RL heartland.
Western Sydney Wanderers leave NRL for dead in sales and membership
John Lehmann Editor at Large
The Sunday Telegraph
November 30, 2013 10:00PM
A-LEAGUE newcomers Western Sydney Wanderers have become so hot that they're already selling more football jerseys and recruiting more members than popular NRL clubs like the Parramatta Eels and Wests Tigers.
In only their second season, the Wanderers have become the envy of many sporting clubs as they tap into the power of multicultural western Sydney to convert their on-field success into financial strength.
At their most recent home match, played against Melbourne Victory on a wet and blustery Saturday night, Wanderers fans spent a cool $95,000 on new jerseys, scarfs, flags and footballs at stalls around the ground. Sales included 119 jerseys, 70 hoodies and 577 scarfs.
It wasn't a one-off - fans purchase an average of $80,000 worth of Wanderers gear at each home game and the club is on track to smash through the $2 million mark in merchandising sales this season.
Children's lines this year have been the fastest selling, while a women's range of clothing is being developed for next season.
In comparison the Eels and Tigers, two of the most popular NRL clubs, sold $1.75 million and $1.2 million in merchandising in the 2013 season.
"The Wanderers appeal to a broad base of fans right across western Sydney, whereas more established clubs in other codes operate in isolated pockets,'' said Football Federation of Australia chief executive David Gallop, the former NRL boss.
The Wanderers have also wasted no time converting their giant-killing debut season into corporate support, growing their revenue by 140 per cent in a year to more than $4 million this season.
Although this is still shaded by the Tigers and Eels, the Wanderers corporate backing is believed to be stronger than the glamorous cross-town rival Sydney FC and only bettered in the A-League by Melbourne Victory.
"They are one of the first entities to actually call themselves western Sydney and people are identifying with that and responding to their success,'' said University of Western Sydney Chancellor Peter Shergold, whose organisation is sponsoring the Wanderers.
It is understood that global financial services group Pepper will be announced this week as the latest corporate supporter, joining heavyweight backers NRMA Insurance, Nike, Westfield, Mitsubishi Electric and Primo.
The Wanderers success hasn't just happened by chance. Wanderers executive chairman Lyall Gorman said the club's foundations were built to truly represent western Sydney's two million residents.
The club's name, colours, values and culture were only decided after seven supporter forums were held in Mount Pritchard, Parramatta, Rooty Hill, Penrith, Castle Hill, Campbelltown and Bankstown.
The FFA also ran two online surveys in which more than 15,000 people devoted 25 minutes of their time helping define the spirit of the west.
The brand and image documents created to portray the Wanderers are world-class - they are not dissimilar to those which lie behind global sports biggest brand, Manchester United.
"This is not just a football club, it is a community asset and we are joined together at the hip with the community,'' said Mr Gorman, a former boss of the A-League who grew up in Bankstown.
"One of our major goals is to be a catalyst for true social change across western Sydney. Part of that is inspiring the young people of western Sydney to be the absolute best they can be.''
The multiculturalism of western Sydney is reflected in the Wanderers staff and supporter base. Twenty-five different cultures are represented among the club's 93 players and staff, while the accents singing out from the famous Red and Black Bloc supporter group include Sudanese and Indians.
The club's board includes distinguished Australian-Chinese businessman Benjamin Chow and influential Aboriginal leader Warren Mundine.
The Wanderers had to halt ticketed memberships at 16,400 due to the present capacity of Pirtek Stadium at Parramatta. Another 1000 people are on a waiting list and the club is putting in place a scheme enabling fans to buy tickets from members who can't attend games.
The Tigers have 11,500 ticketed and non-ticketed members, while the Eels have just over 14,000 ticketed members.
"We've been on board since the start and don't miss a game - we love Shinji Ono,'' said Jack Ong, of The Ponds.
Partly due to the Wanderers' success, the federal government has granted $20 million to upgrade the stadium and increase capacity to 23,500 although Mr Gorman's longer-term goal is to further lift capacity to about 32,000.
Mr Gorman said the club had knocked back sponsorships of up to $400,000 a year because they didn't share similar values as the Wanderers.
"The wrong partnerships will hurt you over time,'' he said.
But he has a bit of free advice to businesses who haven't yet embraced western Sydney: "Businesses who don't see the potential of western Sydney will suffer for it over time.''
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/n ... 6771396553
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.... the Wentworthville magpies would out do them 
