GWS

[beelzebub 23,313]

Im still not sure whether Im bemused by all this or dismayed. The year after next sees the introduction of the 17th AFL franchise the Gold Coast Football Club. I can actually se this working. The club will be from a place where they actually DO play our wonderful game. There already exists teams and a league. We have followed its course of gestation to where the GC has a team, it actually exists. Currently earning its dues in lower comps it will burst onto the big stage in 2011.

A litte lower down on the map and inboard from the New South capital itself is supposedly the next cab off the rank. Greater Western Sydney... who the what ????

The AFL must be on some seriously good drugs. There is no AFL culture to speak of in this inhospitable corner of the world. The locals will only speak league if and when they are capable of speech itself. Other than the junior leagues many seem caught in a time warp of Norms and wont leave the telly to watch a game live.

But even this isnt the concern for mine..Just who are GWS and where are they.? This team sems to morph its identity more often than a schizophrenic chameleon. I dont see a club per se I just see an empty vessel with branding. Where are the players ? where are the adminstrators ? is there a Footy Dept ?

How on earth can a team expect to enter the highest competition in theland and have nothiing to speak of at present.

[AzzKikA 2,371]

Typical AFL paranoia, oh no there is a place that only likes NRL, quick get a team out there, yes that will work...Tassie already like AFL so we don't need to create interest there. Why can't they just leave it as is and let us enjoy it without them trying to force the game down peoples throats who dont care?

[Sir Why You Little 36,963]

Give me money, coz thats what i want.

The Famous old song the AFL sing every morning.

This is not about a team, this is about making Cash from TV Broadcasts.

I wonder whether the Team will actually exist or whether they will just morph from the PS3 each weekend!.

[Left Field 313]

Went all the way out to Bruce Purser Reserve in Kellyville last week for my youngest son's first final. It took just on one hour to get there.

The final was played at this purpose built facility which they spent somewhere between $8-12 Million on. The field runs north south with the clubhouse and small amphitheatre on the eastern side. Got to look directly into the setting sun for the entire game. Great planning that - generally representative of the professionalism on the NSW ACT. The field itself was rock hard with a jagged turf wicket in the middle. Not surprisingly, the baking sun combined with the clay soil has produced an unplayable surface. The general area, which has added tens of thousands of households in the past 5 years, features huge houses with no eaves (so they can build all the way to the planning limit) and has no trees over about 12 feet tall. It is hot and dry and that is in winter.

Sydney western suburbs is home to the hilarious reference, often repeated by grown adults, that the game is GayFL.

Add to all this that my son did his ACL within 90 seconds and it was a really pleasant day all round.

What a sh1theap. They can have it.

Edited August 24, 2009 by Left Field

[Weedster 174]

Give me money, coz thats what i want.

The Famous old song the AFL sing every morning.

This is not about a team, this is about making Cash from TV Broadcasts.

I wonder whether the Team will actually exist or whether they will just morph from the PS3 each weekend!.

The AFL would do well to dig out an old tapre of the West Sydney Razorbacks in the NBL - empty stadiums, no crowds, no excitement, crap television.

This is a joke !!

if they need another team to balance the comp, Tasmania is the obvious choice :angry:

[Geddy Lee 582]

About 6 months ago I was told by someone who knows these things that AD & Co. were going to do WS no matter what, completely dogmatic, their legacy etc.

It will certainly go ahead and it will kick [censored] for about 10 years.

[beelzebub 23,313]

Its chalk and cheese isnt it.. GC will have some sort of history and heritage to fall back onto. There is a genuine following up there and I fully expect them to be competitve at a good level inside 2-3 years.. They will earn some respect. GWS will become the laughing stock, the whipping boys of the comp completely austricised by the town it supposed to represent. No one will want to follow this lot. why they havent chosen to possibly showcase a few NAB cup matches and maybe even a couple of fair dinkum seasoon games at a venue in the area is anyones guess. They could have guaged the interest and proceeded with care following this guide.

