Sydney Swans

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Sydney Swans

Full name Sydney Swans Ltd
Nickname The Swans / The Bloods
Strip Red and white guernsey, red shorts, red and white hooped socks
Founded 1874 (moved to Sydney 1982)
Sport Australian rules football
League Australian Football League
Ground The SCG and Telstra Stadium
Club song 'The Red and the White'
President/Chair Richard Colless
Coach Paul Roos
Captain Barry Hall, Brett Kirk & Leo Barry

The Sydney Swans is an Australian Football League (AFL) club based in Sydney, New South Wales.

The South Melbourne Football Club relocated to Sydney in 1982 to become the Sydney Swans and are currently the only AFL club based in the state.

They play most home games at the Sydney Cricket Ground, with 'blockbuster' games played at Telstra Stadium (the former Olympic Stadium at Homebush). They are the 2005 AFL Premiers, after defeating the West Coast Eagles at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 24 September 2005 by four points.

Contents

History

The inauguration date of the club is officially June 19 1874, but it only adopted the title South Melbourne Football Club four weeks later, on July 15. In 1880 it absorbed an Albert Park club, and by 1890 had replaced the original blue and white with the now familiar red and white. Nicknamed "The Bloods" (short for Blood-Stained Angels, in reference to the colours), it played in the Victorian Football Association until 1896 when it was a founding club of the Victorian Football League. The club was based at Lake Oval.

Early Success

The club had early success and won three VFL premierships in 1909, 1918 and 1933. The club was at its most successful in the 1930's, when key recruits from both Victoria and interstate led to a string of appearances in the finals, including 4 successive grand final appearances from 1933-1936, albeit with only one premiership in 1933. It was during this period that the team became known as the Swans, the nickname having been given courtesy of the number of West Australians in the team (Swans being the state emblem of WA). The name stuck, partially due to the association with nearby Albert Park and Lake, also known for its white swans (ironically there are no longer any non-native white swans and only black, indigenous swans in the lake).

After several years with only limited success, South Melbourne next reached the grand final in 1945. The match, played against Carlton, was to become known as "the Bloodbath", courtesy of the brawl that overshadowed the match, with a total of 9 players being reported by the umpires. Carlton won the match by 28 points, and from then on, South Melbourne struggled.

Struggling Victorian Club

It was to be another 25 years before they reached the finals, under the guidance of the legendary Norm Smith. Even so, the club had massive debts after struggling for so long, and in the early 1980s, despite strong supporter opposition, it was given the choice of relocation to Sydney or oblivion.

Relocation to Sydney

The Swans moved to Sydney (and the SCG) in 1982 as part of the VFL's attempts to broaden its appeal which culminated in its extension into a national competition, the AFL. In 1985 the VFL created one of the messiest deals ever associated with football and almost brought an end to the Sydney Swans.

On 31 July 1985, for what was thought to be $6.3 million, Dr Geoffrey Edelsten "bought" the Swans. In reality it was $2.9 million in cash with funding and other payments spread over five years. Edelsten resigned as chairman in less than twelve months.

Dark Times

By 1988 the licence was sold back to the VFL for ten dollars. Losses were in the millions. A group of financial backers including Mike Willessee, Basil Sellers, Peter Weinert and Craig Kimberley purchased the licence and bankrolled the club until 1993, when the AFL stepped in.

Following the initial relocation and launch in Sydney, the team began playing at the SCG in front of crowds in excess of 20,000, similar to the regular attendances that old Souths achieved in Melbourne. However attendances at times dropped below 10,000 when the team was performing poorly, far below many of the other clubs in the league.

With substantial monetary and management support from the AFL, the club survived, and with player draft concessions in the early 1990s, has fielded a competitive team through the decade.

Desperate to hang on, the club was keen to enlist the biggest names and identities in the AFL, and recruited legendary coach Ron Barassi who helped save the club from extinction while serving them as coach from Round 7, 1993 to 1995. At roughly the same time, Hawthorn legend Dermott Brereton (but barely known in Sydney) was also recruited. Although the club was building, it still continued to struggle.

Return to Finals Football and Media Spotlight

A big coup for the club was recruitment of St Kilda Football Club champion Tony "Plugger" Lockett in 1995. Lockett became a cult figure in Sydney, with an instant impact and helped pull in big crowds.

In 1996 the Swans lost the grand final to North Melbourne, which had been their first appearance in a grand final since 1945. The game was played in front of 93,102 at the MCG.

Since 1996, the Swans have made the finals in each season except 2000 and 2002. By 1997, the average for home ground attendances had peaked at 36,612.

