NSW/ACT Club of the Week: Concord GIANTS
Beginning in 2005 as the Concord Cats with a single Auskick team of just 11 players and three Committee Members, the club has grown exponentially over the past seven years.
Through the hard work of volunteer parents, the club reached more than 100 registered young players for season 2012.
With the GWS GIANTS moving in to their new home at Sydney Olympic Park, the Concord side rebranded themselves to align with the newest AFL team, taking their name and colours.
This rebrand, combined with a focus on player retention, quality marketing and a variety of other recruitment strategies by the now 14-member strong Committee, has seen the Giants increase their player numbers by an incredible 89 per cent this season to 189 registrations.
Auskick teams in the Under-6, Under-7 and Under-8 divisions have ballooned in numbers, generating more than one team in each age group for the local competitions.
With many young inner-west kids choosing AFL as their first-choice sport, the GIANTS’ future looks bright.
Recruitment and Marketing Manager David Bradley said the club is focused on continuing to grow and provide Concord kids with a quality local club.
“We work hard to be consistently professional, welcoming and considerate,” he said.
“We are always passionate, delivering a great experience for the entire family and never swaying from our defined mission.
“We always strive to live up to our club motto: ‘To give the kids of Concord the opportunity to enjoy football and form friendships.’”
Concord GIANT Emmalee Beggs was recently named the Round 14 nominee for the NAB AFL Auskicker of the Year Award and will star on Grand Final Day when the 7-year-old plays on the MCG and presents a Premiership-winning player with their medallion.
Her dad Grant Beggs said the GIANTS name convinced his kids to take up the game.
“We are passionate GIANTS fans, foundation members and go to all the home game and some of the Canberra games. I suggest that she would be the first GWS GIANTS member to be selected,” he said.
“If it wasn’t for the GWS GIANTS, Emmalee wouldn’t be playing Australian Rules football. Furthermore, my two boys would not be into AFL either. Although I am a life time follower of AFL, when we moved to Sydney three years ago the kids didn’t have much exposure to AFL, so they started playing soccer.
“When the GWS GIANTS started playing last year and with all the marketing and involvement that you do, our kids became obsessed with the GIANTS.
“Last year my oldest boy played for North Ryde Dockers junior AFL team. In October last year when he found out that Concord Cats had changed to Concord GIANTS he insisted on changing teams so that he could play with the GIANTS.
“Emmalee planned to play netball this year, but after seeing her brother train in the GIANTS guernsey and after attending the Concord GIANTS launch night where Kevin Sheedy was special guest she decided she really wanted to play AFL. She is now a strong performer in the Under-7s and loves playing the game.”
