AFL newcomers GWS taking giant steps in Western Sydney’s sporting heartland

[Beaussie]

Way to go Giants. Increasing crowds, membership, sponsorship and tv ratings. The fear expressed by leaguies is astounding in some of the comments in the Daily Telegraph linked article below. Gee, imagine how big 3rd placed Giants vs 4th placed Swans will be at Spotless Stadium in a few weeks time.

Monday Buzz: AFL newcomers GWS taking giant steps in Western Sydney’s sporting heartland
May 23, 2016 12:00am
Phil RothfieldSports Editor-at-largeThe Daily Telegraph

THIS is the tale of two footy clubs in Western Sydney’s sporting heartland.

The Parramatta Eels, with their salary cap scandal, Kieran Foran and now Corey Norman.

In seven years, 25 different directors, six chief executives and four coaches.

An absolute basket case.

And the GWS Giants from the other code, the AFL.

The club that is no longer just a publicity stunt around Israel Folau and the great Kevin Sheedy.

It’s now about the footy team. The rising stars of the AFL are a serious premiership threat.

Yesterday we ventured to Spotless Stadium to check them out, next door to the Roosters v Bulldogs, where we would normally spend our Sunday afternoons.

The Giants beat the highly regarded Western Bulldogs to finish the round third on the ladder and are fast becoming one of sport’s great rags to riches stories.

Not quite Leicester City but a bit like Sydney Thunder, who were for years the easybeats of Big Bash cricket before winning the title last season. Everything about the Giants is on the rise.

Attendance figures are up 18 per cent this year on last. Membership the same and they are on track to break through 15,000 for the first time in club history.

And they make no secret of the fact that converting NRL fans is part of the long-term plan. Even all the disgruntled Eels supporters.

“We are after conversion, absolutely,” says chairman Tony Shepherd.

“I’m increasingly starting to meet people who followed rugby league but are switching over.

“We are seeing a swing, anecdotally at least, from soccer to us as well.”

Their experience at the football on Sunday is a good one. Very family-orientated and good atmosphere.

It’s a fast, lively contest. End to end footy.

Jeremy Cameron is the Buddy Franklin of GWS. Former Swan Shane Mumford does the grunt work.

Kids under 15 get free entry. Everyone at the game is allowed on to the ground for a kick after the final siren. Giants coach Leon Cameron joins the fans on ground to kick the football with his kids — even before he does his post-match press conference.

The big difference to the Parramatta Eels is the standard of management. Shepherd and CEO Dave Matthews are two of the most outstanding administrators in Australian sport.

Comparing them to Steve Sharp and company at the Eels is a bit like comparing a Daewoo to a Mercedes.

Shepherd is confident the Giants will keep improving.

“I don’t want to sound like a smart arse,” he says, “but we’re on track and progressing well.

“We drew up a plan and a chart six years ago and we’re going slightly better than we thought we’d be.

“When we started we had 35 teenagers — most of whom didn’t even have a driver’s ­licence.

“They’d never left home before, they came from all over the country and we’ve turned them into elite football players. It’s very exciting.”

Sunday’s crowd was 9612 and obviously there is a long way to go.

But better than the 8658 at Campbelltown for the NRL on Saturday.

“As long as we can maintain the on-field performances we will get there,” Shepherd said.

“Sustained on-field performance is the answer. Sydney people love a winner.”

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/ ... d38efce2f2

[Swans4ever]

Watch out Bea - Crapper will be dredging up articles from 1980 and the rest will start chanting free tickets and it's written by PHIL Rothfield he hates League!!! Gunna be a big game against the Swans!!!

[ParraEelsNRL]

Fair dinkum this Clarke kent from that joint says the same bloody thing every time.

Why is it that when ever a sport or new team in RL heartland starts off, they end up always taking Rugby League fans from Rugby League because well that must be where these so called mythical fans are coming from?

Fmd, if I ever see that ***** with ears in public, I will bloodywell let him have it, and if he be's a smartarse back i'll probably clock him but I will def spit in his face, he deserves that much for lying all these years about whatever subject Rupert tells him too, such a weak individual that you continually have to suck c0ck to keep your job even when your are the freaking sports editor off the rag you are constantly lying in.

Hey Buzz you lying shit, how is your team going in the NRL at the top of the table you hypocritical mutt? Ever heard of them, the Cronulla Sutherland Sharks..

