Early proposals The idea of an AFL team from western Sydney originated from the AFL's plans in 1999 to make the
North Melbourne Football Club Sydney's second team. Following the momentum of the
relocated Swans Grand Final appearance, the AFL had backed the move for North Melbourne, a club which had then previously gained market exposure by defeating the Swans in their first re-location Grand Final appearance. However, the venture was unsuccessful and after several games a season North Melbourne never managed to draw crowds of over 15,000 at the
Sydney Cricket Ground before finally leaving the market for
Canberra. The AFL's interest in the Western Sydney market appeared to be rekindled after the Sydney Swans' second,
more successful Grand Final appearance in 2005. In 2006, the AFL introduced the NSW Scholarships scheme also known as the Talented Player Program (TPP), primarily aimed at juniors in West Sydney market to foster home grown talent and produce AFL players, a region which despite its large and growing population, had prior to the program, produced few professional Australian Footballers. The AFL was buoyed when it gained the support of then NSW premier
Morris Iemma in late 2006, and the league became a partner in the Blacktown sporting facility in
Rooty Hill, New South Wales. The facility was announced as the new home base for its team out of western Sydney in 2007; it announced that it had planned to grant its 18th licence in mid to late 2008. In January 2008, the AFL officially registered the business name Western Sydney Football Club Ltd with
ASIC. In March 2008, it was revealed by the media that the AFL had considered a radical proposal to launch an Irish-dominated team in Sydney's western suburbs, which would perform before an international audience under the "Celtic" brand name. At the time, the
Irish Experiment was peaking with numerous Irish players in the AFL. The "Sydney Celtics" plan was first put to AFL chief executive
Andrew Demetriou in early 2007 by
Gaelic Players Association executive Donal O'Neill. It was said that the proposal originated at the
International Rules series in Ireland in late 2006 when O'Neill put forward a plan to purchase an AFL licence in Sydney. The idea had been boosted by the hype generated by
Tadhg Kennelly's appearance for Sydney in the
AFL Grand Final, having become one of the club's better locally known players. However, the idea never materialised and the AFL has since stated that this was never a serious option.
Formation Establishment support as inaugural coach In March 2008, the AFL won the support of the league's 16 club presidents to establish an eighteenth side in Western Sydney. The Western Sydney working party devising player rules and draft concessions for the second Sydney team met on 22 July 2008. During 2008, the
AFL Commission, whose agenda was to make a final decision on the Western Sydney Football Club, delayed it on multiple occasions. During the same year, in November, the AFL announced a
A$100 million venture to redevelop a stadium originally built for baseball at the Sydney Olympics, into a boutique AFL stadium at the
Sydney Showground, in the city's west. After a third meeting in Sydney in November, the AFL cited the
2008 financial crisis as being a key factor in the delays. While the AFL reiterated its stance on the Western Sydney licence, the commission admitted that the delay in the decision was due to financial remodelling of the bid in response to the crisis, and conceded that the debut of the team in the AFL may eventuate one or more seasons later than initially suggested. The expansion licence drew increasing media scepticism and public criticism, particularly in the light of a poor finals attendance in Sydney, declining Sydney Swans attendances and memberships, the
2008 financial crisis and the
Tasmanian AFL Bid which had gained significant momentum and public support during 2008. An
Australian Senate enquiry into the Tasmanian AFL Bid concluded that Sydney had "insurmountable cultural barriers" to the establishment of a second AFL team. In May 2009, AIS/AFL Academy coach Alan McConnell was appointed as the club's high performance manager. McConnell was the first full-time appointment for GWS and his new role commenced on 1 July 2009.
Kevin Sheedy was appointed inaugural coach in November 2009, signing a three-year contract. His role commenced on 2 February 2010. His first senior assistant coach was former premiership coach of Port Adelaide, Mark Williams. Williams left the role at the conclusion of 2012, in order to become a development coach at the Richmond Tigers. In November 2010
Skoda Australia was announced as the team's first major sponsor, signing a three-year contract which included naming rights to the team's home ground at the Sydney Showground. SpotJobs became a sponsor in March 2015. They featured on the back of the Giants' playing guernseys for home matches in Sydney and Canberra and on the front of the guernseys for all the team's away games for that year only. Currently, Virgin Australia, Toyo Tyres and St. George bank are the main sponsors, along with apparel partner, Puma. On 4 October 2012, Greater Western Sydney confirmed
Leon Cameron as its new senior assistant coach for 2013. This role expanded to Senior Coach which he held for nine years before resigning from his position in May 2022.
