When the inaugural Sydney Swans team took to the field in 1982, they never would have imagined just how far this club would come in 30 years.
From being strangers in a new town to AFL premiers in 2005, the last 30 years has seen the club grow from competition strugglers to one of the leading clubs in league.
The Swans’ first captain in Sydney, Barry Round, said he felt proud to witness the dramatic transformation the club has undergone in just three decades.
“You think back to the facilities we had back at the old South Melbourne ground (it) was very archaic, and then we came up here and started playing in Sydney and it was pretty rough too,” he said.
“Now you go and see the fabulous set-up that the boys have got now, it’s just great.
“It just makes you feel proud to see how far the club has come along and just gained respect from its peers.
“It’s no longer the easy beats or the poor relations of the AFL, it’s a fantastic club now.”
Like Round, current Swans co-captain Jarrad McVeigh has witnessed the club develop.
As a young boy, McVeigh can remember being one of only a handful of Swans supporters at home matches in Sydney.
McVeigh said he watched the club grow from relative unknowns to the forefront of the city over a number of years.
“I remember coming to a lot of the Swans games and you could pick any seat in the whole stadium,” he said.
“We came down with mum and dad and we just loved footy because dad was from Melbourne, so it was just a chance for us to see AFL players playing.
“From then on it grew and grew and then in 1996 I remember the Geelong game, which was pretty much a sell-out here, which was kind of the beginning of something special in Sydney.”
McVeigh said he and the current team had great respect for those who made the club what it is today.
“The current players have a great respect for the players who have come before us and the board members who helped keep this club afloat,” he said.
“We do teach our players about the history of our footy club when they first arrive and we do speak about it a lot, so we do have a great respect for what they have done before us and to give us an opportunity to have such great facilities and great people around the club."
This weekend, the Swans team will commemorate the club’s journey as the Sydney Swans Football Club celebrates three decades in the Harbour City.
To mark the club’s milestone, the Swans will don the red V guernsey, complete with the names of every player ever to pull on the red and white for Sydney, against Melbourne on Saturday evening.
Swans board member and acting Chairman Andrew McMaster said this weekend’s game against the Demons, who were the first team the Swans hosted at home in 1982, was the perfect occasion to celebrate the club’s historic feat with the commemorative jumper.
“It is a replica of the guernsey that was worn in the first match in 1982 against Melbourne,” he said.
“In the red V of the guernsey, are the names of the team that ran out in our first match, captained by Barry.
“The body of the jumper contains the names of the 299 players that have represented the Swans over the 30 years from 1982 to 2011.”
McMaster said it was a fantastic opportunity to honour those players who had been a part of the club’s historic rise in New South Wales.
“A lot has happened during that time and it’s been a long, eventful and sometimes difficult, but most importantly it’s been a rewarding journey for everyone, highlighted by the 2005 premiership.
“I think it’s fantastic that we can honour all of those players who’ve worn the red and white during that period.
“They were pioneers in every sense of the word that paved the way for a strong football club 30 years down the track.”
The 2012 Sydney Swans Heritage Guernsey commemorating 30 years in Sydney is available now in the Swanshop. Click here to order yours today.
