Sydney Swans to end ANZ Stadium games after 2016 AFL season

The Sydney Swans will cease hosting games at the ANZ Stadium within two years after signing a 30-season deal to play all of their home matches at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) from 2017.

The announcement came less than a week after ANZ Stadium launched its plans for a $350 million redevelopment bid to revitalise the 15-year-old former Olympic Stadium, with rugby union, rugby league and football seen as key users of the venue into the future.

The Swans have played big home and away matches and many finals at ANZ Stadium since 2002, although most of their fans much prefer the 46,000-capacity SCG, located in the club’s eastern suburbs heartland.

Announcing the SCG deal on Monday (24th November), Swans Chairman Andrew Pridham cited the “mythical” significance of the SCG and improved facilities the Moore Park precinct as motivations for the deal.

Pridham stated "it’s very clear to us that over the last number of years that the vast majority of Swans members and fans have shown strong encouragement to play all our games at the SCG ... there’s an overwhelming feeling that they just love this place.”

Despite falling attendance figures at ANZ Stadium, Pridham insisted it had been a successful venue for the club.

The announcement comes as the Sydney Olympic Park venue posted two of the lowest finals crowds for the club since 1997 last season, including a turnout of just 35,998 for the Swans’ qualifying-final win against Fremantle.

Meanwhile, the SCG pipped its 83,500-capacity rival for the highest home crowd of the year with the round 13 match against Port Adelaide.

With the ANZ Stadium widely seen as being an unpopular venue by Swans fans, many took to social media, with some predicting a growth in future membership and a better atmosphere for the Swans at the SCG.

The new contract provides for all Swans’ home finals in Sydney to be scheduled at the SCG from 2017, although that has yet to be signed off by the AFL.

The Swans will play home matches against Essendon, Geelong and Hawthorn at ANZ Stadium in 2015.

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