. Almost every shop along Church street had a red and black banner declaring their allegiance to the Wanderers.
It was the biggest shift of the local public consciousness towards football since 2006 and it reminded me a lot of the massive run Parramatta made in the finals in 2009.
However Western Sydney doesn’t just consist of Parramatta and what has puzzled me is the Wanderer’s real lack of enterprise to stretch out and really try and engage the people they are trying to represent.
For a team donned the “Wanderers”, despite their ability to travel in their thousands into the city, Gosford, Newcastle and sometimes even interstate, they really haven’t wandered much around Western Sydney. They went to Campbelltown once in their first year, and made a couple visits around the suburbs in their trial games.
And while several Wanderers fans travel from all parts of Western Sydney, the effect of the Wanderers on communities outside Parramatta were much less profound. Wanderers jerseys could occasionally be found on fans, but the amount of red and black generally on display was far away from the benchmark set by Parramatta.
Many Wanderers fans believe that games should remain at Parramatta but, in my view, this will only lead to their detriment and limit their potential.
If they were the Parramatta Wanderers they could rely on the local connection to sustain themselves, but taking on the mantle of representing Western Sydney means that they have lost at least a bit of that local connection.
The locals lose that sense of responsibility over the team if they don’t draw crowds. They fall into the crowd of the myriad of other teams which also claim to represent Western Sydney.
But to make up for this loss of responsibility, the team can represent a larger area of fans and has the potential to become a much bigger club. But only if that club is able to own the areas it claims to represent.
The whirlwind success of the Wanderers can only last so long, eventually they won’t have the current mystique and appeal that they currently possess. Eventually their chants will age, and their results will taper, and by this time the Wanderers will need to consolidate their fan-base.
Now is the time for the Wanderers to capitalise on their appeal and expand their fan-base. Otherwise they risk constricting their future growth and boxing themselves into only playing out of, and being relevant in, Parramatta.
Rodney
Roar Pro
That's a bit of an assumption. Even the most hardened wanderers fan wouldn't deny Parramatta has gotten on board with the wanderers more than any other CBD. Playing trials and women's games around a variety of venues but not budging with any weighted A-league or ACL matches makes the gesture seem token. School visits are par for the course of any professional sporting team, it really dosen't set the wanderers aside as pioneers of community engagement Western sydney has almost 1/11th of Australia's population and is almost the size of Palestine. In such a decentralized and vast area I don't think its really possible to engage all of these populations by just playing out of a single venue. I don't know the wording of the deal for Parramatta Stadium, but seeing as they were only obliged to play 13 home games at Parra in the 12/13 it suggests they have a fair bit of flexibility which they're not utilizing. This year they will at least play 17 home games at the Parramatta (and will have a decent chance of at least matching that next year).
Chowder
Guest
I think it would be better to be a side in the Wollongong area. There's certainly a lot of football fans down there. Better to extend to some other state areas before flooding the city.
IanW
Guest
A third Sydney side in the A-League somewhere near Liverpool makes sense to me, especially if the Balmain-Wests merger continues to be more Balmain and less Wests.
AZ_RBB
Guest
Parramatta is culturally and financially head and shoulders above the rest. It is seen as the next major CBD in Sydney. Many multinationals are now based in Parramatta instead of the city. Although this new airport might help a few of the others catch up.
albatross
Roar Pro
Somebody said that Parramatta isn't the heart of western Sydney. "The Western Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils Ltd (WSROC) represents ten local councils in Western Sydney: Auburn, Bankstown, Blacktown, Blue Mountains, Fairfield, Hawkesbury, Holroyd, Liverpool, Parramatta, and Penrith."
RBBAnonymous
Guest
What a stupid article. You do realise that the Wanderers represent all of Western Sydney and they do it well. We have had our womens team play out of Campbelltown and Marconi Fairfield, our youth team out of Cook Park in St Marys and also Marconi. We also have the Wanderers training facilities out at Rooty Hill/Doonside. We have held forums, pre season matches and the club runs heaps of clinics and visits schools all over the region. We have a commercial arrangement to play matches out of Parramatta, which is the Perfect venue for the Wanderers as it is pretty much the centre of Western Sydney. Are you trying to be a sports journalist, because you're not a very good one. You have copped an absolute hiding from everyone here. Almost no one agrees with your article. Cop it on the chin, you can do better.
bill boomer
Guest
That's what i love about this site, people are succinct. There are no rambling verbose posts here!
oly09
Roar Rookie
This article is complete rubbish. For a start, WSW train and are based during the week at Blacktown and just play games at Parramatta. As countless other people have said, Parramatta is the centre of Western Sydney and therefore an easy place for people from all parts of western Sydney to get to. There are zero incentives for WSW to move any games to Campbelltown or Penrith, absolutely zero.
AZ_RBB
Guest
I don't think you properly appreciate the intangible value of having a 'home ground'. I would encourage you to speak to more WSW members. A lot of people laugh at the nickname 'Wanderland ' but to a WSW fan its invaluable. We've even started chanting about our home ground. Our firms are named after parts of the ground. Its part of our identity. Turning it into a travelling roadshow would cheapen that identity. Its that identity and image that draws people to our club. Not because its convenient or nearby. Maybe if we go several years with low membership numbers then suggestions like yours should be considered. But to meddle with what we have now is very dangerous and somewhat illogical. But in saying all that, we do have 14 home games next season. We could take one else where, as part of our community round like we did in Campbelltown in 12/13.