A new home ground in Telstra Stadium provided increased capacity over the SCG. The Swans' first game played at the stadium in round 9, 2002 attracted 54,169 spectators. The Sydney Swans v Collingwood match at Telstra Stadium on August 23, 2003 set an attendance record for the largest crowd to watch an AFL game outside of Victoria with a crowd of 72,393 (near capacity) and was the largest home and away AFL crowd at any stadium for 2003. A preliminary final against the Brisbane Lions at Telstra Stadium in 2003 attracted 71,019 people.

When Telstra Stadium was unavailable for the 2005 semi final, the game against Geelong drew a crowd of 39,079 at the SCG. The record crowd for an AFL fixture at that venue is 46,168 in 1997 also against Geelong.

The culmination of the recent success is the 2005 premiership against the West Coast Eagles played in front of 91,898 at the MCG taking the flag to Sydney for the first time and breaking a 72 year drought for the club. It also broke the longest premiership drought in the history of the competition.

Partly as a result of the exclusive marketshare, crowds at home games tend to be larger on average than those drawn by the nine National Rugby League clubs in Sydney, despite the fact that rugby league is Sydney's traditional football code.

Over the history of the AFL, the Swans have been one of the most innovative clubs in the VFL/AFL in finding new markets. In recent years, the club has invested time and energy in the US market (with the help of coach Paul Roos). In 2006 as part of Australia Week celebrations in the USA, the Sydney Swans were beaten by the Kangaroos Football Club in an exhibition match at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA).

Supporter Base

As the only AFL club in Sydney, the Swans have a large population base to draw on. In 2006, following the first premiership in 72 years, the club has achieved a record membership and the biggest since 1999. There is still a healthy Melbourne following for the Swans, particularly a revival in the late 1990s sees approximately 7,000 swans members in the city and good support for the team when they play in Melbourne.

Year Members Finishing position² Average Home crowd
1982 7th 15,993
1983 11th 12,025
1984 2,750 10th 12,497
1985 2,777 10th 10,137
1986 4,927 4th 25,819
1987 3,594 4th 22,032
1988 2,516 7th 12,311
1989 2,631 7th 12,317
1990 2,624 13th 9,178
1991 2,907 12th 11,521
1992 3,020 15th 9,881
1993 3,097 15th 9,423
1994 3,327 15th 9,813
1995 6,088 12th 15,949
1996 9,525 2nd 24,996
1997 22,109 7th 36,612
1998 31,089 5th 31,549
1999 31,175 8th 30,586
2000 30,177 10th 25,308
2001 28,022 7th 27,556
2002 27,755 11th 25,270
2003 21,270 4th 32,244
2004 25,010 5th 30,964
2005 24,955 1st 31,516
2006 31,256¹ 32,877¹
¹(as at 16 May, 2006) ²following finals matches

Year	Members	Finishing position²	Average Home crowd
1982		7th	15,993
1983		11th	12,025
1984	2,750	10th	12,497
1985	2,777	10th	10,137
1986	4,927	4th	25,819
1987	3,594	4th	22,032
1988	2,516	7th	12,311
1989	2,631	7th	12,317
1990	2,624	13th	9,178
1991	2,907	12th	11,521
1992	3,020	15th	9,881
1993	3,097	15th	9,423
1994	3,327	15th	9,813
1995	6,088	12th	15,949
1996	9,525	2nd	24,996
1997	22,109	7th	36,612
1998	31,089	5th	31,549
1999	31,175	8th	30,586
2000	30,177	10th	25,308
2001	28,022	7th	27,556
2002	27,755	11th	25,270
2003	21,270	4th	32,244
2004	25,010	5th	30,964
2005	24,955	1st	31,516
2006	31,256¹		32,877¹

Rivalries

The Swans share a long and storied rivalry with St Kilda that dates back to the days when South Melbourne played at Lake Oval on the other side of Melbourne's Albert Park, not far from St Kilda's old home ground at Junction Oval. To this day the Swans and the Saints play for the Lake Trophy every year during the home-and-away season.

The Swans also share a rivalry with the Brisbane Lions, a rivalry that is part of the ongoing rivalry between the Australian states of New South Wales and Queensland that stretches across footy codes and politics. Since the mid 1990s the two sides have played for the Alan Schwab Shield, named after the late AFL administrator who worked to establish the two sides in rugby league territory. However the real prize at stake is the pride of their adopted states, and the match between these two sides when played in Sydney is considered a "blockbuster", which means that the match is played at Telstra Stadium rather than the SCG.