And if you really want the truth about crowds Buzz, maybe, just maybe it is you, the so called rugby league fan that keeps ditching your own team to go and watch others then gets straight back to the newspaper "ADVERTISEMENT" and pump the wheels off of whatever new sporting franchise your leader has told you to fall in love with that month over your so called beloved Cronulla Sutherland Sharks you seem to ditch oh so frequently..

Maybe the one Rugby League constant in it all is ACTUALLY YOU BUZZ ROTHFIELD, you seem to be the only so called Rugby League fan going to any of these places reporting SHIT.

I HATE TROUBLE MAKERS!

So here Trouble Maker, I hope you see this.





Look at all those CONVERTED RUGBY LEAGUE FANS over the weekend where you were BUZZ, you were surrounded weren't you?


I laugh as I know wicked people like you will get you just deserts, you may think the first death lets you off scot free, LOL.

[Beaussie]

Way to go with the one pic from the whole stadium parra. And you've got the hide to criticise Rothfield's reporting.

[pussycat]

If GWS is winning over so many fans how can the NRL be up 25%?

[Xman]

If GWS is winning over so many fans how can the NRL be up 25%?

you realise some people follow more than one sport right?

[leagueiscrap]

If GWS is winning over so many fans how can the NRL be up 25%?

any proof because the usual site isnt putting up the NRLOL crowds
http://afltables.com/rl/crowds/summary.html

[NRL&NFLweLaughATafl]

Fair dinkum this Clarke kent from that joint says the same bloody thing every time.

Why is it that when ever a sport or new team in RL heartland starts off, they end up always taking Rugby League fans from Rugby League because well that must be where these so called mythical fans are coming from?

Fmd, if I ever see that ***** with ears in public, I will bloodywell let him have it, and if he be's a smartarse back i'll probably clock him but I will def spit in his face, he deserves that much for lying all these years about whatever subject Rupert tells him too, such a weak individual that you continually have to suck c0ck to keep your job even when your are the freaking sports editor off the rag you are constantly lying in.

Hey Buzz you lying shit, how is your team going in the NRL at the top of the table you hypocritical mutt? Ever heard of them, the Cronulla Sutherland Sharks..

And if you really want the truth about crowds Buzz, maybe, just maybe it is you, the so called rugby league fan that keeps ditching your own team to go and watch others then gets straight back to the newspaper "ADVERTISEMENT" and pump the wheels off of whatever new sporting franchise your leader has told you to fall in love with that month over your so called beloved Cronulla Sutherland Sharks you seem to ditch oh so frequently..

Maybe the one Rugby League constant in it all is ACTUALLY YOU BUZZ ROTHFIELD, you seem to be the only so called Rugby League fan going to any of these places reporting SHIT.

I HATE TROUBLE MAKERS!

So here Trouble Maker, I hope you see this.





Look at all those CONVERTED RUGBY LEAGUE FANS over the weekend where you were BUZZ, you were surrounded weren't you?


I laugh as I know wicked people like you will get you just deserts, you may think the first death lets you off scot free, LOL.

If those are giant steps, I would hate to thing what small steps are.

[Swans4ever]

If GWS is winning over so many fans how can the NRL be up 25%?

In what area - boredom??? Crowds are down from last year!

[Swans4ever]

Fair dinkum this Clarke kent from that joint says the same bloody thing every time.

Why is it that when ever a sport or new team in RL heartland starts off, they end up always taking Rugby League fans from Rugby League because well that must be where these so called mythical fans are coming from?

Fmd, if I ever see that ***** with ears in public, I will bloodywell let him have it, and if he be's a smartarse back i'll probably clock him but I will def spit in his face, he deserves that much for lying all these years about whatever subject Rupert tells him too, such a weak individual that you continually have to suck c0ck to keep your job even when your are the freaking sports editor off the rag you are constantly lying in.

Hey Buzz you lying shit, how is your team going in the NRL at the top of the table you hypocritical mutt? Ever heard of them, the Cronulla Sutherland Sharks..

And if you really want the truth about crowds Buzz, maybe, just maybe it is you, the so called rugby league fan that keeps ditching your own team to go and watch others then gets straight back to the newspaper "ADVERTISEMENT" and pump the wheels off of whatever new sporting franchise your leader has told you to fall in love with that month over your so called beloved Cronulla Sutherland Sharks you seem to ditch oh so frequently..