Its just insanity. A waste of money. Its not Visional ...its just bloody minded egostical pig headedness by the two biggest Cronies in Vlad and Boy Blunder !!

Why dont the clubs fight back ...why cant these idiots be ousted. The AFL is supposed to do the clubs' bidding...not other way round.

[AzzKikA 2,371]

Sorry Bub, but the AFL controls the clubs, ever since it became a business not a sport.

[rpfc 28,253]

The AFL is in the strongest financial position that it has ever been.

Another team in Sydney/NSW is always going to come in our national competition.

This is the best time to go and set a team up.

Sure, it will be difficult, but if not now, when?

And don't say never, that is shortsighted nonsense.

You have to grow to grow.

[Trisul 664]

The AFL would do well to dig out an old tapre of the West Sydney Razorbacks in the NBL - empty stadiums, no crowds, no excitement, crap television.

Yes, however the NBL has never had billion (or 3/4 bill) dollar media rights. You can buy one heck of a rent-a-crowd (etc) with that sort of money. It will be made to work.

[beelzebub 23,313]

Sorry Bub, but the AFL controls the clubs, ever since it became a business not a sport.

I agree...as it is...but the AFL's charter isnt that way constructed..its just the way Vlad runs it.

I would have thought it made far more sense to try to develop something in Canberra....some history at least there. Would have thought there was more bragging rights for Vlad to have representaion in the Nations capital rather than some obscure paddock in the back of beyond fka Western Sydney

[Rogue 585]

Add to all this that my son did his ACL within 90 seconds and it was a really pleasant day all round.

Bad luck!

[MikeyJ 60]

To add a bit of balance...

I headed out to Bruce Purser Reserve at Rouse Hill for the Swans-Dogs NAB Cup game played earlier this year. On that night, it was a cracking venue for pre-season football. Great weather, great surface, sellout crowd, reasonable game of footy.

The surface mightn't have been much chop for a under-age footy final on the weekend but the AFL will ensure it's up to scratch for any elite-level games played there if and when the time comes.

But really, the surface at Rouse Hill is of little consequence in the wider scheme of things.

When the new GWS team enters the comp in 2012, they'll be playing their home games at either ANZ Stadium or Blacktown Olympic Park. My guess is ANZ, because there's no way that people will travel to BOP. It's miles from public transport and the parking is no good out there.

I suspect the AFL wanted GWS to play at a redeveloped Showgrounds Oval at Sydney Olympic Park, but it doesn't appear that will happen. They'll just subsidise the poor crowds at GWS until they gain a critical mass of support after 10 years.

Finally, this is going to happen whether we agree with it or not. The AFL has committed to spending $220 million on these two teams over six years. I repeat for emphasis - $220 million. And there's more where that came from.

Have no doubt that 18 teams is the future of our competition, whether it makes financial sense or not.

[Roost It 1,434]

Its chalk and cheese isnt it.. GC will have some sort of history and heritage to fall back onto. There is a genuine following up there and I fully expect them to be competitve at a good level inside 2-3 years.. They will earn some respect. GWS will become the laughing stock, the whipping boys of the comp completely austricised by the town it supposed to represent. No one will want to follow this lot. why they havent chosen to possibly showcase a few NAB cup matches and maybe even a couple of fair dinkum seasoon games at a venue in the area is anyones guess. They could have guaged the interest and proceeded with care following this guide.

Its just insanity. A waste of money. Its not Visional ...its just bloody minded egostical pig headedness by the two biggest Cronies in Vlad and Boy Blunder !!

Why dont the clubs fight back ...why cant these idiots be ousted. The AFL is supposed to do the clubs' bidding...not other way round.

Can you explain how it is that 2 clubs get set up using the same draft rape and pillage set up, one performs well and the other becomes the whipping boy of the comp? I'm confused.

