It seems like only a short while ago, FFA were delving into the many areas that make up what is popularly referred to as Western Sydney.
In truth the geographic area is huge and about the only thing that many suburbs have in common is the fact they are a fair distance from the Opera House, Harbour Bridge and the coast.
The very real consultation that took place at many levels and subsequent birth of the Western Sydney Wanderers is generally regarded as a roaring success both in terms of the process employed and what evolved from the exercise.
Everyone knows the history. The success in the club’s first season, Australian joy in the ACL etc etc. The club moved into private ownership, Lyall Gorman moved on to spearhead the renaissance of the Cronulla Sharks and the club began to change or perhaps evolve.
During that time, the club enjoyed strong and energetic support, growth in membership and a seemingly strong bond between the playing staff and supporters. Players making appearances in shopping centres were swept up in the joyous singing and chanting from hundreds and sometimes thousands of fans, congregating and all decked out in the club colours and it seemed that Tony Popovic and his team could do no wrong.
Wind the clock forward and the exciting news was that Parramatta stadium was to be redeveloped and turned into a stadium that the various football codes would be proud of in the early part of the 21st century. The downside was that the redevelopment would take three years and that WSW needed a new place to call home.
While The Eels were in a similar position, they had regularly played at Homebush, specifically at ANZ and the upheaval did not appear to particularly unsettle the Rugby League fraternity.
However, as soon as the announcement was made concerning “time in the wilderness” the prophets of doom came out of hiding and predicted a very unhappy ending. Two seasons have now passed, Mr Popovich moved on and in spite of a win and five draws Hayden Foxe was moved on and Josep Gumbau took over the hot seat.
The playing record and results gained to date would have most coaches examining what is available on Seek.com.au or similar employment web sites although rumours abound of more ex-Adelaide players signing up to join up with their old coach which perhaps indicates Gombau has more time to turn things around.
(AAP Image/ Julian Smith)
Clearly some of the players are not happy with the set up, style of play or game time they are receiving and it appears that there will be yet another mass turnover of players at season end.
The players are one aspect, the fans a separate issue altogether. It appears that the club has grown tired of the antics of the active support and now are not bothered whether they show up or not.
The rest of the fans are heavily divided on the subject although the majority at least want to hear the singing and chanting and boisterous support if not some of the more nefarious activities associated with the club’s active support.
Two seasons playing at the two soulless and unsuitable stadiums at Homebush is wearing down many supporters. The crowds are dwindling and the care factor is disappearing.
Next week’s game is “make or break” on the field against Brisbane but asking around a broad range of supporters, nobody seems to be particularly concerned.
In fact I even heard a fellow fan mention he would miss next week’s game in favour of watching GWS play the Swans and that would have been unheard of just a few seasons ago.
So is it a correct assertion that the owners don’t care about the fans? The players don’t care about performance and the fans don’t care about the club?
If that is the case, there might not be much to come back to in Parramatta at the end of next season. The local restaurants and pubs have certainly missed the fans and I suspect many fans feel the same way about all the Church street eateries and other licensed establishments.
Visiting Lidcombe and Homebush before or after the match just doesn’t contain the same warm inviting glow that is generated along “the strip”.
Meanwhile right in the middle of all the upheaval, cross town rivals SFC have been producing “in spades” just as many predicted when the A-League first came along.
Does the level of success of Graham Arnold and his cohorts make things even more difficult for WSW both on and off the field?
Right now, Western Sydney is ripe for the picking if there is to be a third Sydney side anytime soon. If it is set up in the right manner, it may well attract across plenty of fans that liked the original Wanderers but have become disenchanted during the time in exile.
It begs the question, has John Tsatsimas and his team lost the battle of the west already?
Cousin Claudio
Roar Guru
Victorian Rules has clearly taken over the world. Wait till the barefoot children of Mt Druitt start playing AFLX in the streets in deleria of joy . . .
josh
Guest
First off what the AFL has isn't a derby, the fans sit next to each other. It's a plastic manufactured rivalry. Secondly the South-West is still the West, it's red and black.
Buddy
Guest
Josh, why not a team based in the south west? But even if the team is somewhere else there could well be fans that nave become disillusioned with the current set up and may well jump ship...... and I assure you there are plenty that follow more than just football and as a sporting contest on the back of last weekend’s results the derby in the AFL is probably more mouthwatering than another home game at ANZ!
josh
Guest
Western Sydney will never have another team, the next will be right in Sydney FC's backyard. Also I don't believe for a second any WSW fan would attend a GWS match, that's absurd.
RandyM
Guest
Even Foxtel now, the streaming version displays a message after a few hours asking if you are still watching. I run it through my playstation and pretty certain there's no sensor.