Maybe the one Rugby League constant in it all is ACTUALLY YOU BUZZ ROTHFIELD, you seem to be the only so called Rugby League fan going to any of these places reporting SHIT.

I HATE TROUBLE MAKERS!

So here Trouble Maker, I hope you see this.





Look at all those CONVERTED RUGBY LEAGUE FANS over the weekend where you were BUZZ, you were surrounded weren't you?


I laugh as I know wicked people like you will get you just deserts, you may think the first death lets you off scot free, LOL.

If those are giant steps, I would hate to thing what small steps are.

That's what the NRL take just look at their crowds, memberships, revenue, expansion - take your pick! Hahaha

[leagueiscrap]

Fair dinkum this Clarke kent from that joint says the same bloody thing every time.

Why is it that when ever a sport or new team in RL heartland starts off, they end up always taking Rugby League fans from Rugby League because well that must be where these so called mythical fans are coming from?

Fmd, if I ever see that ***** with ears in public, I will bloodywell let him have it, and if he be's a smartarse back i'll probably clock him but I will def spit in his face, he deserves that much for lying all these years about whatever subject Rupert tells him too, such a weak individual that you continually have to suck c0ck to keep your job even when your are the freaking sports editor off the rag you are constantly lying in.

Hey Buzz you lying shit, how is your team going in the NRL at the top of the table you hypocritical mutt? Ever heard of them, the Cronulla Sutherland Sharks..

And if you really want the truth about crowds Buzz, maybe, just maybe it is you, the so called rugby league fan that keeps ditching your own team to go and watch others then gets straight back to the newspaper "ADVERTISEMENT" and pump the wheels off of whatever new sporting franchise your leader has told you to fall in love with that month over your so called beloved Cronulla Sutherland Sharks you seem to ditch oh so frequently..

Maybe the one Rugby League constant in it all is ACTUALLY YOU BUZZ ROTHFIELD, you seem to be the only so called Rugby League fan going to any of these places reporting SHIT.

I HATE TROUBLE MAKERS!

So here Trouble Maker, I hope you see this.





Look at all those CONVERTED RUGBY LEAGUE FANS over the weekend where you were BUZZ, you were surrounded weren't you?


I laugh as I know wicked people like you will get you just deserts, you may think the first death lets you off scot free, LOL.

If those are giant steps, I would hate to thing what small steps are.

If gws steps are small how do you explain the small steps those western shitney nrlol clubs have made? 60/70 years of pathetic minnow levels of support!

[AFLcrap1]

Has slothfield jumped off the WSW bandwagon .
Decibels decibels .
Anyone who believes a slothfield article should be locked up

[AFLcrap1]

Lol here's his wankfest over Sokka ..decibels decibels
With the usual digs at RL
Geez how's sokka going now ?

Now he's trying to death ride RL yet again by spruiking the midgets .
Lol
He's a parasite who will use any sport he can to have a go at RL

Yet you fumblers fall ove yourselves believing him

Lol lol lol


Icon - Comments 29 Comments | Permalink Buzzwords Blog Icon Arrow
Phil Rothfield
Sunday, October 27, 2013 (7:48pm)

