Greater Western Sydney are a genuine premiership threat. They have enviable depth, top-tier talent at nearly every position and are, arguably, the most pleasing team to watch play football. So why are the fans still staying away?
Despite sitting third on the ladder at 9-4, with the second-best percentage in the competition, just 45,301 fans have come through the turnstiles at the sponsor-less Giants Stadium this season – a measly average of 11,325.
While Facebook footy pundits are all too happy to question the sustainability of hapless Gold Coast, the fact is the Suns still draw better crowds than their vastly more successful expansion brethren. Check out this comparison.
With finishing positions
Season | Gold Coast Suns | GWS Giants |
---|---|---|
2011 | 17th, 19,169 | – |
2012 | 17th, 13,645 | 18th, 10,825 |
2013 | 14th, 13,907 | 18th, 9,701 |
2014 | 12th, 16,092 | 16th, 9,226 |
2015 | 16th, 12,361 | 11th, 10,786 |
2016 | 15th, 11,561 | 4th, 12,333 |
2017 | 17th, 13,663 | 4th, 13,196 |
2018 | 17th, 11,563* | 7th, 11,913 |
2019 (up to R14) | 17th, 11,064 | 3rd, 11,535 |
* – Excludes Gold Coast’s ‘home’ game in Perth against Fremantle.
There are some very damning years on that table, with the three-year stretch prior to this season scarcely believable. During one of the most dysfunctional on-field periods by any club in recent history, the Suns have still managed to go toe-to-toe with a premiership contender on the attendance front – even eclipsing them in one of those seasons.
When you take a wider look at their home crowds all-time, the data isn’t exactly encouraging either.
Club | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ADE | 7669 | 5830 | 8383 | 9481 | – | – | 13249 | – |
BL | – | – | – | 9079 | – | – | 10046 | R16 |
CAR | – | – | 9059 | 9538 | 10355 | – | – | 9599 |
COL | 8102 | – | 10851 | – | 13483 | 11360 | – | R18 |
ESS | 11887 | 10783 | 8429 | 10093 | – | 13671 | 10789 | 15424 |
FRE | – | – | – | – | 9556 | 11233 | 11356 | 11277 |
GEE | – | 7809 | 7697 | 14667 | 13656 | 15007 | – | – |
GCS | 8603 | 6832 | – | 6917 | 8308 | 8022 | 7131 | 7581 |
HAW | – | – | – | 13556 | 13766 | – | 10866 | R21 |
MEL | 7561 | 8308 | 7016 | 8811 | – | 14274 | – | – |
NM | 6696 | – | 10211 | 7824 | – | – | – | – |
PA | 6811 | 6601 | 6549 | – | 10028 | 9185 | – | – |
RCH | 7538 | 12314 | 8331 | – | 14974 | 10677 | 14456 | 12697 |
STK | – | 11092 | – | 9178 | – | – | 12014 | 12633 |
SYD | – | – | 17102 | 19507 | 21541 | 21924 | 21433 | R20 |
WCE | – | 6324 | – | – | 10385 | 15751 | 9253 | – |
WB | 9128 | 7132 | 7863 | – | 9612 | 14048 | 10424 | R22 |
FIN | – | – | – | – | 21790 | 14865 | – | – |
* – Italicised matches are Canberra games
What jumps out here is just how worryingly stagnant everything is since the Giants got competitive in 2015.
Crowds against the big four Melbourne clubs have fluctuated, attendances for games against the Bulldogs – their biggest interstate rival – have fallen, while their very first home meeting with Gold Coast in 2012 remains the biggest NSW/ACT audience for such a fixture.
What’s to blame here? Do the Giants simply not have a recognisable superstar capable of cutting through the fickle Sydney market? Have they just not had quite the level of success needed to truly break through?
If you think Sydney’s west just simply doesn’t care, history would tell you it’s a bit too early to tell.
The Giants’ attendance figures are quite comparable to what the Swans were averaging when they first moved up from South Melbourne, with the Bloods averaging between 9000-16,000 per game (excluding the Warwick Capper years) from relocation until their first grand final appearance in 1996.
Since then, it’s been smooth sailing, with Sydney’s lowest annual average attendance post-1996 being 24,981 in 2012 – when the SCG was undergoing large-scale redevelopment.
Similarly, the Brisbane Bears and Lions endured years of four-digit crowds before a slow uptick at the turn of the century. When flag fever hit in 2001, however, fans flocked to The Gabba and lifted average attendances to the 30,000’s. Even in the most recent doldrum period, the Lions’ worst year of crowds was better than all but the Bears’ very last season.
It seems all it takes is a flag to generate sustained interest in these non-traditional markets, which is obviously why the AFL were gunning so hard for their expansion teams to score quick premierships and scoop up a generation of supporters.
Will an orange and charcoal-adorned premiership cup be all it takes to get Giants Stadium rocking? Or can nothing get Parramatta and beyond hooked on Aussie Rules?
The answer to both questions is yes, and no. The explanation is just two words; Olympic Park.
For those unaware, GWS’ home ground is in Sydney’s Olympic Park precinct, barely 200 metres away from Sydney’s largest venue in ANZ Stadium.
For those unaware, Sydney’s Olympic Park precinct is in the middle of absolutely nowhere. Unless there are special event services running, you need to get an ordinary suburban train to Lidcombe and change. If you’re coming from the east, that means travelling past Olympic Park and changing to catch another train backwards.
Special events see direct express services depart from most major train stations but, according to the Transport NSW website, State of Origin Game 3 is the only upcoming event worthy of this honour. Even this Sunday’s Bulldogs vs Sharks NRL game doesn’t qualify.
Sports fans have long criticised the area for being virtually devoid of any culture, nightlife or anything resembling a suitable pre/post-match activity. When you add in the fact it’s incredibly inconvenient to get to via public transport, it’s not hard to see why fans of all codes increasingly don’t feel like making the trip.
Here are some more tables to digest.
Season | Sydney Swans | NRL |
---|---|---|
2009 | 36,875 | 17,515 |
2010 | 35,208 | 19,618 |
2011 | 30,387 | 17,455 |
2012 | 35,532 | 22,231 |
2013 | 34,766 | 22,218 |
2014 | 32,693 | 20,080 |
2015 | 29,569 | 19,178 |
2016 | – | 16,917 |
2017 | – | 14,410 |
2018 | – | 14,984 |
2019 | – | 13,825 |
Apart from a small bump around six years ago, both codes have seen noticeable steady declines over the last decade in matches at ANZ Stadium. I didn’t go all the way back to 2000 for brevity’s sake, but it’s worth pointing out the Swans were pulling in over 40,000 a game until 2008.
Even the A-League’s Wanderers, who’s supposed captivation of western Sydney is the envy of other codes, had a miserable tenancy at Spotless Stadium during the renovations at Parramatta, averaging just 9778 fans in 17 matches across three seasons.
You can say what you like about the long-term viability of Australian rules football in western Sydney, but the struggles of other football codes getting fans to the same venue proves location is playing an enormous part.
In fact, I’ll just say it; picking Sydney Showgrounds as Greater Western Sydney’s home was a huge blunder on the AFL’s part.
I’m not going to pretend to know the ins and outs of why that venue got redeveloped, but that’s all irrelevant now. If the AFL want to give the Giants a chance of pulling non-cringeworthy numbers one day, they need a new venue.
I appreciate how utterly incredulous the idea of Gillon McLachlan spending another cent on propping up the Giants sounds. The very idea being floated in the current fan environment could very well see AFL House burned to the ground.
Recent years, however, have shown us just how rejuvenating a new venue can be for a sports team. Sure, the Crows, Eagles and Dockers all had no issues filling their grounds up before they moved, but people are quick to forget just how dead Port Adelaide looked before they moved across to the Adelaide Oval.
Sub-20,000 crowds at AAMI Stadium were a regular occurrence for the Power towards the end of their tenancy but, in just their first season at the new venue, they were raking in more than double that.
Sydney itself has seen fans flock to BankWest Stadium in Parramatta since it reopened, with the common denominator among the successes Adelaide Oval, BankWest and Perth’s Optus Stadium all being vastly superior ease of access.
Blacktown City Council are looking to have the International Sportspark – a 2000 Sydney Olympics venue – transformed into a first-class multi-sport venue by 2036. Blacktown, unlike Homebush, is actually in Sydney’s west, with the Giants training there before they joined the AFL and even playing one home game at the venue in 2012. Blacktown City Council was also the most populous local government area in Sydney before 2016’s council mergers.
The complex has ample parking, is close to Rooty Hill station (on Sydney’s main train line) and would put the club in closer contact with the people they’ve been trying to drag to their home games for the last eight years.
If the AFL’s serious about the Giants succeeding, they’d do well to get in on this project soon.
Kasey
Roar Pro
Sounds a lot like the conversation the NHL had a few years ago regarding sun-belt hockey vs the traditional Canadian Heartland. Ultimately by moving Atlanta to Winnipeg they decided that a jam-packed Winnipeg arena- MTS Bell Centre (15,300) was preferable to a half empty Phillips arena in ATL (18,500). I'm sure many footy fans would prefer to see a Statewide following of a Tassie team in the AFL to the indifference of the GWS enterprise's fans.
Goalsonly
Roar Rookie
So where do the news cameras go when they want to get some local color? Seriously. The AFL chose a particular marketing plan to launch the GWS and it's not an absolutely terrible plan and I wish them well but... Maybe the derby round rivalry will build them up I hope so. I'm all for some polished branding... that is the marketing mans main job. Starting small and picking an actual place like Paramatta is a less invasive strategy and a bit more grounded. I don't live where my team is but I like to know it's there. The more progressive thinking clubs are reaching out to their communities more and more. Then there's the AFL's tax free responsibility to grow the game at the grass roots. If an AFL club was responsible to nurture their own juniors on their own patch then this have to be more than lip service. This alone would have giganstronomical social benefits. The one principal that makes this possible is that people rise to a standard. At the moment those standards are secondary to buying the stairway to heaven. Divvy up the best new things according to drafts or trades or whatevers but there is not imperative to do anything at grass roots. If you want to enrich a club culture the more the merrier is seeing some local kids. It's kind of happening a bit with the VFL association but formalizing the rules would just make it a better world. If you are serious about strengthening your brand you cannot ignore your community.