Rodney
Roar Pro
I'm not suggesting the team move a majority of its operations out of parramatta, just a larger commitment than what there is present. Parramatta should still host most Wanderers games, but in the effort of trying to drum up support sometimes you will need to bring the product to the people. While the wanderers are still a good team and the RBB still has its current mystique in the eyes of the general public they have a decent chance of winning over more Western Sydney CBDs if greater investment is shown towards them. A major problem among teams that have represented WS is that they have boxed themselves in a rut by only playing out of one ground and only engaged a certain demographic of the audience they're trying to represent. And while Parramatta might be the best city to host a Western Sydney team its not the only western sydney city and neglecting these external areas could lead to a lack of relevance outside of parramatta.
Rodney
Roar Pro
my suggestion would be to spread more meaningful games around sydney. Of course, Parramatta would always be the center of operations as it is the easiest ground to get to for a majority of people who live in Western Sydney. But spreading some games would help 'spread the word' and engage more people outside the general Parramatta base area. While Parramatta is the best place for a west sydney team, not all of Western Sydney are sold on this western sydney team and the Wanderers (while they are still a form team and the RBB is a cult of personality) currently have a decent chance of selling themselves to a much broader audience. I agree playing out of Parramatta is a much better position than playing out of Homebush for a team that represents western sydney. But for its advantage of being at the 'centre' of the west, the advantage to those outside parramatta will only apply if those outside parramatta are sold on the Wanderers, and I believe the best method of providing this is to bring the message to the people. A couple matches a year of full (weighted) game day intensity to showcase the Wanderers experience would go a long way to really making a communal association that the Wanderers are 'their team'. Parramatta should always have a majority of the games, but there's plenty of games in an a-league season (not to mention the added flexibility the ACL provides) and I beleive there's plenty of space to allow for some journeys around WS without jeopardizing its central identity of playing out of parramatta. As for Sydney FC, i think everything about them has helped perpetuate and create the great rivalry they have with WSW. They probably weren't the best in getting a local connection, although at the time they were made football needed attention more than connections as it was desperately starved of oxygen. They were pitched as a glamour club and for the majority acted like one, their purpose was and is to create attention and emphasize the seriousness of the A-league. Bring in big names and represent an elite standard. The Wanderers, I see, as purposely designed to counteract this. They brought football to the heartlands and really brought some tribalism. Sydney v Melbourne was more of a glamour derby, while WSW v ESFC is a geographical derby. The Wanderers have been built from the community up, in contrast to the top-down design of ESFC with it virtually being the product of one mans wealth. While the club hasn't been the best for directly engaging the community, I think it really needed to act the way it has to help give the A-league credibility and to provide a springboard for WSW.
WestieRBB
Guest
Note the author is a Newcastle Knights fan who usually writes about league... hence the mentality of roam around and hope for the best.
Pablo
Guest
This article is rubbish, poorly researched and makes inaccurate statements about the reach and extent of WSW's support. Pre-season games were played in Canberra, Campbelltown, Penrith, Blacktown, Bankstown, Fairfield. Regional groups of WSW fans regularly meet up when not able to be at the game live and partnerhips and links have been established with a wide range of community groups in the greater Sydney region. The RBB has been proactive from before the start of 2012-2013 season to connect with communities including numerous succesful fund raising events and activities. The success of connecting with community is reflected in one of the biggest memberships in HAL, and many members come from well outside Sydney - I'm one of those! The club has done a great job to keep all members and non-members informed along the way, including very affordable packages. As we develop the club further I'm sure the outreach can then go to more remote areas of NSW and even interstate. I reckon one day we'll have supporter chapters all over Australia and even overseas. We have vision!
Mack
Guest
The Wanderers have played pre-season matches over the last two seasons in Canberra, Campbelltown, Penrith, Blacktown, Bankstown, Fairfield & Parramatta. Several of those locations also host Youth & Womens league matches during their seasons. About the only places that are part of the WSW target area that anyone could say haven't been visited in pre-season are in the Hills District, and in Liverpool, but both of those locations arguably lack the type of team the Wanderers would want to go up against in pre-season, not to mention that Fairfield is close enough to Liverpool that in many discussions the area is called "Fairfield/Liverpool". What a rubbish article.
