Greater Western Sydney Football Club

Not to be confused with Western Sydney Wanderers FC.

Greater Western Sydney

Names
Full name	Greater Western Sydney Football Club
Nickname(s)	GWS, Giants
2012 season
Home-and-away season	18th (last)
Leading goalkicker	Jeremy Cameron (29 goals)
Best and fairest	Callan Ward
Club details
Founded	2009
Colours	Orange      Charcoal      White
Competition	Australian Football League (AFL)
Chairman	Tony Shepherd
CEO	David Matthews
Coach	Kevin Sheedy
Captain(s)	Phil Davis (co-captain) Callan Ward (co-captain)
Ground(s)	Skoda Stadium (capacity: 25,000)
	ANZ Stadium (capacity: 82,500)
	Manuka Oval (capacity: 13,550)
Training ground(s)	Blacktown International Sportspark
Other information
Official website	www.gwsgiants.com.au
Guernsey:

The Greater Western Sydney Football Club, nicknamed the Giants, is an Australian Football club which plays in the Australian Football League (AFL). Representing the Greater Western Sydney area, the club is based at the Blacktown International Sportspark. The team's primary home ground is Skoda Stadium at Sydney Olympic Park. Derby games against the Sydney Swans are held at the adjacent ANZ Stadium. The team also play four games a season at Manuka Oval in Canberra as part of a deal with the government of the Australian Capital Territory. A reserve team, the UWS Giants, participates in the North East Australian Football League (NEAFL), as part of a partnership between the club and the University of Western Sydney. The commercial club entity itself is a 100% wholly owned subsidiary of the AFL Commission.

History

Earlier proposals

See also: Australian rules football in New South Wales

"Sydney Kangaroos" proposal

See also: Proposed relocation of the North Melbourne Football Club

The idea of an AFL team from western Sydney originated from the AFL's plans in 1999 to make the North Melbourne Football Club (known then simply as the Kangaroos) Sydney's second team. Following the momentum of the relocated Swans Grand Final appearance, the AFL had backed the move for North Melbourne, a club which had then previously gained market exposure by defeating the Swans in their first re-location Grand Final appearance. However the venture was unsuccessful and after several games a season North Melbourne never managed to draw crowds of over 15,000 at the Sydney Cricket Ground before finally leaving the market and experimenting with Canberra and later the Gold Coast.^{[citation needed]}

WSFC interest rekindled

The AFL's interest in the Western Sydney market appeared to be rekindled after the Sydney Swans' second, more successful Grand Final appearance in 2005, which started grassroots interest in the game in the highly populous region.^{[citation needed]} In 2006, the AFL introduced the NSW Scholarships scheme, primarily aimed at juniors in West Sydney market to foster home grown talent and produce AFL players, a region which despite its large and growing population, had produced few professional Australian Footballers.^{[citation needed]}

The AFL was buoyed in 2006 when it gained the support of then NSW premier Morris Iemma and the league became a partner in the Blacktown sporting facility in Rooty Hill, New South Wales. The facility was announced as the new home base for its team out of western Sydney in 2007; it announced that it had planned to grant its 18th licence in mid to late 2008.

It was reported that in January 2008, the AFL officially registered the business name Western Sydney Football Club Ltd with ASIC.

"Sydney Celtics"

See also: Irish experiment

In March 2008, it was revealed by the media that the AFL had considered a radical proposal to launch an Irish-dominated team in Sydney's western suburbs, which would perform before an international audience under the "Celtic" brand name. The "Sydney Celtics" plan was first put to AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou in early 2007 by Gaelic Players Association executive Donal O'Neill. It was said that the proposal originated at the International Rules series in Ireland in late 2006 when O'Neill put forward a plan to purchase an AFL licence in Sydney. However, the AFL has since stated that this is unlikely to be a serious option.