Premiers

1909 (as South Melbourne) -- defeated Carlton 4.14 (38) to 4.12 (36)
1918 (as South Melbourne) -- defeated Collingwood 9.8 (62) to 7.15 (57)
1933 (as South Melbourne) -- defeated Richmond 9.17 (71) to 4.5 (29)
2005 -- defeated West Coast 8.10 (58) to 7.12 (54), first flag after relocation

Runners-up

1899 (as South Melbourne) -- defeated by Fitzroy 3.9 (27) to 3.8 (26)
1907 (as South Melbourne) -- defeated by Carlton 6.14 (50) to 6.9 (45)
1912 (as South Melbourne) -- defeated by Essendon 5.17 (47) to 4.9 (33)
1914 (as South Melbourne) -- defeated by Carlton 6.9 (45) to 4.15 (39)
1934 (as South Melbourne) -- defeated by Richmond 19.14 (128) to 12.17 (89)
1935 (as South Melbourne) -- defeated by Collingwood 11.12 (78) to 7.16 (58)
1936 (as South Melbourne) -- defeated by Collingwood 11.23 (89) to 10.18 (78)
1945 (as South Melbourne) -- defeated by Carlton 15.13 (103) to 10.15 (76); match is legendary for the brutal violence that earned the Swans the moniker "Blood-Stained Angels"
1996 -- defeated by the Kangaroos 19.17 (131) to 13.10 (88); first grand final appearance after relocation

Current squad

As of May 20, 2005:

17 Tadhg Kennelly

18 Andrew Ericksen

19 Michael O'Loughlin

37 Adam Goodes

Rookies:

29 Jonathan Simpkin
35 James Wall
40 Paul Currie
41 Ed Barlow
43 Stefan Garrubba
46 Sam Rowe
48 Kieren Jack
49 Adam Prior

