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Sydney Swans is an Australian Football League (AFL) club based in Sydney , New South Wales . The club, originally founded in 1874, was known as the South Melbourne Football Club until it relocated to Sydney in 1982 to become the Sydney Swans. Sydney is the only AFL club based in New South Wales, and was also the first non- Victorian club in the competition. The Swans play most home games at the Sydney Cricket Ground , with 'blockbuster' games played at Telstra Stadium (the former Olympic Stadium at Homebush Bay ). The club has won premierships in 1909, 1918 and 1933 (as South Melbourne), and in 2005 (as the Sydney Swans). Sydney played in the by 4 points in an epic low scoring encounter. This had been their first Grand Final win in 72 years. HISTORY ground, a single grandstand built in 1926, now unused and in a state of disrepair, but flagged as a possible club museum]] 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 . The club represented the Melbourne suburb of South Melbourne , one of the city's oldest. In 1880 it absorbed the Albert Park club, and by 1890 had replaced the original blue and white with the now familiar red and white of the South Melbourne coat of arms. 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 1930s, 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 Swan s (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 In the following years, South Melbourne consistently struggled as their inner-city recruiting area largely emptied. The club missed the finals in 1946 and continued to fall so that by 1950 they were second-last on the ladder. Though they temporarily bounced back and nearly made the finals in 1952, in the following seventeen years South Melbourne did not finish above eighth position (though in 1953 and 1965 they won as many games as they lost). By the 1960s it was clear that South Melbourne's financial resources would not be capable of allowing them to compete in the growing market for country and interstate players, and their own local zone was never strong enough to compensate for this. Under the legendary Norm Smith , South Melbourne finally improved substantially in 1970 with a fourth place. However, having probably the worst Country Zone in the league and a poor metropolitan zone meant South Melbourne still possessed not the slightest access to the best emerging players, and their 1970 joy was short-lived. Between Round 7, 1972 and Round 13, 1973, they lost 29 consecutive games and by the end of the 1970s South Melbourne had massive debts after struggling for so long. Despite strong supporter opposition, in the early 1980s they were 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, a move which ultimately culminated in its extension into a national competition, the AFL. The move to Sydney is the subject of the Weddings Parties Anything song 'The Swans Return'. 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. During the Edelsten years, the Swans were seen by the Sydney public as a flamboyant club, typified by the style of its spearhead, Warwick Capper , his long bright blond Mullet and bright pink boots made him unmissable on the field and his pink ferrari, penchant for fashion models and eccentricity made him notorious off the field - all somewhat Fashionable In The 1980s . During Capper's peak years, the Swans had made successive finals appearances for the first time since relocating. His consistently spectacular aerial exploits earned him consecutive Mark Of The Year awards while his goalkicking efforts (amassing 103 goals in 1987) made him runner up in the Coleman Medal two years running. The Swans successive finals appearances saw crowds during this time peak at an average of around 25,000 per game. Capper's status saw him move to the Brisbane Bears the next season. Dark times The club's form was to slump in the following year. 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. Attendances consistently dropped below 10,000 when the team was performed poorly between 1990 and 1994, far below many of the other clubs in the league. The AFL began to step in to save the Swans, offering substantial monetary and management support. The club survived, and with player draft concessions in the early 1990s, the team fielded a competitive team through the decade. During this time, the side was largely held together by two inspirational skippers, both from the Wagga Wagga region of country New South Wales, Dennis Carroll and later the courageous captain Paul Kelly . 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 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 along wth the Super League War in the rival Rugby League football code in Australia, helped the Swans to pull in larger 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. Former Swans favourite son Paul Roos was appointed coach part-way through the 2002 season after it became obvious that Rodney Eade was not performing as coach. Roos had an immediate impact, winning most of the remaining games that year, and continuing a record as a successful coach with the Swans for over half a decade. 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 an official attendance 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. Sydney was able to recruit another St Kilda export in the Lockett mould, Barry Hall, a large forward with a wily reputation, who after initially playing in the shadow of Lockett in his twilight years, relished in the new surrounds and eventually became a cult figure and club leader in his own right. 