[Rhino Richards 1,467]

The AFL is in the strongest financial position that it has ever been.

Another team in Sydney/NSW is always going to come in our national competition.

This is the best time to go and set a team up.

Sure, it will be difficult, but if not now, when?

And don't say never, that is shortsighted nonsense.

You have to grow to grow.

Great post.

Absolutely agree. I cant understand people's loathing of the AFL's success particularly with TV rights. Its the TV rights thats been underwriting MFC existence.

The next step for the AFL has to Qld/NSW. They have already conquered Tasmania and there is little or any growth there.

And Bub. Canberra is a small backwater (Sorry Graz and DD!) that does not really support AFL sufficiently from the Swans/Roos experiences.

[H_T 3,043]

Add to all this that my son did his ACL within 90 seconds and it was a really pleasant day all round.

What a sh1theap. They can have it.

Think you mean.......*Unpleasant*

This was posted on D'Ology (By BrissyDeeFan). Thought it would be handy here for future reference.

The 14 diverse communities of GWS are:

The Blue Mountains, Hawkesbury, Baulkham Hills, Blacktown, Penrith, Parramatta, Holroyd, Fairfield Auburn, Bankstown, Liverpool, Campbelltown, Camden and Wollondilly.

Edited August 24, 2009 by High Tower

[beelzebub 23,313]

Can you explain how it is that 2 clubs get set up using the same draft rape and pillage set up, one performs well and the other becomes the whipping boy of the comp? I'm confused.

SImple..in one instance there is actually a fotball team and culture in the local its to call home. GC have a team ..the boys are playing..getting to know each other. They will carry this through the early years of the competition proper. This Team is for real..and its real right now.You can watch them if you like. Its not AFL yet.. but they exist. Wheres WS ?? what is WS..who are WS... theres no real team playing in any real competition is there ? Its some sort of mish-mash. And they are to enter one year after GC ..and all the work thats gone into GC.. There's just no comparison.

Western Suburbs Sydney couldnt give a flying f%$# about gayball (their description !!). There is NO community backing..theres absolutely NOTHING...NADA !! only the obstinate will of Vlad and co to play some sort of team out of the middle of football nowhere.

Now do you kinda get it ?

[beelzebub 23,313]

Think you mean.......*Unpleasant*

This was posted on D'Ology (By BrissyDeeFan). Thought it would be handy here for future reference.

The 14 diverse communities of GWS are:

The Blue Mountains, Hawkesbury, Baulkham Hills, Blacktown, Penrith, Parramatta, Holroyd, Fairfield Auburn, Bankstown, Liverpool, Campbelltown, Camden and Wollondilly.

ahh yes..the new heartland of football !!

This region struggled to keep alive all of its NRL teams ...and they think footy will prosper ?? who the hell do they think they are kidding !!

[praha 11,232]

No matter how bad you think the GC or WS will go, the AFL in banking on the teams only attracting 10-15k people to their games each time they play at home, which is an absolute certainty. They expect this for the first 5-6 years while the teams are building and their player payments are low and they only need minimal attendance to make a profit.

The only way a team like the GC could fail is if it got something like 5k to its games each week, which is essentially the number of interstate supporters that travel around for every team anyway. The team will have AT LEAST 10k members to start off. The GC is a goldmine and the AFL is taking advantage of it. WS, maybe not so much a certainty, but the GC is in the bag. It will be where West Coast is now after only 5-6 years in the competition.

[H_T 3,043]

ahh yes..the new heartland of football !!

This region struggled to keep alive all of its NRL teams ...and they think footy will prosper ?? who the hell do they think they are kidding !!

You know BB, I'm a big wrap for the National competition. I love Aussie Rules. I reckon it is THE game for Australia. At first I had serious reservations about the West Sydney move, I thought it was a total lost cause and that the AFL should not consider it- that it would be a black hole as far as losing $$$money$$$ goes.