Honour Roll

Year	Posn	Coach	Captain	Best & Fairest	Leading goalkicker (goals)
1949	10	Jack Hale	Bert Lucas	Ron Clegg	Ray Jones (27)
1950	11	Gordon Lane	Gordon Lane	Billy Williams	Gordon Lane (47)
1951	8	Gordon Lane	Gordon Lane	Ron Clegg	Billy Williams (41)
1952	5	Gordon Lane	Gordon Lane	Keith Schaefer	Gordon Lane (33)
1953	8	Laurie Nash	Ron Clegg	Jim Taylor	Ian Gillett (34)
1954	10	Herbie Matthews	Ron Clegg	Eddie Lane	Eddie Lane (28)
1955	10	Herbie Matthews	Bill Gunn	Ian Gillett	Eddie Lane (36)
1956	9	Herbie Matthews	Ian Gillett	Jim Dorgan	Bill Gunn (28)
1957	10	Herbie Matthews	Ron Clegg	Jim Taylor	Fred Goldsmith (43)
1958	9	Ron Clegg	Ron Clegg	Bob Skilton	Max Oaten (34)
1959	9	Ron Clegg	Ron Clegg	Bob Skilton	Bob Skilton (60)
1960	8	Bill Faul	Ron Clegg	Frank Johnson	Max Oaten (39)
1961	11	Bill Faul	Bob Skilton	Bob Skilton	Brian McGowan (38)
1962	12	Noel McMahen	Bob Skilton	Bob Skilton	Bob Skilton (36)
1963	11	Noel McMahen	Bob Skilton	Bob Skilton	Bob Skilton (36)
1964	11	Noel McMahen	Bob Skilton	Bob Skilton	Max Papley (25)
1965	8	Bob Skilton	Bob Skilton	Bob Skilton	Ron Kingston (48)
1966	8	Bob Skilton	Bob Skilton	Max Papley	Austin Robertson (60)
1967	9	Allan Miller	Bob Skilton	Bob Skilton	John Sudholz (35)
1968	9	Allan Miller	Bob Skilton	Bob Skilton	John Sudholz (36)
1969	9	Norm Smith	Bob Skilton	Peter Bedford	John Sudholz (35)
1970	4	Norm Smith	Bob Skilton	Peter Bedford	John Sudholz (62)
1971	12	Norm Smith	Bob Skilton	Peter Bedford	Peter Bedford (44)
1972	11	Norm Smith	John Rantall	Russell Cook	Peter Bedford (28)
1973	12	Graeme John	Peter Bedford	Peter Bedford	Peter Bedford (52)
1974	9	Graeme John	Peter Bedford	Norm Goss	Norm Goss (37)
1975	12	Graeme John	Peter Bedford	Peter Bedford	Graham Teasdale (38)
1976	8	Ian Stewart	Peter Bedford	Rick Quade	Robert Dean (37)
1977	5	Ian Stewart	Rick Quade	Graham Teasdale	Graham Teasdale (38)
1978	8	Des Tuddenham	Rick Quade	John Murphy	John Murphy (31)
1979	10	Ian Stewart	Rick Quade	Barry Round	Tony Morwood (56)
1980	6	Ian Stewart	Barry Round	David Ackerley	John Roberts (67)
1981	9	Ian Stewart	Barry Round	Barry Round	John Roberts (51)
1982¹	7	Rick Quade	Barry Round	David Ackerley	Tony Morwood (45)
1983	11	Rick Quade	Barry Round	Mark Browning	Craig Braddy (48)
1984	10	Rick Quade, Bob Hammond	Barry Round, Mark Browning	Bernie Evans	Warwick Capper (39)
1985	10	John Northey	Mark Browning	Stephen Wright	Warwick Capper (45)
1986	4	Tom Hafey	Dennis Carroll	Gerard Healy	Warwick Capper (92)
1987	4	Tom Hafey	Dennis Carroll	Gerard Healy	Warwick Capper (103)
1988	7	Tom Hafey	Dennis Carroll	Gerard Healy	Barry Mitchell (35)
1989	7	Col Kinnear	Dennis Carroll	Mark Bayes	Bernard Toohey (27)
1990	13	Col Kinnear	Dennis Carroll	Stephen Wright	Jim West (34)
1991	12	Col Kinnear	Dennis Carroll	Barry Mitchell	Jason Love (52)
1992	15	Gary Buckenara	Dennis Carroll	Paul Kelly	Simon Minton-Connell (60)
1993	15	Gary Buckenara, Ron Barassi	Paul Kelly	Paul Kelly	Simon Minton-Connell (41)
1994	15	Ron Barassi	Paul Kelly	Daryn Creswell	Simon Minton-Connell (68)
1995	12	Ron Barassi	Paul Kelly	Tony Lockett	Tony Lockett (110)
1996	2	Rodney Eade	Paul Kelly	Paul Kelly	Tony Lockett (121)
1997	7	Rodney Eade	Paul Kelly	Paul Kelly	Tony Lockett (37)
1998	5	Rodney Eade	Paul Kelly	Michael O'Loughlin	Tony Lockett (109)
1999	8	Rodney Eade	Paul Kelly	Wayne Schwass	Tony Lockett (82)
2000	10	Rodney Eade	Paul Kelly	Andrew Schauble	Michael O'Loughlin (53)
2001	7	Rodney Eade	Paul Kelly	Paul Williams	Michael O'Loughlin (35)
2002	11	Rodney Eade, Paul Roos	Paul Kelly	Paul Williams	Barry Hall (55)
2003	4	Paul Roos	Stuart Maxfield	Adam Goodes	Barry Hall (64)
2004	5	Paul Roos	Stuart Maxfield	Barry Hall	Barry Hall (74)
2005	1	Paul Roos	Stuart Maxfield²	Brett Kirk	Barry Hall (80)
2006	--	Paul Roos	Barry Hall, Brett Kirk and Leo Barry	TBD	TBD

^{1^{: Relocated to Sydney

^{2^{: Six rounds into the 2005 season, Stuart Maxfield ended his playing career due to chronic injury. Six players rotated as captain throughout the rest of the season: Brett Kirk (rounds 7, 8, 19 and 20), Leo Barry (rounds 9, 10, 21 and 22), Barry Hall (rounds 11, 12 and the entire finals series), Ben Mathews (rounds 13 and 14), Adam Goodes (rounds 15 and 16) and Jude Bolton (rounds 17 and 18).}}}}

Individual Awards

See Bob Skilton Medal

South Melbourne

Herbie Matthews (1940)
Ron Clegg (1949)
Fred Goldsmith (1955)
Bob Skilton (1959, 1963 & 1968)
Peter Bedford (1970)
Graham Teasdale (1977)
Barry Round (1981) (co-winner)

Sydney

Greg Williams (1986) (co-winner)
Gerard Healy (1988)
Paul Kelly (1995)
Adam Goodes (2003) (co-winner)

Gerard Healy (1988)

Tony Lockett (1996, 1998)

Adam Goodes (1999)

Warwick Capper (1986, 1987)