THE sporting landscape in Sydney changed forever in a sea of red, black and light blue jerseys on Saturday night.
Rugby league used to own this city but soccer, football or whatever you want to call it is now a major player and competitor.
A crowd of more than 40,000 at Allianz Stadium on Saturday night proved the round-ball game has not just arrived but is bigger than rugby union and closing in on AFL and NRL.
The proof is at the turnstiles.
The average crowd for three NRL semi-finals at Allianz Stadium last month was 30,000.
Then the A-League turn-up on Saturday night and fill the venue for a round three club game, even without the main drawcard Alessandro Del Piero.
Who would have thought this could possibly happen - 40,388 fans at a Sydney soccer game.
The atmosphere was so different to a rugby league match, louder, more fanatical and more passionate.
The noise they make was louder than a rock concert, a chainsaw or a disco.
I know because I took a sound meter and spent the first 20 minutes of the game with the Wanderers supporters group the RBB and then 20 minutes with Sydney FC’s The Cove.
ARRIVING
I walk into the stadium with FFA boss David Gallop. It’s like a flashback to the old days, as though we’re arriving for an NRL blockbuster.
People are everywhere. Queues at the merchandise stalls, at the mobile TAB, the bar, food outlets, everywhere.
Gallop has to leave after 30 minutes for a prior commitment at the NSW Football Federation awards at Homebush.
He insists the grassroots are just as important as these A-League sell-outs.
Gallop is now involved in the grass roots himself. He has taken to playing soccer on Sunday mornings in a social competition in the eastern suburbs.
His weekend mornings in rugby league used to be about refereeing controversies, player misbehaviour, salary cap rorts or any other of the code’s regular dramas.
Not yesterday morning: “It’s (the crowd) further evidence that football is now a boom story in this city,” Gallop said.
“To have 40,000 excited and engaged fans fill a stadium that is rarely totally full is just phenomenal.”
THE NOISE
I took a professional quality sound meter, supplied by Acu-Vib Electronics.
Before the game it hovers around 90 DB and peaks at 94.5 as the players enter the stadium for the warm-up.
It reaches 99 DB when the Sydney FC players are announced on the big screen and 103 DB when they walk onto the pitch for kick-off.
I spend the first 20 minutes of the game with the RBB, wearing a Wanderers jersey for personal safety reasons, dodging beer that splashes out of plastic cups that become missiles when a goal is scored.
Sydney FC miss a free kick and the RBB goes off. The sound hits 111.5 DB. A flare goes off and the roar that follows records 110 DB.
Their first goal gets a 112 DB scream - and about a dozen flying plastic cups full of beer.
The song “Who do we sing for” is the noisiest moment of night – 117DB.
Still well short of the world record of 137 DB at an NFL game in Kansas City earlier this month but unbelievably loud, and almost painful on your ears.
I swap jerseys and move to the Paddington end of the Stadium to spend 20 minutes with the Cove.
In fairness, they didn’t have as much to cheer for and peaked at only 109 DB.
The groan when the little champion Shinji Ono scored measured at 105DB. Two-nil down and they were hurting.
THE ATMOSPHERE
It’s like an NRL grand final or a State of Origin. The RBB and the Cove supporter groups are as much a part of the event as the players.
I find myself watching the cheer squads as much as the actual game.
Even Wanderers coach Tony Popovic is taken back by the enormity of the event and spectacle that the derby has now become.
“The atmosphere was unbelievable – as good as anything I’ve seen,” he says.
“Better than last year and a credit to both sets of fans. Our fans are so special.”
Frank Lowy and Gallop now believe they could just about fill ANZ Stadium if the return game is moved from Parramatta Stadium.
Sydney FC pocketed close to $500,000 from gate takings and the Wanderers would get double that if it was played at Homebush.
There are few incidents for the huge contingent of riot squad police at both ends of the ground.
A flare that exploded from the RBB end was the only major incident in an otherwise trouble-free night.
Most of the serious trouble makers were identified and banned last year.
THE GAME
The standard of the A League is improving but this match was never really a contest.
The Wanderers led 2-nil after 25 minutes and it was basically game over.
Sydney FC has built a team around the superstar Del Piero – and when he doesn’t play – they lack the class and finishing touches to challenge the top teams.
I watch the second-half from ground level in the halfway line.
It mightn’t be Premier League quality but you admire the passion, the speed and the skill. Shinji Ono adds the touches of class and brilliance.
You wonder what the noise and atmosphere would have been like if Sydney FC had struck back with a goal or two. Or if Del Piero had played and scored.
Maybe a little bit closer to Kansas City and the NFL world record. Not that the A League hasn’t already achieved enough records of its own.
NOISE LEVELS
70 DB Vacuum Cleaner at 1m
80 DB Kerbside of a busy road
90 DB Diesel truck
95 DB Mark Bosnich’s laugh
100 DB Disco 1m from speaker
110 DB Chainsaw from 1m
115 DB Rock Concert
117 DB Wanderers v Sydney FC
137.5 DB NFL game world record
140 DB Jet aircraft from 50m
Phil Rothfield will be blogging all day, please leave your comments below

[Swans4ever]

GWS out draw TWO NRL games
West Tigers v Newcastle 8658
Eels v Storm 8948

GWS V BULLDOGS 9612!!!!!!

[post_hoc]

GWS out draw TWO NRL games
West Tigers v Newcastle 8658
Eels v Storm 8948

GWS V BULLDOGS 9612!!!!!!

How cute GWS trying to crow about 9612 fans. That is still smaller than the Wanderers lowest game this season 9860 against Brisbane LOL