GWS hit a new low

[DC_fan]

According to their website http://www.gwsgiants.com.au/ they have 12,229 members.

Which is an increase of 2,000 on last year.

 

[Tommax25]

Is there any realistic chance of this team folding? Or relocating to a place where people actually give a shiz about this sport? Say they go winless with the terrible crowds continuing, and then maybe 1 or 2 wins with bad crowds next season. Would the afl look at their viability or do you think they are committed no matter what? I get the feeling that they may do something drastic in the next 2-3 years if things remain the same. Its too bad a hit on their self-imagined image to have a joke of a team being the laughing stock of every code in Australia. At least clubs like the Tigers and Eels who are going terribly haven't sold their soul in the process. Canberra=Western Sydney :lol:

 

[DC_fan]

Is there any realistic chance of this team folding? Or relocating to a place where people actually give a shiz about this sport?

I don't think so. One thing I have always admired about the AFL is that they never give up.

 

[Twizzle]

Too early to give, they will just keep ploughing money into it.

 

[chrisD]

From what little I know ,this Scully bloke was supposed to be A Star,A GUN,Going to be a household name in WS.blah blah.
They signed him for big bucks ,& he is as useless as the rest of the team.

& this is where the AFL fan logic falls to pieces.
A young up & coming star does not for certain(as they think) turn into a star First grader.
They might have all the best young talent ,but how many will progress .
How many will get poached or drafted .

Would a real genuine AFL star even look like a real star in that team atm though?

 

[Twizzle]

yeh, much like Ablett at the Suns

 

[RL The greatest game]

I don't think so. One thing I have always admired about the AFL is that they never give up.

I do think in the medium to long term they have to relocate. Economics says they can't keep pumping money into the club with so little return.

 

[blambient]

The crowds will grow once they are competitive

 

[Twizzle]

which doesn't look like happening in the near future

 

[RL The greatest game]

The crowds will grow once they are competitive

To make them competitive Vlad is going to have to twist the rules even more than he already has. Remember outside of Vlads little gang most AFL people are not very happy about the concessions that GWS get on the COL allowence. Everything is loaded in their favour and they still struggle. Even a vast majority of AFL fans think that the crowds they post are fudged.

 

[Abz]

Too early to give, they will just keep ploughing money into it.

Pumping limited credits into a bottomless pit? I like it

 

[Abz]

The crowds will grow once they are competitive

which doesn't look like happening in the near future

:lol: :lol: :lol: f**k I love you twizzle, I f**king love you :lol:

Like most people here, I grew up watching (and playing) Rugby League when Sydney already had a much-loved AFL team (Swannies). Even though the Swans were around, and I was happy to barrack for them, I NEVER attended a game, and I always chose NRL first. Now, this laughing stock is here and they think they can somehow top whatever little it was that the swans have done for me for the next generation of fans? LOL, nice one!

If the swans didn't win me over with everything they achieve, then the GWS Victorians certainly won't win over the next generation of league fans... it's simply not picking up here, much like the NRL isn't picking up much more in Melbourne!

 

[miguel de cervantes]

:lol: :lol: :lol: f**k I love you twizzle, I f**king love you :lol:

Like most people here, I grew up watching (and playing) Rugby League when Sydney already had a much-loved AFL team (Swannies). Even though the Swans were around, and I was happy to barrack for them, I NEVER attended a game, and I always chose NRL first. Now, this laughing stock is here and they think they can somehow top whatever little it was that the swans have done for me for the next generation of fans? LOL, nice one!

If the swans didn't win me over with everything they achieve, then the GWS Victorians certainly won't win over the next generation of league fans... it's simply not picking up here, much like the NRL isn't picking up much more in Melbourne!

The AFL are not concerned with "winning over" any older fans. They are targeting above all young children that have not "made a choice" or are not yet influenced by the cultural norms of soccer and league in the west. Increased media exposure through two games a week, constant visits to schools, free posts in schools, Auskick, free merchandise for the kids - these are the methods they are hoping will work over a long time period.

 

[Abz]

The AFL are not concerned with "winning over" any older fans. They are targeting above all young children that have not "made a choice" or are not yet influenced by the cultural norms of soccer and league in the west. Increased media exposure through two games a week, constant visits to schools, free posts in schools, Auskick, free merchandise for the kids - these are the methods they are hoping will work over a long time period.

Which have not yet worked.

Then we look at the WSW - they come in and barely need to raise a sweat and people are flocking to their games!

 

[Foreign Legion]

You have to hand it to they afl though, dont forget they had a team called the brisbane bears but used a koala instead... go figure

 

[miguel de cervantes]

Which have not yet worked.

Then we look at the WSW - they come in and barely need to raise a sweat and people are flocking to their games!

The key words being "long period", as in 20 to 30 odd years, something similar to the time it took for the Swans to become sustainable - and I use thay word loosely. It remains to be seen whether the AFL can sustain GWS for that long.

There was no AFL culture in WS, but already a large soccer culture. This is largely why WSW has done so much better.

Many feel that GWS was a bad idea, is poorly executed and that it will never work - and perhaps rightly so. Just so many things about the club seem ridiculous - Folau, the name, Sheedy, the location, of the games, Canberra etc. In my opinion this gives us a sneaky insight into the AFL's thinking. 15 odd years ago, going on AFL annual reports, AFL in Queensland and NSW made up about 4% of all AFL revenue. They were desperate to expand this, saying that they would do "whatever it takes" to increase AFL's presence in NSW and QLD. This was around the start of the SuperLeague war and I think they still underestimate the effect this had in bolstering the popularity of the Swans, instead believing the massive increase in crowds can be explained solely by their GF appearance. Cue the start of concessions for expansion clubs, consequently three consecutive GFs for Brisbane and sustained success for the Swans.

