![]() ![]() ![]() Paul Roos, who coached the team to a flag in 2005, organised a surprise birthday lunch for me while I was an inpatient at the rehabilitation hospital in Perth, where I had treatment for burns. That’s how the Swans became a part of the new fabric of me. Yes, I think that will, actually, thank you. Here, have a leather ball, a blade of grass, a white feather, would any of this help? Occasionally, unexpectedly, people offer you some of what they have, which is what the Swans did. You lose yourself when something so devastating happens and look around for how to piece your life back together again. I cry because the Swans played a fundamental role in the remaking of myself, after a plane crash 15 years ago. I feel a connection to the club that transcends the game, the players and people of the day. The fact is, the Swans are wrapped up in my identity. That, more than accepted, they are beloved, they are us. Or that the Swans have come to embody Sydney, the city. It isn’t just that attending games at the SCG is a joyous experience, full of music and community and superstar athletes. It isn’t just that the Swans as a club are highly professional, with emotionally intelligent people, a selfless brand of football, and a commitment to supporters based on the principle of inclusivity. My husband, being from Melbourne, got me into the game, and I chose the Swans as my team. I never followed AFL growing up in Sydney. Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning Why is it the Swans stir such powerful feeling? Why does the smell of SCG turf make me, if only for an instant, believe all is right in the world? Why does the burst of music after each goal make me want to dance in my prosthetic legs (especially when the eponymous Australian Crawl song plays after our brilliant small forward Errol Gulden scores)? Football makes no demands of you, except for loyalty, and that seems a small ask when the rewards are so great. I feel a connection to the club that transcends the game I also teared up a few weeks ago watching the Swans women’s team run out for their first ever practice match against GWS on Moore Park’s Lakeside Oval (finally!). My eyes were moist on the way to the game too, when we turned into Oxford Street, my red and white scarf flapping outside the car window. Tears trickled down my face, as they frequently do at Swans games. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |