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Thread: Why are the Swans not bidding for the AFLW?

  1. #37
    Do the swans girls academy players go to the giants once they are old enough?

  2. #38
    Veterans List aardvark's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by barry View Post
    Do the swans girls academy players go to the giants once they are old enough?
    They can choose to nominate for the NSW draft or any other state draft if they wish.
    If they nominate for NSW only then GWS is their only chance.

  3. #39
    Go Swannies! Site Admin Meg's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Thunder Shaker View Post
    In what way would the Swans' "training and administrative facilities" not be up to scratch for a women's team?
    That's discussed earlier in this thread but here's some more info.

    "...... Tramway Oval (is) where the Swans train over the pre-season due to cricket at the SCG ............. "

    "It�s not just the Swans who make use of the narrow training field over summer. Tramway Oval is also used by the Waratahs and the QBE Sydney Swans Academy, which will this year include some 600 members."

    "The absence of an alternative training ground was a key factor in Sydney delaying a bid for an AFL women�s team, along with the Swans having outgrown their existing training and administration base."

    Swans back on greener pastures - sydneyswans.com.au

  4. #40
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    Quote Originally Posted by barry View Post
    Another free kick to the Giants.
    Twice I've been forced to agree with Barry in a week. This could become a habit.

  5. #41
    I'm doing ok right now, thanks Danzar's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Meg View Post
    That's discussed earlier in this thread but here's some more info.

    "...... Tramway Oval (is) where the Swans train over the pre-season due to cricket at the SCG ............. "

    "It�s not just the Swans who make use of the narrow training field over summer. Tramway Oval is also used by the Waratahs and the QBE Sydney Swans Academy, which will this year include some 600 members."

    "The absence of an alternative training ground was a key factor in Sydney delaying a bid for an AFL women�s team, along with the Swans having outgrown their existing training and administration base."

    Swans back on greener pastures - sydneyswans.com.au
    Exactly this. I spoke to Dean Moore about this a few months ago - Club needs to expand their training facilities just for the men's, so the future of an AFL Women's team is tied to that.


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  6. #42
    There was a lot of talk about 12 months ago about the Swans signing a deal for a new training base. This talk seems to have gone quiet. It would be a key factor I think as the facilities around the SCG are just too small now.


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  7. #43
    The vibe I got from the recent press releases is that they are actually getting closer to sorting out a training base in the Moore Park precinct, which is obviously their preference. Alternatives are just that: a plan B if Moore park doesn't work out. Assuming they can work something out at Moore Park, I assume the cost will be higher. It will also mean we are tied to the precinct for the long term. I hope it works out.

    Also, I think it's not just the oval they need to train on but offices/change rooms/gym space etc is also at a premium. At least they are not in demountables like the Giants once were.

  8. #44
    I reckon the Swans are going about it in a very smart way that will almost guarantee future success in AFLW.

    The links they're forming with the UNSW-ES Stingrays with coaches and players are setting them up to have a pool of staff with years of development and experience before they even hit the track for the first time.

    As for 10 year careers with GWS for the players being drafted in the next couple years, I wouldn't take it as a given. AFLW contracts presently are 24 months with the league and 12 months with the clubs. I doubt anyone will be signing long contracts for a while yet.

    The Swans will hit the ground running when they start, I'd put my house on it.

    The bulk of GWS current list are in the Swans 'zone'. Their head coach is a former Swan. GWS may have the licence, but they will need to do a lot of work to catch up to what the Swans already have ready to go.

  9. #45
    From Andrew Ireland's recent interview on the Swans' website I took it that the Club is totally committed to (and very likely to get) an AFLW licence, but not before 2022. I'm impatient to start cheering on a women's team and may even go to see GWS play at Drummoyne. Would be so much better if it were a Swans' game however.

  10. #46

  11. #47
    Possibly the title of this thread needs to be updated. Then again, I'm not sure who apart from me reads this.

    Anyway, I found this article today on Fox Sports arguing that the AFL should be cautious about expanding the AFLW competition too soon: The alarming Round 3 ladder that proves AFL can’t rush expansion (foxsports.com.au). I am unconvinced by their strongly asserted argument.

    First, in general, I have come to have less confidence in Fox and the way they report stuff. I feel like they have a real slant and I neither trust nor share their agenda. For example, in the recent reporting of stories related to Heretier Lumumba and Collingwood FC, I noticed a huge disparity in the way they reported the stories compared to the ABC (which I feel is much more independent and reliable).

    Second, I feel like the authors underestimate the impact of the speed that the pool of talent is growing. Women are flocking to the game since the advent of the AFLW. In addition, they are getting drafted more and more ready to play.

    Third, in the case of Sydney, I am hopeful that our Academy will give us a really good base from which to start and the girls we draft from the Academy will be readier to play than draftees who haven't had access to Academies and other elite pathways. They note the advantage NMFC had with priority access to the University of Melbourne VFLW team. I doubt the Academy girls will be comparable to VFLW players because they will be younger and less proven but it still shows that priority access to a decent pool of talent can make a big difference.

    Fourth, I feel like in our enthusiasm and excitement at getting an AFLW team we will be more forgiving of our AFLW team if they don't have onfield success when they are starting out compared with our established AFLM team. Fifthly, on a related point, I don't think it is exactly the same market that follow AFLW compared to AFLM. There will some overlap (diehard followers like me) but there will be others, probably mostly women, who are newly brought to the game of footy to follow AFLW. I suspect that AFLW followers may be less fickle than with AFLM because they will be more invested in supporting the cause of women's footy.

    Finally, I think that AFLW has the advantage, that they face less competition for market-share in women's sport than in the saturated men's sports market. Sure you have excellent netball and cricket competitions that are established, and a decent W-League and WNBL, but other codes (like NRL) are not currently able to compete with the quality of product that AFLW can offer. I think it is the AFL's interests to push ahead and consolidate the advantage they have by grabbing the more audience and market share they can before the others catch up. It will be important to not dilute the quality of the product too much to not surrender that advantage but (a) part of that quality is having a larger competition that gives all fans of existing AFL clubs a team to follow (and, also, aspiring players greater hopes of getting a game); and (b) I have a lot of faith in the women taking up the sport with such passion and in such numbers to bridge the quality gap within just a few seasons.
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  12. #48
    Go Swannies! Site Admin Meg's Avatar
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    Excellent post bloodspirit. I originally thought the AFL were increasing the number of AFLW teams too quickly. But I have changed my mind for all the reasons you have set out so clearly.

    Like other Swans fans I wish we had our own AFLW team. Unfortunately the Covid effect on the Swans’ finances, and the consequent abandonment for now of the planned new training facilities, seems to have extended the timeframe for when the club will be ready.

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