It was Sydney’s turn last month, this time around Melbourne turned on the goods for the second round of the 2017 Sydney Swans fan days.
Presented by principal partner Volkswagen, hundreds of passionate fans donned their red and white on Saturday morning before descending on Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre to rub shoulders with the players.
Everything from signing sessions, kick-to-kick, photo opportunities, fun activities and merchandise giveaways were on offer throughout the morning.
The venue, only a stone’s throw away from the Club’s old stomping ground at Lake Oval, provided the perfect setting for fans and players alike to shrug off Friday night’s loss and enjoy the festivities.
"It's absolutely fantastic seeing everyone and all the families come out and get behind us, especially after a disappointing loss last night," Josh Kennedy said during Saturday's post-match press conference. "Hopefully we can rally behind them throughout the course of the year and fight back."
There were queues of eager fans all around the complex but the longest by far was reserved for the autograph table where the playing group, split into two rotations, spent time signing everything from jumpers, caps, flags, posters and ‘Buddy’ dolls.
Aside from Buddy, Cyggy was the next popular for photos among fans young and old.
Part of the giveaways included mini footballs, provided by sponsors Wynstan and Blue Emu, while children got to sit next to their favourite players and make kites thanks to our charity partner Redkite.
Supporter groups Ladies at the Sydney Swans (L@SS) and the Rainbow Swans were also in attendance, attracting some interested fans keen to join.
Merchandise sold like hotcakes throughout the morning while plenty of fans took the opportunity to collect their membership packs, with the tally now well over 50,000 members and counting.
The Sydney Swans would like to extend a warm thank you to everyone who attended this year's fan days, both in Sydney and Melbourne. We can't wait for next year's events already.
