On the back of the mixed emotions of yesterday’s Hyundai A-League Grand Final I wanted to write to you to express my deepest gratitude and admiration.
Dear Wanderers Family
On the back of the mixed emotions of yesterday-s Hyundai A-League Grand Final I wanted to write to you to express my deepest gratitude and admiration. You have made an incredible contribution to the remarkable journey that is our Club and I want you to know how proud we are to be sharing that journey with you.
Never before has the sporting landscape in Australia and, dare I say, globally, witnessed the incredible achievements that our Club has cemented in the annals of sporting history in such a short timeframe.
While the pain of a losing Grand Final cuts deep and seems to linger longer than the joy of victory, it is also important to remember that success has many fathers and comes in many forms.
Success isn-t always just about being first past the post but equally can be measured in the journey to get to the post and the lasting legacy that comes with that journey.
As your Coach and I walked through the streets of Brisbane yesterday morning and then at the airport after the match and indeed this morning at the International Airport as our playing squad departed for Japan, it has never been clearer that our Club is blessed with the most amazing fan group we have ever experienced and that our Club-s success since birth is inextricably linked to this amazing support.
Success, you see, is many things:
• Having the best fan group in the country
• A fan group that has already left an indelible imprint on how sport is supported in our country
• 17,000 Members who are so proud, passionate and grateful to have a club in Western Sydney they can proudly call their own
• A club that always stands up for the west, is always competitive and always strives to make it proud in return
• A Premiership
• Two Grand Finals,
• Topping our Group and being in the last sixteen of the AFC Champions League with still more to come
• The 1.5 million viewers who have watched our games in the Hyundai A- League this year and the countless millions more who have watched our ACL matches across Asia
• Proudly carrying the Western Sydney banner in a Grand Final watched by over 250 million viewers across 57 countries
• The 200,000 boys and girls our Club has reached through our remarkable community programs
• The 265 ambassador schools who proudly carry our flag across the Western Sydney region
• Average home crowds in excess of 15,000
• Being the highest sponsored club in the Hyundai A-League
• Having the most remarkable group of corporate partners
• Record merchandise and licensing numbers as you clamour to so proudly wear your Club-s colours
• Creating the largest ever sporting crowd migration in any code from one state to another with in excess of 10,000 of our fans travelling to Brisbane yesterday and back and never once losing their full voice and pride and passion for their Club and where they come from
• Having strong pillars that always make us look forward. Pillars like Pride, Passion, Aspiration and Resilience that will continue to drive us on a daily basis to do better tomorrow what we are doing today
• A club that has a vision for the future:
– To always be in the top three of the Hyundai A-League
– To regularly participate in Asia
– Its own Academy and player pathway for boys and girls
– An upgraded stadium
– Its own training and administration centre
– Greater investment in its Foxtel National Youth League and Westfield W-League programs
– To continue to enrich the lives of boys and girls in the west through a raft of social areas to guide them to be better people
– Its own Foundation to help address some of the social inequities in Western Sydney
– To continue to foster, nurture and grow grassroots and community football
As we reflect on yesterday, know that no stone was left unturned to stand up for you, be competitive and make you proud. Know that everyone to do with our Club gave every last ounce of energy to ensure that your day was a success. Equally know that your role in getting us there and the incredible support on show will live in the hearts and minds of all associated with our Club for many years to come.
United as one, we will in time be one of the biggest and most successful clubs in any sporting code in Australia. Our vision to be a world class football club, the pride of Western Sydney has never been stronger. Our future is indeed one of endless possibilities on the back of the incredible support you continue to give us.
On behalf of all to do with our Club I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Walk tall and be proud.
Lyall
