AFL’s western Sydney challenge laid bare ahead of Swans-Giants derby
Life in football can change quickly. Six months ago, Tom Harley was finishing a successful six-year stint as chief executive of the Sydney Swans; now he is the AFL’s chief operating officer, defending the number of registered junior footballers in western Sydney. He has no choice.
A report by former Swans great Gerard Healy on SEN on April 7 that only 97 boys aged 13 and under were registered for junior AFL in the area has lingered like an unwanted guest on a week that the league normally showcases the strength of the game in Sydney. On Friday night, the Swans will take on the Giants at a packed SCG in what has grown into a genuine rivalry.
But participation numbers in western Sydney are still taking centre stage.
This masthead asked AFL NSW/ACT for the junior participation numbers for western Sydney ahead of the first round of football this weekend, but they would not provide them. However, the organisation said that junior registrations were up 10 per cent this year.
An interview was also requested with the head of AFL NSW/ACT, Andrew Varasdi, who is ultimately responsible for driving participation across the region, but this was also not made available.
As a former two-time premiership captain with Geelong, Harley was an elite defender and utilised a similar skill set to explain why the AFL would only provide percentage changes for junior participation, as opposed to raw numbers.
“What I can say across western Sydney programs here today, there’s 7500 registered participants, and it’s one and a bit thousand more than this time last year, which equates to 18 per cent growth,” Harley said.
“I think percentage growth is a good representation because you do have to have a baseline somewhere, and I think everyone would understand that the baselines are different from region to region, from state to state, just no different, to be fair, from membership baselines from one club to another … I think the percentage point growth year-on-year is the most relevant statistic.”
This masthead spoke to volunteers engaged in junior football in western Sydney. Some requested anonymity, with one saying the AFL had directed them not to speak publicly about participation numbers in the region.
A common theme is the damaging effect COVID-19 had on junior football participation in the region, which has not recovered, despite concerted efforts.
For instance, in 2019, a specific western Sydney competition for under-15 boys had seven teams competing. Minor premiers St Clair Crows no longer exist, and by 2022, just four teams remained.
Sydney’s junior competition for under-15 boys is now spread across the city, with the west represented by sides such as South West Sydney and a Western Sydney alliance selection. Western Alliance players from Penrith can travel as far as 70km to play a game against Manly in division two of under-15s football.
Ken Gray, who has been involved in junior and senior football in western Sydney for more than 40 years, believes the lack of participants in junior age groups is also affecting senior football in the region.
“Last year there wasn’t one under-15 or under-17 [boys] team [in Penrith or Parramatta], so it’s not just the under-13s that are the problem,” Gray said.
“It’s worse at the top end – senior clubs won’t survive because there are no kids coming through.”
Last year, the AFL cut registration fees by $100 for all Auskick and under-13 participants in western Sydney, which has helped.
Michael Craigie has arguably taken on one of the toughest volunteer jobs in Sydney this season as president of Penrith Giants junior football club. Still, Craigie is motivated by the challenge to drive participation in Australian football.
Ahead of round one, Craigie reports that the club is oversubscribed in under-13 boys and is fielding teams for boys and girls from under-9s up to under-14s.
“We’ve lost all those volunteers that as a kid, we had at our games, and that’s definitely the challenge,” Craigie said.
“I’ll put in place a rotation for every team and challenge the team manager and coach to make sure there’s a rotation [of volunteers] and some accountability for the parents to be involved.
“And for me as a president, I just try and lead from the front and … people follow a leader, so that’s how I look at it.”
Fran Grogan is another new president in junior football in western Sydney, leading the Hawkesbury Saints. Grogan also reports strong growth in participation, while also acknowledging the lure of rugby league in the area.
“Obviously, NRL’s [rugby league] thriving in the area, so we just sort of wanted to put our name back in the pot – that’s all it was, just getting out and about and being visible to the community,” Grogan said.
“I suppose it’s just trying to win over the hearts and the minds of the people. There are so many sports out there – soccer, NRL, basketball – so it’s just trying to get the parents to understand the game.
“We want the parents to understand what we do at the club, even if they don’t appreciate the game on TV, it’s trying to make the parents understand that it’s an amazing sport for kids. The hardest obstacle is just making parents change their minds and consider AFL as a sport.”
This season, the Swans boast six players who came through their academy and were raised in Sydney. Captain Callum Mills, Caiden Cleary, Errol Gulden, Sam Wicks, Braeden Campbell, Nick Blakey are all regular starters.
The Giants have two players from western Sydney who came through their academy: Kieran Briggs from Pennant Hills and Josaia Delana, a talented forward of Fijian heritage who grew up obsessed with rugby league.
If Delana highlights the huge possibilities of converting untapped sporting talent from the west of the city, the rarity of such players after 13 years of the Giants also reinforces the continuing challenge for the club in building a talent pipeline.
Adelaide Crows midfielder and former Giant James Peatling, from Pennant Hills, remains the only other academy graduate from the western Sydney region active on an AFL list.
Last Wednesday, Fox Footy reported that this year that there were 64 boys in western Sydney playing Australian football, and 32 were in the Giants academy. So, one in every two under-14 boys is making it into the club’s academy.
The Swans are perched on top of the AFL ladder, and on Friday take on a Giants team that sits 11 places below the Swans on the competition ladder. On Wednesday, it was also announced that chief executive officer Dave Matthews will step down from the Giants after 15 years. During that time the Giants reached the finals in eight out of the last 10 years. The game presents a steep challenge for the Giants, but it pales into significance given the continued, lengthy battle for the hearts and minds of junior athletes in western Sydney.
It’s a battle the AFL and Giants cannot afford to lose further ground in.