AFL 2026: Battle for growth in Western Sydney continue as Giants
Life in football can change quickly. Six months ago Tom Harley was successfully completing his six-year tenure as CEO of the Sydney Swans; He currently serves as the AFL’s chief operating officer and champions the number of registered youth footballers in Western Sydney. He has no choice.
A report by former Swans star Gerard Healy on SEN on April 7 that only 97 boys aged 13 and under in the region had signed up for the AFL lingered like an unwelcome guest in a week when the league normally showcased the strength of the game in Sydney. On Friday night the Swans take on the Giants at a packed SCG in what is shaping up to be a real rivalry.
But attendance numbers in western Sydney are still in focus.
This masthead asked AFL NSW/ACT for Western Sydney’s youth participation figures ahead of the first round of football this weekend, but they did not provide them. But youth enrollment is up 10 percent this year, the organization said.
An interview with AFL NSW/ACT president Andrew Varasdi, who is ultimately responsible for increasing participation across the region, was also requested, but this was also not offered.
Harley, a former two-time premiership captain at Geelong, was an elite defender and drew on a similar skill set to explain why the AFL only provides percentage changes for youth participation rather than raw numbers.
“What I can say here today in the Western Sydney programs is there are 7,500 registered participants, which is one and a half 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 have to have a baseline somewhere and I think everyone will understand that baselines are different from region to region, state to state, but to be fair, membership from one club to another is no different from baselines… I think percentage point growth year over year is the most relevant statistic.”
This masthead was addressed to volunteers involved in youth football in Western Sydney. Some asked to remain anonymous, while one said the AFL had instructed them not to speak publicly about attendance numbers in the region.
A common theme is the detrimental impact Covid-19 has had on youth football participation in the region, which has not improved despite intense efforts.
For example, in 2019, seven teams were competing in a particular Western Sydney competition for under-15 boys. Minor premiers St Clair Crows are no more and only four teams remain until 2022.
Sydney’s junior competition for boys under 15 has now spread across the city; The west is represented by parties such as South Western Sydney and Western Sydney alliance selection. Western Alliance players from Penrith can travel up to 70km to play matches against Manly in the second division of under-15 football.
Ken Gray, who has been involved with junior and senior football in Western Sydney for more than 40 years, believes the lack of participants in the younger age groups is also affecting senior football in the region.
“Last year there was no one under 15 or under 17 [boys] set [in Penrith or Parramatta]So it’s not just kids under 13,” Gray said.
“The situation is even worse at the top level; the top clubs will not survive because there are no kids coming from there.”
Last year the AFL reduced registration fees for all Auskick and under-13 participants in Western Sydney by $100, which helped.
Michael Craigie has arguably taken on one of the toughest volunteer jobs in Sydney this season as president of the Penrith Giants junior football club. Still, Craigie is motivated by the challenge of increasing participation in Australian football.
Ahead of the first round, Craigie informed the club that there was overwhelming demand for under-13 boys and that he was opening teams for under-9s and under-14s boys and girls.
“We’ve lost all the volunteers we had at our games as kids and that’s the real challenge,” Craigie said.
“I will implement a rotation for each team and push the team manager and coach to make sure there is rotation. [of volunteers] and some responsibility for parental involvement.
“And for me as a president, I just try to lead from the front and… people follow a leader, that’s how I look at it.”
Fran Grogan is another new head of youth football in Western Sydney and leads the Hawkesbury Saints. Grogan also reports strong growth in participation, while also acknowledging the appeal of rugby league in the region.
“Obviously, the NRLs [rugby league] “We’re thriving in the area, so we kind of wanted to put our name back in the mix — that’s it, just get out there and be visible to the community,” Grogan said.
“I think it’s just trying to win people’s hearts and minds. There are so many sports out there – football, NRL, basketball – so it’s just trying to get parents to understand the game.
“We want parents to understand what we’re doing at the club; even if they don’t appreciate the game on TV, it’s trying to get parents to understand it’s a great sport for kids. The toughest hurdle is getting parents to change their minds and see AFL as a sport.”
This season the Swans boast six players coming through their academy and growing up in Sydney. Captain Callum Mills, Caiden Cleary, Errol Gulden, Sam Wicks, Braeden Campbell, Nick Blakey are regular starters.
The Giants have two players from western Sydney coming through their academy: Pennant Hills’ Kieran Briggs and talented striker Josaia Delana, who is of Fijian heritage and grew up obsessed with rugby league.
If Delana highlights the great possibilities of converting untapped sports talent in the city’s west, the rarity of such players after 13 years with the Giants also reinforces the club’s ongoing struggle to build 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 the AFL roster.
Last Wednesday Fox Footy reported there were 64 kids playing Australian rules football in Sydney’s west this year, with 32 of them in the Giants academy. This means that one in every two boys under the age of 14 manages to enter the club’s academy.
The Swans sit at the top of the AFL standings and on Friday will face the Giants, a team who are 11 places below the Swans in the competition standings. It was also announced Wednesday that CEO Dave Matthews will be leaving the Giants after 15 years. During that time, the Giants have advanced to the finals in eight of the last 10 years. The game presents a tough challenge for the Giants, but it fades in importance given the long ongoing battle for the hearts and minds of young athletes in western Sydney.
This is a battle in which the AFL and the Giants cannot afford to lose any more ground.
