AFL’s Western Sydney challenge laid bare ahead of Swans-Giants derby

April 16, 2026 — 11:50am

You have reached your maximum number of saved items.

Remove items from your saved list to add more.

Save this article for later

Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime.

Life in football can change quickly. Six months ago, Tom Harley was finishing a successful six-year stint as chief executive of the Sydney Swans; now he is the AFL’s chief operating officer, defending the number of registered junior footballers in western Sydney. He has no choice.

A report by former Swans great Gerard Healy on SEN on April 7 that only 97 boys aged 13 and under were registered for junior AFL in the area has lingered like an unwanted guest on a week that the league normally showcases the strength of the game in Sydney. On Friday night, the Swans will take on the Giants at a packed SCG in what has grown into a genuine rivalry.

But participation numbers in western Sydney are still taking centre stage.

This masthead asked AFL NSW/ACT for the junior participation numbers for Western Sydney ahead of the first round of football this weekend, but they would not provide them. However, the organisation said that junior registrations were up 10 per cent this year.

An interview was also requested with the head of AFL NSW/ACT, Andrew Varasdi, who is ultimately responsible for driving participation across the region, but this was also not made available.

As a former two-time premiership captain with Geelong, Harley was an elite defender and utilised a similar skill set to explain why the AFL would only provide percentage changes for junior participation, as opposed to raw numbers.

“What I can say across western Sydney programs here today, there’s 7500 registered participants, and it’s one and a bit thousand more than this time........

© The Sydney Morning Herald