Establishment in Western Sydney In 2007 the NSW government, Blacktown City Council, Cricket NSW and the AFL agreed to the development of an AFL/Cricket centre at Blacktown International Sportspark at a cost of $27.5 million. The agreement between Blacktown City Council and the AFL was an 84-year (21 x 4) agreement. The breakdown of contributors of funding was the NSW Government $15 million, Blacktown City Council $6.75m, Cricket NSW $2.875 million and AFL $2.875 million. The development included; • a main AFL/Cricket Oval that has the same dimensions as the Melbourne Cricket Ground • a second oval • 1600 seat grandstand • function facilities; and • Indoor cricket practice centre. Blacktown International Sports centre was officially opened on 22 August 2009. On 15 April 2012, the Giants played their first and only regular season AFL premiership game against West Coast Eagles in front of a crowd of 6,875 at Blacktown International Sportspark. The final score being Giants 10.9 (69) – Eagles 23.12 (150). In April 2013, an $11.6 million redevelopment of a former golf driving range into a new AFL training ground and multicultural community education centre commenced, signalling the relocation of GWS to the suburb of Sydney Olympic Park. Greater Western Sydney Giants presence at the complex from 2010 to 2014 was concluded with the movement of the senior team 27 km east to
Sydney Olympic Park. This move was supported by the NSW Government which spent an additional $45 million to upgrade the
Sydney Showground Stadium at Sydney Olympic Park providing a new home for the Western Sydney AFL team. The entry concessions ended up being removed ahead of schedule at the end of the 2016 AFL season.
Player recruitment , a high-profile recruit by the club. The former professional
rugby league and
rugby union footballer was from the
Brisbane Broncos. Folau has been credited with helping to establish the Giants in Western Sydney. Greater Western Sydney were provided with similar recruitment entitlements to the who had entered the AFL the year before the Giants. Key differences included that their access to an uncontracted player from each other AFL club was able to be acted on in either 2011 or 2012. The club was also allocated the ability to trade up to four selections in a "mini-draft" of players born between January and April 1994, that would otherwise not be eligible to be drafted until the
2012 AFL draft. They also were given the first selection in each round of the
2011 AFL draft as well as selections 2, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13 and 15 in the first round of the draft. The 2011 Trade Week saw the Giants take part in nine trades, involving two selections in the mini-draft as well trading away players who had previously nominated for the draft in return for additional early draft selections in the
2011 AFL draft, that resulted in them holding the first five draft selections and 11 of the first 14. During the 2011 season, there was much speculation about which uncontracted players would sign with the Giants. In August 2011, defender
Phil Davis became the first player to announce that he would sign with the new club. During 2011, four more AFL listed players announced they would be playing for the Giants in 2012 –
Bulldogs midfielders
Callan Ward and
Sam Reid,
Fremantle midfielder
Rhys Palmer and
Melbourne midfielder
Tom Scully. Former Melbourne Captain
James McDonald,
Brisbane veteran
Luke Power and
Port Adelaide ruckman
Dean Brogan and midfielder
Chad Cornes came out of retirement to play for the Giants in 2012. McDonald and Power took on roles as playing Assistant Coaches. Greater Western Sydney also recruited
Israel Folau, a former professional
rugby league and
rugby union footballer, from the
Brisbane Broncos on a promotional salary of more than $6 million over four years despite him having never heard of the sport before. The club played its first game in the Australian Football League on 24 March 2012 at ANZ Stadium in the inaugural Sydney Derby against the
Sydney Swans which they lost by 63 points. On 12 May 2012 the club recorded its first win, defeating the
Gold Coast Suns in a round 7 match by 13.16 (94) to 9.13 (67). The only other victory of the team's inaugural season was a 34-point win over Port Adelaide. The Giants were to have numerous big losses, including five by over 100 points, beating the previous record of four set by Fitzroy in their
final season, the
Brisbane Bears in
1991,
St Kilda in
1985 and
Footscray in
1982. They lost four other games by over eighty points and finished with a percentage of 46.17, the lowest by any club since St Kilda, in
1955, had a percentage of 45.4 and, before that, Melbourne in
1919 with 43.0.