Bob Skilton (Legend)
Roy Cazaly (Legend)
Bob Pratt (Legend)
Herbie Mathews
Mark Tandy
Vic Belcher
Laurie Nash
Ron Clegg
Peter Bedford
John Rantall
Barry Round
Greg Williams
Gerard Healy
Paul Roos

Team of the Century

Sydney announced its team of the century on August 8 2003:

Sydney Swans Team of the Century
B:	John Rantall	John Heriot	Vic Belcher
HB:	Bill Faul	Ron Clegg	Dennis Carroll
C:	David Murphy	Greg Williams	Herb Matthews
HF:	Tony Morwood	Laurie Nash	Gerard Healy
F:	Bob Pratt	Tony Lockett	Paul Kelly (Vice-Captain)
Foll:	Barry Round	Peter Bedford	Bob Skilton (Captain)
Int:	Bill Williams	Stevie Wright	Daryn Cresswell
	Fred Goldsmith	Mark Bayes	Harry Clarke, Mark Tandy
Coach:	Jack Bissett

2005 Grand Final

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Sydney played the AFL Grand Final on 24 September 2005 against the West Coast Eagles defeating them by 4 points, final score 8.10 (58) to West Coast's 7.12 (54). In the last few minutes, the Sydney defence held strong, with Leo Barry marking the ball just before the siren to stop the Eagles' final desperate shot at goal. The premiership was the Swans' first in 72 years and their first since being based in Sydney. It was also the fifth premiership in succession to be won by a team outside Victoria.

In 2005 the Swans came under enormous public scrutiny, even from AFL commissioner Andrew Demetriou for their unorthodox, "boring" defense-oriented tactics that included tightly controlling the tempo of the game and starving the opposition of possession (in fact, seven teams this season had their lowest possession total whilst playing against the Swans). The coach Paul Roos maintained that playing contested football was the style used by all recent premiership winning teams, and felt that it was ironic that the much criticised strategy proved ultimately successful.

On Friday, 30 September 2005 a ticker tape parade down Sydney's George Street was held in honour of the Swans' achievements, which ended with a rally at Town Hall, where Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore presented the team with the key to the city. The flag of the Swans also flew on top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge during the week; the same flag was later given to WA premier Geoff Gallop to fly on top of the state legislature in Perth as part of the friendly wager between Gallop and NSW premier Morris Iemma.

2006 Season At A Glance

Rnd 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22
Opp Ess PA Car Mel Gee BL Ric WB Haw Kan StK Col Fre Ade WCE Ric PA Ess Mel Gee BL Car
Venue TD SCG TD SCG TS G TD SCG MCG MO SCG TS SCG SCG S SCG AS SCG MCG SS TS SCG
Result L L W L W W W W W W L L W L L - - - - - - -
Margin 27 26 7 5 22 32 118 26 65 7 2 13 33 39 2 - - - - - - -
Postn 12 14 12 12 9 8 5 4 4 4 4 6 6 6 7 - - - - - - -

Corporate

Administration

Presidents:

Richard Colless (1993-present)

CEOs:

Myles Baron-Hay

Sponsorship

Main Sponsors:

QBE Insurance (1987-present)
Citibank (2005-present)

Club Jumper

The Swans' guernsey.

The current club jumper is white with a red back and a red "V" at the top, with a silhouette of the Sydney Opera House at the point of the "V". The club's 2006 major sponsors are QBE Insurance, Citibank and Puma.

References

External links

Clubs in the Australian Football League

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Full name	Sydney Swans Ltd
Nickname	The Swans / The Bloods
Strip	Red and white guernsey, red shorts, red and white hooped socks
Founded	1874 (moved to Sydney 1982)
Sport	Australian rules football
League	Australian Football League
Ground	The SCG and Telstra Stadium
Club song	'The Red and the White'
President/Chair	Richard Colless
Coach	Paul Roos
Captain	Barry Hall, Brett Kirk & Leo Barry

Rnd	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22
Opp	Ess	PA	Car	Mel	Gee	BL	Ric	WB	Haw	Kan	StK	Col	Fre	Ade	WCE	Ric	PA	Ess	Mel	Gee	BL	Car
Venue	TD	SCG	TD	SCG	TS	G	TD	SCG	MCG	MO	SCG	TS	SCG	SCG	S	SCG	AS	SCG	MCG	SS	TS	SCG
Result	L	L	W	L	W	W	W	W	W	W	L	L	W	L	L	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Margin	27	26	7	5	22	32	118	26	65	7	2	13	33	39	2	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Postn	12	14	12	12	9	8	5	4	4	4	4	6	6	6	7	-	-	-	-	-	-	-