In Round 23, we are so proud to celebrate Member Thank You Round. This is our opportunity to celebrate the outstanding commitment and contribution of our 2021 members.

In what has been another challenging year for many people across the country, the support for the Club has once again been incredibly strong. While we can’t see our members in person this week and at the game on Saturday, our members are a vital part of our team, and the club is truly grateful for the ongoing support this season.

As part of Member Thank You Round, we have had a range of exclusive member initiatives to acknowledge our members and our opportunity to say thanks.

Members have had the chance to win some great prizes and giveaways, our players have been calling some of our members across the country along with close to 500 members attending our exclusive member webinar with Sydney Swans CEO Tom Harley, coaching staff and Errol Gulden.

As we continue to acknowledge our 50,144 members this week, we profile and share some of our members who recently submitted their Bloods Story about being a member below.

Swans for Life – Anthony Tonks
Anthony Tonks has been a member for 13 years but a fan since he was a child. His passion for AFL started when the Swans moved to Sydney from South Melbourne and Anthony began playing the game. Family outings to the footy, training on the SCG with the Swans and a long list of highlights are just the beginning for Anthony as he still contuse to play AFL and attend games with his family.

“It all started back in 1984 when I began playing junior AFL for the Pennant Hills Demons. The Swans had just moved to Sydney from South Melbourne & the hype about our new Sydney team, along with my new involvement (obsession?) with the game had me hooked,” Anthony said in his Bloods Story.

“At that time my dad was working at Hoover, who were a major sponsor of the Swans back then, & he had access to home game tickets, so of course Dad, myself, & my brothers went to as many games as we could, watching some of the old greats like Ironmonger, Carter, Healy, Carroll, & of course Capper. I was even fortunate enough to be selected from my junior club to attend a Swans clinic over the summer of 1986 run by players such as Steve Wright & Paul Hawke, including a training run on the hallowed SCG turf.

“My obsession only grew when my all time favourite player, Greg "Diesel" Williams, joined the team that year. Since then I've been to as many games as I can get to, & have a long list of highlights, such as seeing Plugger nail a post-siren point in 1996 to get us into the GF against the Roos.

“I finally bit the bullet to sign up as a full member in 2008 & haven't looked back, I've loved being part of the Bloods membership for the last 13 years & that won't change any time soon.

“I'm proud to say things have come around full circle, I'm back playing footy with the Pennant Hills Demons (Masters team) & I'm still going to all the Swans home games with my Dad & brothers, just like we started doing over 35 years ago. My wife loves coming to the games too, & is now a proud card-carrying Swans member as well.

“It's been a tough last couple of Covid years & I'm desperately missing being at the games, but it's great to see the Swans in the top 8 this year & I'm looking forward to closely following their finals campaign for a successful 2021. The young talent coming through the academy also bodes well for the future. Cheer cheer. GO BLOODS!!”

Loyal American Son – Rob Pait
Rob Pait has been a member for four years, but has been a fan of the red and white since the 1980’s. Living in America, Rob supports the club from a far but has made an amazing and life changing connection with the club before attending his first-ever live Swans game in 2019, a ‘highlight of his life’.

“I discovered the Swans in the 1980s in my hometown in Virginia USA, when ESPN didn't have contracts with the NFL or the NBA but they had one with the VFL. Hey, it was sports on a weeknight, twice a week even! I like to buy low when selecting a team, and the Swans fit the bill post-Capper. Our local Barnes and Noble bookstore carried the Melbourne newspapers, and I'd follow the club the best I could after ESPN took the now-AFL off the air,” Rob said in his Bloods story.

“Fast forward to the early 2000s and Fox Sports started showing the games again, so I could catch the Swans every 2-3 weeks on replay. I watched Leo Barry You Star at about 3 am local time and screamed into a pillow to avoid waking up the neighbourhood!”

“Now with the Swans Global Membership and WatchAFL, I'm watching every game (live during arvo starts). Even better, I found a wonderful group of friends on the Sydney Swans-Onward to Victory and Go Bloods Banner Supporters Group pages on Facebook.”

“I finally was able to see my first-ever live Swans game during the Sir Douglas Nicholls round in 2019 and my amazing Bloods family arranged for me to hold the banner and experience the smoking ceremony on-field, still a highlight of my life.

“I love that feeling every time the siren sounds on a win, especially with this year's crop of cygnets. But even more, my life has been changed by supporting a club that is so firmly a leader for inclusion of all sorts, and by the amazing connection I have with my Australian friends through our shared love for this amazing club.”

We have loved hearing all your stories so far! If you are a member and would like to submit your story about being a member of the club, submit Your Bloods Story here.