The Sydney Swans today release their Gather Round Guernsey, and for fans who were around in the 90’s it is accompanied by a jolt of pure nostalgia.

What was it like to support the Swans in the 90’s?

Short shorts, iconic soundtracks and high-flying marks with long mullets trailing in the wind. Loyal Swans fans bundled onto the bus from Central Station (bus fare not included in your ticket price) or trekking up the hill on foot to the SCG to cheer cheer until we lost our voices. Red ball, umpires in white, Swanettes dancing on the sidelines. On the field, our heroes doing what heroes do on the road to the holy grail.

For the Sydney Swans, the 90’s was a decade of uncertainty, rebuilding and hope. At the end of 1989, a full 7 years after South Melbourne’s relocation to Sydney, the VFL officially changed its name to the Australian Football League (AFL) in acknowledgement of interstate expansions which no longer limited the league to its Victorian roots. While state footy competitions had previously existed, this was the official launch of a national Aussie Rules league. WA and QLD were already on board, with West Coast Eagles and Brisbane Bears having joined the VFL in 1987. The league continued to expand during the 90’s, with the addition of the Adelaide Crows (1991), Fremantle (1995) and Port Adelaide (1997) and a Bears-Fitzroy merger creating the Brisbane Lions (1996).

But the trailblazers paving the way for the creation of the national league were the Sydney Swans. Along with our loyal fans back in South Melbourne, the local Sydneysiders witnessed the beginnings of a firmly entrenched Rugby town slowly bleeding into red and white as we rode the footy rollercoaster of the new national league.

As part of Gather Round 2026, on Saturday April 11 the Sydney Swans will take on the Gold Coast Suns at Norwood Oval. For those playing at home, that’s a New South Wales team and a Queensland team playing in South Australia – proof of the success of the great experiment that saw South Melbourne become the Sydney Swans.

As we celebrate this gather round, our guernsey gives a nod to the 90’s – to those who had faith in the sport and in our club through thick and thin. 

Sydney Swans 2026 Gather Round Guernsey is now available for purchase, online via the Swanshop and in person at the Locker Room at Sydney Swans HQ, where you can also explore more South Melbourne and Sydney Swans history at the at Peter Weinert Museum open Monday - Friday: 10am - 4pm.