Nemesis
Guest
Ok. That also happens with my plasma TV & LED Tv - it cuts off after about 2 hours I think, if the remote has not been pressed - & I'm not connected to a Foxtel Set-Top-Box. It's purely a safety feature & to save electricity for people who fall asleep when watching TV. I think I change the settings to switch off sooner, or later; or maybe to turn that setting off completely.
chris
Guest
They use OzTam as its the industry standard. Foxtel use their own ratings (as I've stated above) to tell them exactly what is going on.
Buddy
Guest
Chris, thought I’d try and find some answers on ratings and it appears that Foxtel ratings are compiled the same way as FTA. This was an interesting article from a few years ago but it does suggest a traditional approach and cannot take into account the way in which many people consume broadcast material these days. https://mediaweek.com.au/inside-australian-tv-ratings-data-collection/
chris
Guest
Not sure about satellites Buddy. I've seen the raw data from the set top boxes and they do know everything I have pointed out and more.
chris
Guest
Nem try leaving on your Foxtel box and leave the room. After 4 hours it cuts out if no one is in front of it. Obviously it's some sort of motion sensor etc and can't identify who you are. But they do know if there is someone in front of the tv.
Buddy
Guest
Chris, the feed on my foxtel unit is one way. I receive off the satellite via a dish and through the receiver box. There is nothing that is going to send data back upstream. Assuming Foxtel don’t install meters in the same way that they do for fta I don’t see how they can know anything more than I have Foxtel installed?
Nemesis
Guest
"They even know if you are in front of the TV actually watching something or have left the room" Is this serious, or tongue-in-cheek? How is this possible? unless they've got cameras watching your every move, which would be a huge violation of privacy & I'd be surprised if Foxtel subscribers are aware they're being watched.
chris
Guest
Buddy Foxtel ratings are precise. Every set top box sends back what you are watching, what you record, what you fast forward through etc etc etc. They even know if you are in front of the TV actually watching something or have left the room. Much more accurate figures than OzTam
morebeer
Guest
Grobbelaar, seriously, how much do the AFL pay you.
Buddy
Guest
Thanks...memory plays terrible tricks. It didn’t feel that way in season onefor WSW and that might just have been to do with playing in an approprite sized stadium where 10k felt much better than either of the two Homebush stadiums.
Nemesis
Guest
WSW crowds did drop below 10k in their first season. 5 matches below 10k out of 14 home matches. Lowest crowd was 6,755 in Rd10 vs Brisbane on 9 Dec 2012.
Buddy
Guest
Fd - season 1 for WSW i m fairly sure crowds did not drop below 10k. That was the crowd at first ever game against Mariners - a 0-0 draw. I was interested to see whether voices outside of the club perceive that there are problems within the club hierarchy. The opinion appears to be as divided as the current supporters of the club. Melodrama? Not sure about that label but clearly the numbers are falling away and the care factor uis also falling sharply. Maybe see what the coming weekend brings when there is a “all hands to the pumps” game coming up. That should indicate quite clearly as to whether there are other issues in the picture.
Nemesis
Guest
If Foxtel TV ratings for ALeague fall below 200k per match, FFA has to pay Foxtel $100M per game penalty. So, this season the FFA is likely to have to pay Foxtel around $13 billion. Hope this provides significant excitement for your life. PS: Given how titillated you get about the Timestamp on each post, I should tell you I'm posting this from the island of Kauai in Hawaii.
Alicesprings
Guest
Let’s assune 100k watch the swans on TV each week. In a state with 7.5million that equates (if my maths is correct) to 1 in 75 people. The Giants would be lucky to get 50k a week watching. Hardly impressive figures. The HAL figures at the moment are even less impressive. Interestingly both codes despite their low viewership have disproportionately large attendances - especially when compared to the NRL clubs. The reason why the AFL clubs recieve bulk sponsorship is less to do with the NSW viewership and more to do with the national audience. Either way the scope for both HAL and AFL clubs in NSW is huge! The reason why all codes are dumping cash out West.
The Joy Of X
Guest
@Grobbelaar 2.4 -2.08pm and your comment "why do the Giants earn three or four times the sponsorship revenue as the Wanderers..."? GWS gets about $10,000,000 pa in Private sponsorship. Do you know if this includes the direct sponsorship they receive for their AFLW team? And this amount? What is the total sponsorship of the WSW in 2017/18? Aligee says that GWS total ratings (FTA and Foxtel) in NSW ONLY are about 100k per game. Do you agree? What were the total (FTA and Foxtel) average weekly Ratings, in NSW ONLY, for GWS in 2017? And 2014? Is anyone aware if the A League Ratings overall fall below a certain level, then Foxtel can legally reduce the cash and/or contra component of its Rights before their expiry date? Much appreciated if you can provide this information.