Having announced that 2013 will be his last as Chairman of the Sydney Swans, the Saturday, August 10 match between the Swans and Collingwood at ANZ Stadium will mark the final time that Richard Colless will host Collingwood President Eddie McGuire at a home game.

The two are currently the longest serving Chairmen/Presidents in the game and boast a colourful past of friendship and conflict with each other.   

In 2003 Colless and McGuire, with the support of the AFL, conceived the idea of a mid-season Swans and Collingwood blockbuster to rival the big games in Melbourne. That year, nearly 73,000 people attended the Round 21 clash at ANZ Stadium, making it by far and away the most watched AFL game outside Melbourne.

There is little doubt that McGuire and Colless have been the two most dominant and influential club presidents over the past 15 years. McGuire has transformed Collingwood from a cash-strapped, under-performing club with 28,000 members to by far and away the largest club in the AFL, and Australian sport in general with nearly 80,000 members. The Club now boasts world class facilities and highly innovative player programs. It is not only the largest sporting club in Australia, but one of the largest in the world.

Colless assumed the chairmanship of the Swans in mid-1993; at that stage it had less than 3,000 members. Under his stewardship the Club has grown its member base to more than 36,000 and is the largest football club of any code in Sydney. It has played in 16 of the last 18 finals. It is widely acknowledged that Colless has had a profound impact on growing the game in Sydney and throughout New South Wales.

Both McGuire and Colless are recognised as being aggressive champions of their respective clubs – sometimes leading to direct conflict between them.

To witness Colless and McGuire go head-to-head in a wide-ranging discussion one final time, you will need to be a guest at the Chairman’s Club for Saturday night’s match between the Swans and Collingwood.  

This will be a unique and stimulating discussion between two heavyweight presidents of the AFL that should not be missed.

To book your place at round 20’s Chairman’s Club, simply click here or contact Jad Maserow (Sydney Swans Corporate, Events & Hospitality) on (02) 9339 9163.