Formation

Establishment support

Israel Folau, a high-profile recruit by the club. The former rugby league player was from the Brisbane Broncos

In March 2008, the AFL won the support of the league's 16 club presidents to establish an eighteenth side in Western Sydney.

The Western Sydney working party devising player rules and draft concessions for the second Sydney team met on 22 July 2008.

During 2008, the AFL Commission, whose agenda was to make a final decision on the Western Sydney Football Club, delayed it on multiple occasions. During the same year, in November, the AFL announced a A$100 million venture for a boutique stadium at the Sydney Showground, in the city's west.

After a third meeting in Sydney in November, the AFL cited the Economic crisis of 2008 as being a key factor in the delays. While the AFL reiterated its stance on the Western Sydney licence, the commission admitted that the delay in the decision was due to financial remodeling of the bid in response to the crisis, and conceded that the debut of the team in the AFL may eventuate one or more seasons later than initially suggested. The expansion licence drew increasing media skepticism and public criticism, particularly in the light of a poor finals attendance in Sydney, declining Sydney Swans attendances and memberships, the economic crisis and the Tasmanian AFL Bid which had gained significant momentum and public support during 2008. An Australian Senate enquiry into the Tasmanian AFL Bid concluded that Sydney had "insurmountable cultural barriers" to the establishment of a second AFL team.

In May 2009, AIS/AFL Academy coach Alan McConnell was appointed as the club's high performance manager. McConnell was the first full-time appointment for GWS and his new role commenced on 1 July 2009. Kevin Sheedy was appointed inaugural coach in November 2009, signing a three-year contract. His role commenced on 2 February 2010. His first senior assistant coach was former premiership coach of Port Adelaide, Mark Williams. Williams left the role at the conclusion of 2012, in order to become a development coach at the Richmond Tigers.

On October 4, 2012, Greater Western Sydney confirmed Leon Cameron as its new senior assistant coach for next year. Planning for the future, the club is expecting him to replace Kevin Sheedy as head coach for the 2014 season.

In November 2010 Skoda Australia was announced as the team's first major sponsor, signing a three-year contract which includes naming rights to the team's home ground at the Sydney Showground.

Concessions on entry into the AFL

Year	Draft Picks	Senior List Size	Salary Cap Allowance	Zone Access	Notes
2011	-	-	-	4 NSW 2 NT	The club was allowed to sign up to twelve 17 year olds born between 1 January and 30 April 1993. The club also received the first 8 picks in the rookie draft.
2012	1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15 MD: 1,2	50	$1,000,000 extra	4 NSW 2 NT	At the conclusion of the 2011 season the club was able to sign up to 16 current AFL players who were uncontracted for the 2012 season.The club was also allowed to sign up to 10 players who had previously elected for the national draft and weren't selected.
2013	MD: 1,2	50	$1,000,000 extra	4 NSW 2 NT	At the conclusion of the 2012 season the club was able to sign up to 16 current AFL players who were uncontracted for the 2013 season.The club was also allowed to sign up to 10 players who had previously elected for the national draft and weren't selected.
2014	AFL Standard	50	$1,000,000 extra	AFL Standard	-
2015	AFL Standard	48	$880,000 extra	AFL Standard	-
2016	AFL Standard	46	$760,000 extra	AFL Standard	-
2017	AFL Standard	44	$640,000 extra	AFL Standard	-
2018	AFL Standard	42	$520,000 extra	AFL Standard	-
2019	AFL Standard	AFL standard	AFL standard	AFL standard	All concessions removed and the club operates like every other team in the AFL.

Player recruitment

Greater Western Sydney were provided with similar recruitment entitlements to the Gold Coast who had entered the AFL the year before the Giants. Key differences included that their access to an uncontracted player from each other AFL club was able to be acted on in either 2011 or 2012. The club was also allocated the ability to trade up to four selections in a "mini-draft" of players born between January and April 1994, that would otherwise not be eligible to be drafted until the 2012 AFL Draft. They also were given the first selection in each round of the 2011 AFL Draft as well as selections 2, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13 and 15 in the first round of the draft.