2013: Second season In
their second season, Greater Western Sydney fared even worse than in their debut season. The Giants lost their first seventeen games, an ignominy suffered previously by
Fremantle in 2001,
St. Kilda in 1910 and seven teams who
finished with an 0–18 record. The most recent of these VFL/AFL teams losing all eighteen games was
Fitzroy in 1964. Greater Western Sydney's combined percentage for their first two seasons was indeed the lowest by any club since
St. Kilda in 1901 and 1902. Furthermore, the Giants again lost five games by 100 points or more, repeating an ignominy from the debut season. In round 19, they avoided becoming the fourteenth club in VFL and AFL history to finish a season winless, winning their solitary game for the season against
Melbourne to snap a 21-game losing streak. Leading into the final round of the home-and-away season,
Jeremy Cameron had kicked 62 goals to this point in the season and was equal third in the race for the
Coleman Medal, two goals behind leader
Jarryd Roughead. At the end of the season, coach Kevin Sheedy stood aside for
Leon Cameron, who had been assistant to Sheedy in 2013. On 19 December 2013, it was announced that Sheedy had been appointed to the club's board. Club Chairman, Tony Shepherd, highlighted Sheedy's importance when he said, "In many ways Kevin Sheedy is the father of the Giants. He's been here from the start and has helped build the Giants."
2014: Third season Greater Western Sydney started
their third season impressively winning two of their first three games, including beating their much-fancied cross-town rivals, the
Sydney Swans 15.9 99 to 9.13 67 in their first round encounter at
Spotless Stadium. They would eventually finish 16th (6 wins 16 losses), which was enough to avoid the Wooden Spoon for the first time. On 13 May 2014, Greater Western Sydney midfielder
Toby Greene was charged with a number of offences including assault with a dangerous weapon and intentionally causing serious injury over an alleged assault in a Melbourne licensed venue the previous night.
2015: Fourth season Before the start of the 2015 AFL Season, the Giants managed to sign
Ryan Griffen in addition to re-signing
Jeremy Cameron. The club overall had a fairly successful season, finishing 11th with 11 Wins and 11 Losses, including a victory over eventual premiers, Hawthorn.
2016: Fifth season The Giants' fifth season was their best yet, as they recorded their first positive win–loss ratio (16 wins, 6 losses), qualified for their
first finals series and finished 4th out of 18 teams on the ladder. a margin of this size was unexpected. They also recorded their largest average home crowd in a season so far (12,333), The Giants finished fourth on the ladder after round 23, which meant they secured a double chance for the upcoming finals series. With cross-town rivals the
Sydney Swans finishing as minor premiers, the mechanics of the
AFL finals system meant that the Giants would play their first final in their five-year history against the Swans in Sydney. In their first final, the Swans hosted the Giants at
Stadium Australia (ANZ Stadium), with 60,222 spectators attending the match; at the time, this was the largest ever crowd for a match involving the club. Two weeks later, in the preliminary final, the Giants faced the
Western Bulldogs at
Spotless Stadium, competing for a place in the
2016 AFL Grand Final in only their fifth year. In a close affair, both physically and on the scoreboard, the Bulldogs were attempting to make their first
Grand Final in 55 years, while the Giants were looking to capitalise on their recent strong form. The Bulldogs led for most of the first half and went into half-time with a nine-point lead. In the third quarter, the Giants kicked three goals to lead by 11 points, but by three-quarter-time their lead had been reduced to one point. Early in the fourth quarter, the Giants kicked two quick goals to lead by 14 points, but the Bulldogs would kick two goals in response to take the lead, and, after scores were level with five minutes of game time remaining, a goal from
Jack Macrae saw the Bulldogs win the match by six points. After the match, coach
Leon Cameron said that the pre-finals bye did not have any effect on the club's performance.
