Page 4903 - Week 11 - Thursday, 21 October 2010
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reason or another. I think the AFL has been very keen to ensure that any new team does survive and is in fact a premiership contender soon after entering the competition. To that end, we can be confident that the GWS team will be a threat for the premiership, and it is possible that the cup could one day come to Canberra.
What would a successful ACT 4 GWS campaign actually mean? GWS will play up to 40 games in Canberra over the next 10 years. AFL in Canberra and the region will have a seat on the GWS board. The GWS will continue to invest in local talent academies. GWS will establish a training base in Canberra and the region. GWS will conduct community camps in the region, and GWS will field a team in the AFL Canberra competition or in a second tier AFL competition that will feature Canberra clubs.
The campaign to get 5,000 on board with GWS has been very well executed through media campaigns, on-the-ground promotion at clubs, signage at grounds around the territory and word of mouth. The target is very close to being reached. This is a tremendous effort. I think Canberrans have a bit of a history of being a little reserved when it comes to backing our sporting teams, especially when they are not winning. So to get near to 5,000 people to pledge $50 for a team that has not yet played a game in the big league is very impressive and a tribute to the ACT 4 GWS team.
I am very pleased to say that all members of the ACT opposition are on board with GWS and have pledged our support to make the ACT 4 GWS campaign a reality. Each Liberal member of the Assembly acknowledges the benefit of the team and just how good it would be for the ACT community. I encourage all Canberrans to get behind this bid.
Again, this is not about getting the odd game in Canberra and living match to match; this campaign is about getting a team that invests in Canberra and, in turn, Canberra can invest in them. It is about us all having pride in a team and giving football in Canberra an identity in the national league. An example of the promotions are as follows: the Canberra branch of the Geelong Football Club, the Canberra Cats, which I am a member of, has promoted the cause extensively. One sentence in a recent email stood out: “It’s not about barracking for GWS; it’s about getting top sides playing here.” Here you have paid-up members of the Geelong Football Club supporting the GWS campaign. That is what I am. So even if you barrack for another team, you can and should get on board with GWS. It means so much to the promotion of AFL in the national capital.
I would like to pay tribute to some of the key organisations that are supporters of the campaign here in Canberra. My colleague Steve Doszpot has already mentioned them: Ainslie Football Club, Queanbeyan Tigers, Belconnen Magpies, Eastlake Football Club, Pedders Suspension, Autoco and Coordinate. Whilst mentioning the Belconnen Magpies, which is, of course, in my electorate of Ginninderra, I would like to congratulate our president, Bob Garrett, on his commitment and his club’s active involvement in the campaign. But by far and away the key person to commend and thank is Peter Taylor for his commitment to the cause. If this campaign is successful, all Canberrans will owe a great deal to Peter.
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