The Sydney Swans will train on the SCG next week for the first time since last year’s finals series.
The return to the hallowed turf will give the team some much-needed extra space, after spending the pre-season restricted to a field that’s just 101 metres wide.
The width of Tramway Oval, where the Swans train over the pre-season due to cricket at the SCG, was impacted when construction of the light rail began in 2014. In comparison, the SCG is 136 metres wide while the MCG is 141 metres.
It’s not just the Swans who make use of the narrow training field over summer. Tramway Oval is also used by the Waratahs and the QBE Sydney Swans Academy, which will this year include some 600 members.
The absence of an alternative training ground was a key factor in Sydney delaying a bid for an AFL women’s team, along with the Swans having outgrown their existing training and administration base.
Sydney’s CEO and Managing Director Andrew Ireland said while the club is already exploring options for a new training and administration facility, finding a new patch of ground to train on is a tougher proposition.
“We haven’t got enough space currently and we’ve made a decision that we will move in the next couple of years, once we can finalise plans for a new venue, but training grounds are also a key issue for us,” Ireland said.
“Our senior team can’t train on the SCG over the summer months because of cricket and the reality is there is no ground nearby that would be suitable to house women’s football at the moment. We made that point very clear to the AFL Commission and it was the principle thing we discussed when the Commission was in Sydney last month.
“We’ve got huge intent to field a women’s team, but not until we can do it properly.”
Meanwhile in an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald last week, Swans coach John Longmire said the situation highlights the need for another AFL standard oval in Sydney’s east – and he believes it’s crucial for growing the game.
"That's a challenge for us and it's a challenge for the game,” Longmire said.
"In schools they're really excited about AFL football, but they're still looking to get more grounds, more facilities. People are wanting their kids to play AFL footy and getting facilities and grounds is a real challenge.
"We've been here for 32 years. There's so much interest in the game, it's just a matter of capturing that now and putting it together and supporting it with the infrastructure."