The 2011 Trade Week saw the Giants take part in nine trades, involving two selections in the mini-draft as well trading away players who had previously nominated for the draft in return for additional early draft selections in the 2011 AFL Draft, that resulted in them holding the first five draft selections and 11 of the first 14.

Player signings

During the 2011 season, there was much speculation about which uncontracted players would sign with the Giants. In August 2011, Adelaide defender Phil Davis became the first player to announce that he would sign with the new club. During 2011, four more AFL listed players announced they would be playing for the Giants in 2012 - Bulldogs midfielders Callan Ward and Sam Reid, Fremantle midfielder Rhys Palmer and Melbourne midfielder Tom Scully.

Former Melbourne Captain James McDonald, Brisbane veteran Luke Power and Port Adelaide ruckman Dean Brogan and midfielder Chad Cornes came out of retirement to play for the Giants in 2012. McDonald and Power took on roles as playing Assistant Coaches.

Greater Western Sydney also recruited Israel Folau, a former rugby league player, from the Brisbane Broncos.

Player	Former club	Date	Compensation
Davis, PhilPhil Davis	Adelaide	20110802 !2 August 2011	One first-round draft pick.
Ward, CallanCallan Ward	Western Bulldogs	20110905 !5 September 2011	One first-round draft pick.
Palmer, RhysRhys Palmer	Fremantle	20110906 !6 September 2011	One end-of-first-round draft pick.
Scully, TomTom Scully	Melbourne	20110912 !12 September 2011	Two first-round draft picks.
Reid, SamSam Reid	Western Bulldogs	20111013 !13 October 2011	One third-round draft pick.

2010-2011

Before entering the AFL, the club played in the TAC Cup in 2010 and North East Australian Football League in 2011, as well as the 2011 and 2012 AFL pre-season tournaments, and the 2011 Foxtel Cup.

2012 - AFL Debut Season

The Banner at the Inaugural GWS Game v Sydney Swans.

The club played its first game in the Australian Football League on 24 March 2012 at ANZ Stadium in the inaugural Sydney Derby against the Sydney Swans which they lost by 63 points. On 12 May 2012 the club recorded its first win, defeating the Gold Coast Suns in a Round 7 match by 13.16 (94) to 9.13 (67). The only other victory of the team's inaugural season was a 34 point win over Port Adelaide.

Facilities

The Giants current training ground is located at Blacktown International Sportspark.

The club will be moving their main training facility to Sydney Olympic Park in 2013, but have committed to retaining a presence at BISP.

Canberra

The Giants are expected to play four games a year at Manuka Oval (three regular season, one preseason) for the first 10 years after signing a deal with the ACT Government worth $23 million. A Canberra logo will be incorporated on its guernsey, with a separate Canberra guernsey being used for games at Manuka. A GWS-ACT Academy is also intended to be created, with the territory also gaining representation on the club's board.

Club symbols

On 16 November 2010, Greater Western Sydney announced their club guernseys and their nickname of the "Giants".

The team colours are orange, charcoal and white, with the club unveiling two prospective home jumpers for next year to be decided by fans. One is orange with a large, stylised "G" in the centre and charcoal strips on the sides, with the other featuring orange in the top half and a white "G" wrapped around charcoal colours in the bottom half. The colour of the team's shorts is charcoal and their socks are orange. During the 2011 season a clash guernsey was unveiled. The jumper has a light grey background with a charcoal rendition of the home jumper's G on the chest. The team motto is Think Big. Live Big. Play Big. Their mascot G-Man was unveiled on 18 February 2012 before the team took the ground for their first NAB Cup match of 2012.

The team song There's A Big Big Sound was first unveiled to the foundation members and 2012 members on 16 February 2012 via a phone call, the following day the team song was released to the public. The song was written and produced by award-winning Australian artist Harry Angus of Australian band The Cat Empire.