RT
Roar Rookie
1 - I don't mean diminishes in terms of geographic size, I mean verbally. 3 - I am saying that the name sounds like it is trying to include Canberra ny sounding a little less Sydney, but it doesn't fool anyone. It all reminds me of North Melbourne when they spent a few years just being called Kangaroos. They were trying to sound more appealing to people of Sydney when playing games there. It was ludicrous.
Peter Warrington
Guest
yes i would be there in the Green
David Mohr
Roar Rookie
Firstly as a Tasmanian it irks me that we have to pay 1 million bucks a game as taxpayers to secure blockbusters such as Hawthorn vs GC or Kangas vs GWS. Putting that aside the number of Gold Coast supporters at the SCG today was downright embarrassing. How can we expect young players to enjoy their footy when their efforts are met with absolute silence. At least if Tassie had a side we could gather a thousand or so expats to make some noise.
Peter Warrington
Guest
... floating along in your man-ship?
Peter Warrington
Guest
heaps of tickets for $25-33. when the Tiges played this year we did the Entertainment Book thingy and both got in for $25 I think. including transport.
Peter Warrington
Guest
you said there is no such place as Western Sydney that's just plain wrong there may be no Geographic Names Board identified postcode suburb, but there is a region. there is a larger region also knows as Greater Western Sydney/ (bigger than that there is Greater Sydney, including teh Central Coast; and then the Greater Metropolitan Region, which includes the Hunter - another non-place entity), and the Illawarra - ditto.) Is "Sydney" the Sydney 2000/1 postcode, the whole metropolitan area of Sydney, the eastern bit now the western bit has a team, or just the rough location of the vlub well knows as the Swans, now they have moved from South melbourne? does it matter? clubs are more these days the song, the culture, the colours, the players, the fans, the brand.
Peter Warrington
Guest
1. makes no sense because Greater Western Sydney is bigger than Western Sydney 2. Greater/Western Sydney by definition is west of some point - it is west of eastern Sydney. There is essentially a line that runs through Olympic Park north-south, plus or minus a bit. 3. Manuka is 293km from Martin Place. FYI that is further than Warrnambool is from Melbourne. You wanna know my non-geographic conspiracy - it moves them up to the top half of the teams when you scroll through them on the internet. They would be rock bottom with just "Western Sydney".
Peter Warrington
Guest
unless fans call them Giants as they do Tiges etc It was the name of a geographic entity. The WSROC councils and the MACROC councils. more inclusive. they will just be Giants over time is my guess, as Fiootscray became the West
Peter Warrington
Guest
whatever the Herald said it did.
Peter Warrington
Guest
I always think the Giants should do more to tap into us, I know gazillions of tigers here. make it worth our while, recruit us as honorary Giants for a day, against the clubs we love to hate. or tap into non-Swans emotion at finals time
Peter Warrington
Guest
PS you know the most recent Browlower bar one used to play there?!
Peter Warrington
Guest
Campbelltown are 44 this year. tradition isn't always laying there in front of your eyes in Smeaton Grange.
Peter Warrington
Guest
saw their 2's sneak home against Syd Uni last night at henson. Wayne Campbell Tiger legend there. they have some serious depth. but the standard of footy in Sydney is enormous. I used to play against UNI when they were SFL in the mid 80s. almost League standard now.
Cat
Roar Guru
Bulldogs and St Kilda have never been self-sustainable in their 100+ year histories. GWS has a long ways to catch up.
Angela
Guest
@Rowdy As Woody Allen once said: I don't trust air I can't see. Compared to equivalent-sized cities around the world Sydney's air-quality is pretty classy.
RandyM
Guest
Raiders have averaged around 12k the last 4 years, which is fine considering they play out of an uninviting stadium in the middle of winter with little protection from the elements. Most players throughout the Raiders history have come from Riverina and country NSW, Canberra is the largest populated city in the region, only makes sense that the team be based there. I did my schooling in canberra during the 90s and hate to break it to you but the school yard talk was League 1st and daylight second. Helped that the Raiders were the buzz of the town ofcourse.
Boo
Guest
Greater Western Sydney sounds like the name of a council Try yelling it like say Richmond or Sydney for instance If they were West Sydney the chant of Westies is more powerful.
Glenn
Guest
And 1 dodgy season will see attendances plummet. Sydney Swans attendances prove the fickle fair weather supporter problem, it is just that they have been making the finals for so long it has given everyone a false sense of security. The Swans are 2 or 3 consecutive bad seasons from average crowds in the Gold Coast range.