The AFL has no clue. Because the Swans are doing so well, they assumed that they could just plonk a second team anywhere in Sydney and that it would take off. It clearly hasn’t and it most probably won’t. Crowds are 25% of the AFL average. It would be like Storm pulling 5k to matches.
The AFL badly misread western Sydney, such is their arrogance.
They just thought they could walk in, throw minimal amounts of money at every sporting facility that they could, and then think they would be the premier western Sydney sport. They clearly could not read that western Sydney was already RL and Football heartland and that anyone in Sydney who already followed AFL were already Swans supporters who were unlikely to change allegiances. There has been a VERY small conversion of fans or new fans who have taken GWS on board.
The only time that GWS get a half reasonable attendance (above 10 000) is when they play a big Melbourne club and that is only because most of the attendance is made up by away fans from Melbourne.
GWS is a joke, more so considering all the advantages they have been given with the salary cap and that stupid thing called the draft which has so often forced the best young players to move there.
GWS has been given every advantage possible, yet still have f**k all fans.
I'm loving seeing these 10's of millions of $$$ being pissed down the drain by the AFL.