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 well established as Sydney's most popular 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). The club formed affiliation agreements with the Los Angeles Swans and the Chicago Swans in the USAFL . 2005 Grand Final See Also: 2005 AFL Finals Series 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 that 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 See Also: Sydney Swans 2006 Season The Swans started 2006 quietly with multiple pre-season losses and poor performances early in the home and away season. The media diagnosed a "premiership hangover". Despite this, they finished the season strongly in 4th place, obtaining a double chance in the finals and a home Preliminary Final berth after a strong one-point victory over the West Coast Eagles at Subiaco Oval in Perth. The Swans defeated Fremantle by a considerable margin at Telstra Stadium . 2006 Grand Final See Also: 2006 AFL Grand Final The 2006 AFL Grand Final was contested between the Sydney Swans and West Coast Eagles at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on September 30, 2006. The West Coast Eagles avenged their 2005 Grand Final defeat by beating the Sydney Swans by one point, only the fourth one-point Grand Final margin in the competition's history. The rivalry between the Sydney Swans and West Coast Eagles has become one of the greatest rivalries in VFL/AFL history. The last six games between the two sides have been decided by a combined margin of 13 points. Four of those six games were finals. 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 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. Almost 10,000 Swans members are (South) Melbourne based and the club experiences good support when the team plays in Melbourne and many also make the long trip to Sydney for home games as well. The club recently celebrated in 2007 their 25th anniversary since relocating from South Melbourne , with parties hosted both in Sydney and their former home. ยน(as at 18 May, 2007) {Link without Title} &2following finals matches RIVALRIES West Coast Eagles and Darren Glass ]] The Swans are developing arguably their most famous modern rivalry against the Perth based West Coast Eagles . The six most recent games between the two teams (that is, from the 2005 Qualifying Final to the Round 1 match of 2007) have each been decided by less than a goal, resulting in two wins to Sydney and 4 to West Coast (including a Grand Final win each). The difference in aggregate across the six games is three points and the sum of the margins is thirteen points. Ironically, in 2005, Sydney lost the Qualifying Final to the Eagles by four points, only to later win the Grand Final by four points against the Eagles. In 2006, the Eagles lost the Qualifying Final to Sydney by one point, only to later win the Grand Final by one point against the Swans. Below are the results of recent clashes between these rivals: 2005 Qualifying Final, Subiaco
2005 Grand Final, MCG
2006 Round 15, Subiaco
2006 Qualifying Final, Subiaco
2006 Grand Final, MCG
2007, Round 1, Telstra Stadium
Brisbane Lions The Swans share a strong rivalry with the Brisbane Lions , which is based on the ongoing sporting and political rivalry between the two states New South Wales and Queensland . 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 traditional rugby league territory. Between them the two clubs have won four of the past six AFL Premierships. The most recent match fought out between these sides ended on a 63-all draw - the first for the Swans since 2002. St Kilda The Swans share a long and storied rivalry with St Kilda that dates back to the days when South Melbourne played at the Lake Oval on the other side of Melbourne 's Albert Park Lake, not far from St Kilda 's old home ground Junction Oval . Because the Swans and the Saints used to be towards the bottom of the ladder on a regular basis after the Second World War up until St Kilda's move away from the Junction Oval clashes between both sides used to be dubbed "The Lake Premiership". TRIVIA
VFL/AFL PREMIERSHIPS Premiers
Runners-up
CURRENT SQUAD ''As of December 20 , 2006 :'' HONOUR ROLL 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). TEAM RECORDS
INDIVIDUAL AWARDS Best and Fairest :See Bob Skilton Medal Brownlow Medal winners South Melbourne/Sydney have provided more Brownlow Medal winners (14) than any other club. South Melbourne
Sydney
Leigh Matthews Trophy winners
Coleman Medal winners
AFL Rising Star winners
Mark of the Year winners
Australian Football Hall of Fame players
TEAM OF THE CENTURY Sydney announced its team of the century on August 8 2003 :
CORPORATE Administration Directors:
CEO s:
Supported Charities
CLUB JUMPER down the front.]] The jumper is white with a red back and a red yoke with a silhouette of the Sydney Opera House at the point of the yoke. The Opera House design was first used at the start of the 1987 season, replacing the traditional red "V" on white design. Until 1991, the back of the jumper was white with the yoke only extending to the back of the shoulders and each side of the jumper had a red vertical stripe. The current predominantly red design appeared at the start of the 1992 season. The club's 2007 major sponsor is QBE Insurance . CLUB MASCOT The Sydney Swans mascot for the AFL's Mascot Manor is Syd 'Swannie' Skilton. He is named after Swans legend Bob Skilton . The actual mascot at Swans home games is still known as Cygie. (as in Cygnet ). SEE ALSO
REFERENCES EXTERNAL LINKS
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