2017 season There was a lot of outside expectation on the club leading into 2017. A lot of the media were talking up the side as eventual premier, thanks to the club's run in the second half of 2016. In the off season the club traded want-away player Cam McCarthy to Fremantle along with picks 7, 34 & 72 for pick 3 in the draft. Canberra academy player Jack Steele was traded to St Kilda for a future second round pick. Unlucky, but highly talented Paul Ahern was traded to North Melbourne for pick 69. Crowd favourite, Will Hoskin-Elliott, was traded to the Collingwood Football Club for a future second round pick. Continuing the club's strong trading with Carlton Football Club, they offloaded, Caleb Marchbank, Jarrod Pickett (like Ahern a high draft pick who never played a game for the club) Rhys Palmer and the club's 2nd round pick in the 2017 draft for Geelong's first round pick in the 2017 draft and picks 45, 58 and 135. The club traded in Richmond player, and former first round draft pick, Brett Deledio using Geelong's first round pick acquired from Carlton and its own third round pick. With its picks in the 2016 draft and the acquisition of Deledio via trade, the club added Tim Taranto, Will Setterfield (academy), Harry Perryman (academy), Isaac Cumming (academy), Lachlan Tiziani (academy) and Matt de Boer via the national draft, and another former de-listed Docker in Tendai M'Zungu in the Rookie Draft. The club had an absolutely horrible run with injuries over the year yet somehow managed to scrape in to the Top 4. Josh Kelly had a breakout year, all the while weighing up a return to his father's former club, North Melbourne, on a rumoured 7-year, $11,000,000 contract. He refused that offer and re-signed before the club's final series. The side yet again fell at the second last hurdle, once again losing to eventual premiers, Richmond Football Club in front of a crowd of 94,000, the biggest crowd the club has played in front of.
2018 season A hit-and-miss 2018 season saw the Giants finish seventh on the AFL ladder with 13 wins, eight losses and one draw. Despite losing just once in their first six games, they would go on to suffer a four-game losing streak which temporarily knocked them out of the top eight. They recovered brilliantly with nine wins in their next ten matches before losses to and in the final two rounds of the regular season prevented them from finishing in the top four for a third consecutive year. They dominated Sydney by 49 points in the second elimination final at the SCG before losing to eventual runners-up by ten points in the second semi-final. At the conclusion of the season, foundation players
Dylan Shiel and
Tom Scully were traded to and respectively. Two-gamer
Will Setterfield was also traded to .
2019 season Greater Western Sydney qualified for their fourth consecutive finals series in
2019, finishing sixth on the AFL ladder with 13 wins and nine losses. They suffered a major setback early in the year when co-captain
Callan Ward was struck down with an
ACL injury during the club's round four victory over and was subsequently sidelined for the rest of the season. list
Jeremy Cameron became the first GWS player to win the
Coleman Medal as the leading goal scorer in the competition, kicking 67 goals during the home-and-away season. He notably scored nine goals in the final round of the season against to win the award outright, after trailing 's
Ben Brown by six goals heading into the match. The Giants entered the
2019 finals series with unconvincing form, particularly after two very poor performances against and the in rounds 21 and 22 respectively, and were expected by some to exit the finals quickly. However, they defied the odds and would eventually bound into their first ever
grand final. The Giants emphatically turned the tables on the Bulldogs – who had humiliated them on their own home ground just three weeks prior – in the second elimination final to the tune of 58 points. Then, they defeated the by three points in a classic semifinal at the
Gabba before holding on to defeat by four points in an equally enthralling preliminary final. In doing so, the Giants became only the second team since the introduction of the
AFL final eight system in
2000 to reach the grand final without earning a spot in the top four, after the Bulldogs qualified for the
2016 decider from seventh position (and would eventually win that year's premiership). They met
2017 premiers in the
2019 AFL Grand Final on 28 September. They were thoroughly outplayed by the Tigers, who won their second flag in three years by a margin of 89 points – one of the heaviest defeats ever suffered in a Grand Final in the history of the VFL/AFL. At the conclusion of the season, foundation player
Adam Tomlinson was traded to
Melbourne, confirmed on Tuesday 8 October 2019. A predicted transfer of inaugural #1 draft pick
Jonathon Patton being traded to
Hawthorn also occurred. 2017 first-round draft pick
Aiden Bonar was traded to
North Melbourne Football Club in the final minutes of the trade period. The Giants got in veteran
Sam Jacobs from the
Adelaide Crows Football Club, an exemplary ruck of his day, to strengthen their ruck stocks.
2020 season Greater Western Sydney entered the
2020 AFL season looking to atone for their humiliating defeat in the grand final. However, despite some early optimism, the Giants' season was a major disappointment. Inconsistent performances throughout the season resulted in the Giants finishing tenth and missing the finals for the first time since 2015. They became the third team in four years to miss the finals after playing in the previous year's decider, after 2016 premiers the Western Bulldogs and 2017 runners-up Adelaide.