Things were looking rosy in the east with some large crowds at Stadium Australia and a record TV contract. Nevertheless, this would turn out to be a peak in popularity - the expansion clubs started losing money and support - crowds decreasing since these heady days - and TV ratings stalled and started going backwards. Armed with a large warchest, the AFL knew they had to do something as the Lions and the Swans were still far from sustainable in the longterm and certainly not going to significantly increase revenue on a national level going on the current trajectory. Even continued success on the field didn't seem to be having the desired effect. So they decided to start two new clubs - GC and GWS - to bolster their efforts and implement the plans detailed in a previous post. The bidding process was rigged, Tasmanians can attest to that - in fact there was no bidding process à la NRL. The AFL and the TV channels knew where the clubs had to go and that is where they ended up. The bidding process was at best a front for obtaining government funding for stadiums and underwriting lowly attended games. Afterall, this was going to be a costly, long term project. But the AFL have to keep going foward in the east and obtain some sort of critical mass or all the hard work done with the Lions and Swans may be lost.

So, in a sense, the AFL had no choice with GC and GWS. They had the cash and the will of the TV execs so they went for it. But they've backed themselves into a corner and it shows - moreso with GWS than GC. How could a such slick operator that has done very well in its backyard make such a moumental gaffe with GWS? It seems to reek more and more of desperation to get second clubs into the east in a hurry. If GWS look like failing I can't see the AFL bailing very easily and I think we will see some extraordinary measures brought in to prop them up. The problem is many AFL fans are conscient of this and the AFL is going to have to walk a fine line in keeping them afloat while maintaining integrity in an already dubiously equal championship.

 

[Twizzle]

I disagree with the fact that there was no AFL culture in WS, there have always been Swans fans there just not alot of them.

There are possibly more than GWS fans but I dont see either of them gaining momentum now that the WSW are in town.

I reckon the WSW have done league a favor and they were thoughtful in not trying to take on league in the winter months.

 

[Phil McGrawhan]

How the hell can a new club win over the locals in the largest Multicultural area in this country when the so called leaders continually open their mouths with racist/dumb comments.
Could explain the horrible crowds.

& as long as The AFL continue to ignore Sheedys & Mc Chins comments & do very little to stop it then GWS will keep going backwards.

 

[Tommax25]

I'm guessing he assumed someone would ask if he wanted to lock that answer in but alas for Eddie it was not Millionaire but live radio and his disgraceful comment stands on its own.

 

[RL The greatest game]

The key words being "long period", as in 20 to 30 odd years, something similar to the time it took for the Swans to become sustainable - and I use thay word loosely. It remains to be seen whether the AFL can sustain GWS for that long.

There was no AFL culture in WS, but already a large soccer culture. This is largely why WSW has done so much better.

Many feel that GWS was a bad idea, is poorly executed and that it will never work - and perhaps rightly so. Just so many things about the club seem ridiculous - Folau, the name, Sheedy, the location, of the games, Canberra etc. In my opinion this gives us a sneaky insight into the AFL's thinking. 15 odd years ago, going on AFL annual reports, AFL in Queensland and NSW made up about 4% of all AFL revenue. They were desperate to expand this, saying that they would do "whatever it takes" to increase AFL's presence in NSW and QLD. This was around the start of the SuperLeague war and I think they still underestimate the effect this had in bolstering the popularity of the Swans, instead believing the massive increase in crowds can be explained solely by their GF appearance. Cue the start of concessions for expansion clubs, consequently three consecutive GFs for Brisbane and sustained success for the Swans.

Things were looking rosy in the east with some large crowds at Stadium Australia and a record TV contract. Nevertheless, this would turn out to be a peak in popularity - the expansion clubs started losing money and support - crowds decreasing since these heady days - and TV ratings stalled and started going backwards. Armed with a large warchest, the AFL knew they had to do something as the Lions and the Swans were still far from sustainable in the longterm and certainly not going to significantly increase revenue on a national level going on the current trajectory. Even continued success on the field didn't seem to be having the desired effect. So they decided to start two new clubs - GC and GWS - to bolster their efforts and implement the plans detailed in a previous post. The bidding process was rigged, Tasmanians can attest to that - in fact there was no bidding process à la NRL. The AFL and the TV channels knew where the clubs had to go and that is where they ended up. The bidding process was at best a front for obtaining government funding for stadiums and underwriting lowly attended games. Afterall, this was going to be a costly, long term project. But the AFL have to keep going foward in the east and obtain some sort of critical mass or all the hard work done with the Lions and Swans may be lost.

So, in a sense, the AFL had no choice with GC and GWS. They had the cash and the will of the TV execs so they went for it. But they've backed themselves into a corner and it shows - moreso with GWS than GC. How could a such slick operator that has done very well in its backyard make such a moumental gaffe with GWS? It seems to reek more and more of desperation to get second clubs into the east in a hurry. If GWS look like failing I can't see the AFL bailing very easily and I think we will see some extraordinary measures brought in to prop them up. The problem is many AFL fans are conscient of this and the AFL is going to have to walk a fine line in keeping them afloat while maintaining integrity in an already dubiously equal championship.

I did say from day 1 when it was annouced that fumbleball was going to put a team in Sydneys west that it would be the games Waterloo. I have seen nothing since to change my mind. The ants were a step to far for the Anglo-Irish game in Sydney. I do expect Andy 5 chins to keep putting money into the club, but its a black hole, and 5 chins ego will not let him admit that the whole venture was a huge mistake on his and his lackies part. An ego trip for 5 chins which will cost his game 10's of millions at least, probably more, with very little or no return.