But our code faces now stiff competition (NRL & HAL), and I believe there is no better time for the move when those codes are at least vulnerable from the outside. TBH I think parts of West Sydney including businesses that want exposure would be craving for AFL.

[beelzebub 23,313]

HT... the issue here isnt about National comps etc. Its where they have chose to go. The real opposition in teh West of Sydney isnt NRL...as they only just hold their heads above water with bucket loads of News Corp money at present. Its sporting and spectator apathy in itself.. NRL cant get crowds in its own backyards. Rugby League does in a fashion at local junior levels..but at senior mainstream comp the west of sydney just doesnt give much of a [censored] !! Its true.. just ask anyone who knows the place.

The AFL wants you to believe that if it doesnt set up some sort of presence there then that evil competitor NRL or Soccer wil take over. Actually Soccer will there to a large degree...but again..at junior levels. You will NEVER get any real level of participation of Aussie rules in these regiosn as Schools will play rugby and soccer.and soccer is winning .. Mums dont like their lil johnny wacked !!

So its not a case of Play footy in the west of Sydney or perish...it simply doesnt want it period. A national comp would be far better served with a canberra team and a Tassie team...eventually you will be able to run a team out of Nth Q or even NT ( many years in future )..There is a groundswel and its a natural progession in these areas.. Not so WS.. it simply is a black hole..a spectator abyss ..its true

[Sir Why You Little 36,963]

Great post.

Absolutely agree. I cant understand people's loathing of the AFL's success particularly with TV rights. Its the TV rights thats been underwriting MFC existence.

The next step for the AFL has to Qld/NSW. They have already conquered Tasmania and there is little or any growth there.

And Bub. Canberra is a small backwater (Sorry Graz and DD!) that does not really support AFL sufficiently from the Swans/Roos experiences.

I agree with some of what you say RR, what i strongly object to with this whole scenario is the fact that these 2 teams will be set up to win.

And Foundation Clubs such as the MFC will be in an even more difficult situation to achieve success.

Yes there will be some financial benefits, but if our members become disinterested by the whole thing & walk away in disgust within 10 years, those TV Rights will mean Bugger All.

These new Clubs are like a TV Dinner....Just add Water for instant success.

I don't like it & i hope our club survives long term.

[Left Field 313]

Feel that I need to add that a large percentage of people moving into western Sydney are from non-traditional NRL backgrounds. This region has a vast first generation migrant mix - Blacktown Shire especially but true generally for the region. And the new housing is purpose built for young families with children.

So soccer, not NRL, is the elephant in this particular room.

Is the AFL right to target the area? Probably more of a defensive play than anything else.

Edited August 24, 2009 by Left Field

[beelzebub 23,313]

Great post.

Absolutely agree. I cant understand people's loathing of the AFL's success particularly with TV rights. Its the TV rights thats been underwriting MFC existence.

The next step for the AFL has to Qld/NSW. They have already conquered Tasmania and there is little or any growth there.

And Bub. Canberra is a small backwater (Sorry Graz and DD!) that does not really support AFL sufficiently from the Swans/Roos experiences.

Rhino...you have either obviously never lived in this part of the world or are simply ignorant of its character. many propsoe the idea of a second club there simply on the basis that it looks good on paper...welll Imtelling you..and anyone else from Sydney or who has lived or worked there, espeically in teh west will tell you thatno matter how yo fold thatbit of paper...it wont fly !!

Canberra may be a backwater of sorts but it can still get near 10000 to a game..and they arent even THEIR teams.. ACT is at least a land of 8 posts on green ovals !! Give them their own team and you wil get support.Yes the AFL would need to prop them up..but at a cost far far less than the debacle of GWS will become !!

[beelzebub 23,313]

Other codes have learnt the lesson thatyou cant getanything to grow if there simply isnt aniota of interest in it happening. But eh AFL thinks its so much cleverer..They arent.. Just bigger wallets with bigger egos and blinkered understandings