2021: Tenth season During the trading period prior to the start of the
2021 AFL season, star player and former
Coleman Medallist
Jeremy Cameron was traded to Geelong as a restricted free agent along with two second round draft picks for three first round draft picks and one fourth round draft pick. The Giants also traded away defenders
Zac Williams for one first round draft pick, and
Aiden Corr for one second round pick to
Carlton and
North Melbourne respectively. The Giants also announced two new
guernsey designs for both home and away games in conjunction with the team's 10th season in the AFL. The Giants started their 2021 season with three consecutive losses before upsetting Collingwood in the 4th round by 30 points. Injuries plagued the Giants at the start of the season, with high-profile recruits
Jesse Hogan and
Braydon Preuss, along with star defender
Lachie Whitfield, injuring themselves during the preseason. Senior players
Matt de Boer,
Phil Davis, and captain
Stephen Coniglio were also all injured during the Giants round 3 game against Melbourne. Despite these injuries, GWS would go on to upset
Sydney during their round 5 clash at the
SCG, with the Giants winning by two points against an undefeated Sydney side. Due to a major COVID outbreak in New South Wales, GWS, as well as their crosstown rival Sydney, spent the final two months of the home-and-away season away from the state. The Giants were able to navigate this period well and booked a fifth finals appearance in six seasons, finishing seventh on the AFL ladder with 11 wins, 10 losses and a draw. GWS would meet Sydney in a final for the third time, and the first outside of New South Wales, with the match being relocated to
University of Tasmania Stadium in Launceston. The Giants once again prevailed over their crosstown rival, defeating the Swans by one point in a thrilling elimination final. The Giants’ season, however, came to an end the following week after losing to Geelong by 35 points in the second semi final at
Optus Stadium.
2022 season GWS had a difficult
2022 season, winning just 6 of their 22 games and finishing 16th on the ladder. The Giants popular long-time coach Leon Cameron stood down after 9 years with the club ahead of their round 9 clash against Carlton following a slow start of 2 wins and 6 losses. Mark McVeigh was announced as the Giants interim coach for the remainder of the 2022 season winning 4 of his 13 games in charge. Adam Kingsley was named senior coach of GWS on 22 August 2022.
2023 season Despite modest expectations of success ahead of Kingsley's first season as coach, 2023 would prove to be an unforgettable year for Greater Western Sydney. Despite sitting as low as 15th on the ladder midyear, a strong finish to the season saw the Giants break into the finals for the sixth time in eight seasons, finishing seventh with a 13–10 record. The Giants would eventually qualify for their fourth preliminary final after comfortable victories over St Kilda and Port Adelaide in the elimination final and semi final respectively. Greater Western Sydney's fairytale campaign would end in heartbreak after losing to eventual premiers Collingwood by one point in the prelim. Kingsley was officially named as the AFL Coaches Association Senior Coach of the Year after an outstanding first season at the helm.
2024 season Greater Western Sydney would have a solid but ultimately disappointing 2024 season. Five consecutive wins to start the year and seven consecutive victories in the final two months earned the Giants the double chance for the first time since 2017, entering September in fourth position with a 15–8 win-loss record. Spearhead Jesse Hogan would claim the second Coleman Medal in club history after scoring 69 goals in the home-and-away season. Unfortunately, more finals heartbreak would eventuate for the Giants; after leading against the Sydney Swans at 3 quarter time (48-
69) & against Brisbane (
92-67), they would bow out in straight sets in the qualifying final and semi final respectively, having squandered commanding leads in both matches. Jesse Hogan would finish the 2024 season with 77 goals, one more than Jeremy Cameron (76) in 2019, setting a club record for Greater Western Sydney. At an end of season function, thirteen players were found to have breached the AFL's rules on conduct unbecoming, with seven players including Captain Toby Greene fined $5000 for not intervening when eight players performed skits that included players reenacting the September 11 attacks, and simulated sex while dressed as controversial sporting figures. Josh Fahey was suspended for four matches, while Jake Riccardi, Joe Fonti, Toby McMullin, Harvey Thomas and Cooper Hamilton were suspended for two.
2025 season Greater Western Sydney once again put themselves in the conversation for a premiership in 2025, but would continue to come up short. The Giants had another solid year, finishing fifth on the ladder with a 16–7 win-loss record to play finals for the eighth time in 10 seasons. However, their season ended in heartbreak yet again, falling to their earliest finals exit after a 19-point loss to Hawthorn in a seesawing elimination final. ==Draft==