Sydney Success Steeped In Bloods Culture
by Lisa Albergo reporting for AFANA from Chicago
It is 1981 and a proposition is on the VFL table to relocate the financially strapped club South Melbourne to Sydney. They had previously played a handful of games there but now it would be a permanent move. There was great angst among South fans at the prospect. A "Keep South at South" movement was started and they fought to keep their beloved club in Melbourne. However, it was a case of move or fold and in 1982 the club moved to Sydney. Unlike Gold Coast and Greater Western Sydney today, there was no detailed planning, no draft concessions for the South players who refused to move, little financial backing or publicity to boost their profile once the move was made.