Current squad

The inaugural co-captains of the club were Phil Davis, Luke Power and Callan Ward. Both Phil and Callan were retained as captains in 2013, whilst Tom Scully was added to the leadership group as a Vice-Captain.

Greater Western Sydney Football Club
Senior squad						Rookie List		Coaching staff
1 Phil Davis (c)  2 Curtly Hampton  3 Stephen Coniglio  4 Toby Greene  5 Dylan Shiel  6 Lachie Whitfield  7 Rhys Palmer  8 Callan Ward (c)  9 Tom Scully(vc) 10 Devon Smith 11 Taylor Adams 12 Jonathon Patton 13 Sam Darley 14 Tomas Bugg 15 Tim Golds 16 Nathan Wilson 17 Adam Treloar		18 Jeremy Cameron 19 Nick Haynes 20 Adam Tomlinson 21 Matthew Buntine 22 Shaun Edwards 23 Sam Reid 24 Jonathan O'Rourke 25 Anthony Miles 26 Jonathan Giles 27 Andrew Phillips 28 Liam Sumner 29 Dom Tyson 30 Lachlan Plowman 31 Jacob Townsend 32 Gerald Ugle 33 Will Hoskin-Elliott 34 Kristian Jaksch		35 Aidan Corr 37 Setanta Ó hAilpín 36 James Stewart 38 Stephen Gilham 39 Tim Mohr 40 Adam Kennedy 41 Josh Growden 42 Mark Whiley 43 Kurt Aylett 44 Tom Downie 45 Sam Schulz 46 Bret Thornton 47 Josh Bruce 48 Sam Frost 50 Dean Brogan 53 Chad Cornes		49 Joseph Redfern 51 Zachary Williams		Head coach Kevin Sheedy Assistant coaches Leon Cameron (Senior Assistant) James McDonald Luke Power Brett Hand Dean Brogan Stuart Edge Legend: (c) Captain (vc) Vice captain Long-term injury list Upgraded rookie(s) Updated: 26 March 2012 Source(s): AFL List Lodgement, Draft list

Honours

• AFL:
  • Premierships (0):
    • Runners-Up (0):
  • Minor Premiership (0):
  • Finals Series Appearances (0):
  • Wooden Spoons (1): 2012

Honourboard

Year	Coach	Captain(s)	Club Champion	Rising Star	Leading goalkicker	Workhorse Award	Community Award	Best Defender	Coaches Award	Academy Player of the Year	Members Choice Award
2012	Kevin Sheedy	Callan Ward Luke Power Phil Davis	Callan Ward	Toby Greene	Jeremy Cameron (29)	Chad Cornes	Setanta O'hAilpin	Phil Davis	Jacob Townsend	Nick Coughlan	Toby Greene

Support

Year	Members	Total attendance	Average home crowd	Finishing position
2012	10,241	N/A	10,825	18th (last)
2013	12,128¹	N/A	N/A	N/A

¹ as at 16 May 2013

Match records

• Highest score: Greater Western Sydney 16.11 (107) v Port Adelaide 10.13 (73), Round 19, 2012, Sydney Showground Stadium

• Lowest score: Greater Western Sydney 4.7 (31) v Hawthorn 28.25 (193), Round 15, 2012, Melbourne Cricket Ground

• Highest losing score: Greater Western Sydney 16.8 (104) v Gold Coast 21.22 (148), Round 5, 2013, Manuka Oval

• Lowest winning score: Greater Western Sydney 13.16 (94) v Gold Coast 9.13 (67), Round 7, 2012, Manuka Oval

• Greatest winning margin: 34 points – Greater Western Sydney 16.11 (107) v Port Adelaide 10.13 (73), Round 19, 2012, Sydney Showground Stadium

• Greatest losing margin: 162 points – Greater Western Sydney 4.7 (31) v Hawthorn 28.25 (193), Round 15, 2012, Melbourne Cricket Ground

External links

• Greater Western Sydney Football Club official website