AFL 2024: Chairman Andrew Pridham says it’s inevitable Sydney Swans become biggest sporting club in Australia

Thought there was demand for Taylor Swift tickets? Sydney Swans chairman Andrew Pridham says it could soon be similar for his club. But ‘inevitable’ growth brings a big issue.

The Swans are growing too big for the SCG. Picture: Phil Hillyard )

The Sydney Swans want tickets for their home games to be as in-demand as a Taylor Swift concert as they look to break the 100,000-member barrier and become the most popular sporting club in the country.

Celebrating their 150th anniversary in 2024, the Swans hope to surpass 75,000 members. That tally would be nearly 10,000 more than the record they set last year.

However, club chairman Andrew Pridham is confident they can turn their sustained on-field success into off-field dominance as they look to take their membership total into six figures.

“I think it’s inevitable that the Sydney Swans will be the biggest sporting club in Australia for a whole lot of reasons,” Pridham said.

“All the data suggests that’s what is going to happen, and you can see it happening.

“Not diminishing the huge support for some of the big Melbourne clubs and in South Australia and Western Australia and Brisbane. But I think just given the population base, and the fact there are only two teams in NSW, it’s inevitable.

“I just think we continue getting stronger. We’re focused on our game day experience to make it fun for people to come. That’s the game and all the entertainment. The fact we’ve been consistent on-field, that’s also a very deliberate strategy and a credit to John Longmire, Tom Harley, Andrew Ireland and (Paul) Roosy before that.

“I certainly can envisage the day in not too distant future where we’ll get to 100,000 members for example, I think that’s not too crazy to think that will happen.”

Swans chairman Andrew Pridham is confident the club will become the biggest in the country. Picture: Valeriu Campan

The Swans are unashamed in their lofty aspirations, however, it could cause a problem for fans in the future at their home base of the Sydney Cricket Ground.

Melbourne-based AFL clubs such as Collingwood, Richmond and Carlton have the luxury of hosting their strong membership base at the larger capacity of the MCG. The SCG currently has an approximate capacity of 48,000 and on occasion sells out for Swans matches, particularly finals.

The Swans’ largest crowd to date at the SCG is 46,323 for the 2017 elimination final against Essendon.

Their current split of paying members is 67 per cent in Sydney and 17 per cent in Melbourne, due to their South Melbourne heritage. There is also nine per cent of the current membership base who are non-ticketed members and don’t attend games as part of their package.

However, if the Swans were to get close to 100,000 members it would put a premium on matchday tickets at the ground, particularly because a large portion are reserved for SCG Members each match.

The redevelopment of the MA Noble and Bradman Stands helped increase the capacity of the SCG. Picture: Phil Hillyard

The most recent redevelopment of the ground in 2014 saw the capacity of the MA Noble and Bradman Stands extend to 13,000. There are no specific projects in place to upgrade any of the grandstands especially given the recent Allianz Stadium redevelopment. The SCG Master Plan is set to be updated later this year. and the Brewongle and O’Reilly Stands would be next in line as the oldest facilities.

While growing the capacity of the SCG would be the ideal scenario, Pridham believes the simple solution is embracing the squeeze and ensuring entry to a Swans game becomes the hottest ticket in Sydney.

“Ideally it’s like the Super Bowl or Taylor Swift tickets,” he said.

“Fans are begging to get the tickets which happens at finals time.

“That’s what you want is people finding it hard to get tickets. But the membership packages provide a lot of flexibility. But what we want is for the SCG to be pretty much sold out for most games and make the atmosphere unbelievable.

“(We want to) make coming to a Swans game something that if you’re a tourist in Sydney you wouldn’t miss if you’re here.”

Pridham is hopeful the demand for Swans tickets will be similar to the Super Bowl or Taylor Swift in the future. Picture: Valerie Macon/AFP

The biggest challenge for the Swans to reach that target is converting fans into members.

In a study by Roy Morgan in 2023, the Swans again topped the ladder as the most widely supported AFL club with 1.34 million supporters. However, that large total meant they ranked bottom on the percentage of fans who are members with just 4.9 per cent.

The Swans’ final tally of 65,332 only places them 10th overall in terms of AFL membership, but comfortably puts them first for sporting clubs in Sydney.

“I think we’re also the number one of avid fans which is 800,000 or so,” Pridham said. “Our challenge has always been to convert people into being members and coming to games.

“I’m pretty confident that we’ll have multiple sellout games so if people aren’t members, they’re not going to get in basically. That’s a pretty important milestone in terms of building membership.”

The Swans can build momentum for the rest of their 2024 campaign by filling the SCG for the opening round of the AFL season against Melbourne. The club is confident that the match will sell out as they try to capitalise on the opportunity to have all eyes in Sydney on Aussie rules.

There will be some NRL matches in Sydney during that weekend, however, the Swans’ attendance will be the highest in the state.

While Pridham is energised about the club’s direction, he knows there is still more to do for Aussie rules to cut through and become NSW’s dominant sport.

The Swans will open their 2024 campaign against Melbourne in the first match of the AFL season. Picture: Phil Hillyard

“All you have to do is look at the crowds that we get to our games compared to NRL,” Pridham said on the sport’s growth.

“But you know, there’s an old saying, ‘What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas’, so I hope the League stays in Vegas.

“(Opening Round) is really important because a third of the population is in NSW and 52 per cent are north of the Murray. So this is the market to grow into. And (the AFL) know that so I think we’ll keep growing.

“I suspect Opening Round will be hugely successful. It will be a bit like Gather Round in Adelaide. And it won’t detract from the first round in Melbourne, I think people in Victoria are frothing and ready to watch footy.

“While I think the Sydney Swans are going well in terms of supporter base and members, in terms of the participation levels and the impact that AFL has in New South Wales compared to the NRL, I don’t kid myself that we’re almost there, we’re not. There’s a long way to go.”