I like having two teams in Sydney. I generally barrack for the Giants except when they play us. I know there are some problems but this is a long terms project. The Gold Coast crowds are lower than the Giants' crowds of late btw. Not the only indicator I know.
If the AFL can't sustain 2 teams in Sydney it has major problems. Not now, but in 10-20 years when it's generational.
Today's a draft of your epitaph
Yes it was Sheedy's brainchild.
I am sure he made it up just to stir up the Swans and their supporters (and he probably did succeed). I think it is a stupid name for a game between the two Sydney sides and I hope the press will not be using it during this week.
[QUOTE=Doctor;679830]I like having two teams in Sydney. I generally barrack for the Giants except when they play us. I know there are some problems but this is a long terms project. The Gold Coast crowds are lower than the Giants' crowds of late btw. Not the only indicator I know.
Sorry but will never support the Giants. They are a made up AFL side that the "bright sparks in AFL house" thought would grow and combat League and Soccer in the west of Sydney. They didn't even think or knew that a lot of Swans supporters live in the West.
Based on the ground attendances I have seen published the Gold Coast are getting bigger crowds than GWS. Most of the Sydney games have been around 9k-12K this year.
[QUOTE=Swanny40519;679858]Poorly thought through and hastily conceived, next year is their fifth year, they are not a new club any more. Sure they'll attract a few glory hunters in the years ahead but they'll struggle to get their support past a baseline of 10,000 - 12,000
If GWS struggle, the AFL can always send them to Canberra where they probably should have been located in the first place.
I've always felt they were their Plan B, even with the 4 games they are allocated the games are much more "real" down there in terms of crowd engagement, the atmosphere at Spotless is surreal to say the least. When they move to Canberra they should also drop that awful moniker and stomach turning strip why they are at it.
The game in Canberra is in dire straits at the moment and an AFL team of their own would go a long way to solving that issue. You'd think that Ainslie Football Club, with their massive financial resources would be able to take a stake in that club. Plus the whole academy pathway would make a lot more sense.
I suspect that they'll try and play the long game in Sydney for another 10 years, of course the real catalyst will be when they start winning flags which should be in about 3 years - if they cannot turn close to break even when that happens the cries from south of the border of the AFL subsidising their premierships will be deafening and an exit strategy will be on the cards. If they don't start winning flags then I think interest will just peeter out.
As for Gold Coast, their cupboard is bare now in terms of concessions and they have a long long way to go.
I am going to really enjoy how this plays out
At least the Gold Coast wanted a team. If you recall they had a group of businesses that were pushing for one and ready to sponsor it.
I also recall that Southport Sharks wanted to be the 17th team and the AFL refused for some reason. Personally I would have thought that established teams like Southport and Ainslie would have been the way to go having their own history and facilities to begin with if the AFL really needed 2 extra teams.
Currently the spend on Gold Coast and GWS would exceed $200m, a few of the struggling clubs would probably have liked a bit of that to keep them going....
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