Phil
Guest
I live 25km from Parramatta. In the past year I have seen people wearing: about one Parramatta jersey, two Bulldogs jerseys, three Tigers jerseys and a truckload of Wanderers jerseys. When in Parramatta, and I go there a lot, not just when Wanderers play, I haven't seen a single Parramatta jersey except someone on the train. Benchmark set by Parramatta? Who is this article kidding?
ciudadmarron
Guest
Thanks for replying Rodney, much appreciated. But what is your suggestion, actually? More regular season games at Penrith and Campbelltown? Anything else? I agree that one off games won't do a whole lot - that's why the work they club does with the local associations and in schools is far more important in my book. I appreciate that by playing in one area alone for the regular season (I wonder what your thoughts on Sydney FC are btw) might have the appearance of not representing all of WS but Parramatta is simply the hub that allows people to get there most easily from all over. You need a home, as others have said - that's part of building identity, it has to be somewhere. And the amount of jerseys and bumper stickers I see out and about is testament to the fact that a large number of people are quite happy with this. I can recall last season the number of people who were amazed, and stated as much to me personally, that all these westies had been brought together with one thing. In their minds, it hadn't happened before. Okay, let's see. Sydney Thunder: play at homebush which is an even worse option than parra for representing Western Sydney. If you weren't told by commentators that they were supposed to be the westie team, there'd be no way of knowing. GWS: play at homebush and Canberra. Their floundering efforts to represent Western Sydney are well documented elsewhere. They can turn it around but it's going to take a long time before they capture the imagination as a team truly representative of the area. At least the thunder have a few local products (from memory...) Razorbacks: played at homebush (there's a distinct pattern here isn't there). didn't capture the imagination but this was probably to do with the NBL's troubles as much as their own. I'd add Wests Tigers on to the list; and they play a few poorly attended games at Campbelltown and the rest at Leichhardt or the SFS. Out of all these candidates, the Wanderers and the Tigers are the only ones that actually play in Western Sydney proper! And the split venues of the Tigers is failing. They aren't embraced by folk in the south west because they are too much Balmain and don't play there enough. Whereas, every westie can get to Parra with ease, from the Hawkesbury, the mountains and the west, the south west, up the T-way, a short trip from the north west...it's all there, and it's working! I agree that the Wanderers MUST continue the community stuff and keep it as a cornerstone of their existence and I hope the new owners take this on board. But jumping around disrupts identity and ease. You want people to form the habit of going.
Gazmon
Guest
Good point. A lot of people do not understand the geographical size of western Sydney, nor the time it can take to get from one side to the other. On paper it might look like a 10-minute trip, in reality its 2-hours by public transport. I deal with a Brisbane based head office every day of the week and it's impossible to get them to understand the logistics of dealing in Sydney. Yes, the Wanderers represent western Sydney, however that does not mean that they need to play in every venue in the catchment to be able to make that claim. They need a hub and a base to be a stable entity. Football is a business now, but would it be appropriate for a western Sydney-based business to move offices every second week to 'represent' the area? It's difficult for the club to have any bargaining power when negotiating with stadiums to get a fair deal if they're only playing one or two games a season there - not to mention that the Wanderers supportrtds voted heavily in favour of basing themselves out of Parramatta (not to mention Pirtek Stadium is a perfect venue for the club as it exists at present). Parramatta is the central component of western Sydney, both in business and transport. It makes sense to keep the team based there on match days. Yes, I'll admit that the popularity of the club has been tied to the success early on from the team itself - but what sport isn't that way? (especially in Sydney to be specific) I have no doubts that even if the club aren't getting results on the field that the fans will still follow them and support them. Numbers may drop and some interest will wane, that's natural, but the core will be there. If you move the club around then you upset that core, then you find yourself in the middle of an identity crisis. If the team moved to Blacktown, you'd upset people in Liverpool. If they moved to Liverpool, people in Blacktown and Penrith would be upset - Parramatta suits all (for the most part). There is parking for those that drive, buses heading in all directions and a major train station - what more do people want? There is also a lot of shopping and restaurants as well as an atmosphere in Parramatta on match days that would never be replicated anywhere else in western Sydney.
Josh
Guest
You must be forgetting or just not aware of the fan forums that engaged us from day 1, and the numeous sponsor and community events that part or most of the squad have showed up at. I remember seeing Shannon Cole and some others at a Nepean gala day at Cook Park back in 2012 prior to S1 kicking off.
Towser
Guest
"But Parramatta isn’t Western Sydney, it doesn’t even make up a majority of the region" But the club isn't called Parramatta its called Western Sydney it just happens to play out of a stadium there and appears to be doing ok by doing so. Football fans in Western Sydney are identifying with it as their club, as opposed to the Parramatta Power which drew paltry crowds by comparison, even a Grand Final at the stadium got 9000. Your assumption that it cant represent Western Sydney as a whole is just that an assumption ,as it's mine that it can and does. The key indicator as to who is right or wrong will be crowd growth at Parramatta stadium. If the club actually starts to fill the stadium from its "Sellouts and forces more expansion then its tentacles as representative of the region grows. If it one day becomes Asian Champions(then onto the World Club Championship) then I guarantee that it will truly represent Western Sydney, as no other sporting club in the West can reach such a profile.
NotDelusional
Guest
Copying the NRL strategy for clubs is the wrong way to go about it. Football is different. The identity of a club lies in having a fortified home ground. You build history by playing at the same place. If anything an argument could be made that by wandering and playing several games a season away from your home ground, could in fact have a negative effect with the supporters you already have. Why do that? Western Sydney Wanderers have a good thing going for them. If their crowds drop to below 8k then looking elsewhere may be a solution. Don't change a winning formula.