Net in the Prog

Swans and the Internet

The article that appeared in the Darlington programme on Tuesday 27/1/98 is reproduced here.

Swans on the net

Following on with our Jack Outpost series, Alan Phillips of Melbourne (ex-Llanelli) gives his down-under view of the Swans.

Jack Outpost - Oz 001.

When I emigrated to Australia in 1987, one of the hardest adjustments I thought I'd have to make was how to fill in those long Saturday afternoons which were normally spent at the Vetch. I naively thought that the football coverage in Australia would be close to, or on par with, what I'd been accustomed to in good 'old Blighty'. How wrong could I be!

After buying my first newspaper and eagerly heading for the back pages to catch up on the week's events, I was horrified to find that what should have been reserved for the customary six to eight pages of football was in fact allocated to 'Aussie Rules' football. I could not even find a mention or fixture list of local football let alone any overseas news. I therefore had to rely heavily on phone calls back home and a UK soccer magazine which was usually a week old before it arrived in the country.

Fortunately things have improved significantly in the last three or four years with the emergence of the Internet. I first got 'on-line' a few years ago and what a bonus it turned out to be. I was probably one of the first visitors to Gary Martin's SCFC unofficial website, which I just happened to find one day while surfing the Net in the chance that there was some information on the Swans. I cannot thank Gary enough for pioneering the Club's emergence on the Net and keeping us totally informed on all the happenings back home. It was even more surprising when I found out we'd gone to the same school - it's a small world !

More recently some other quality sites have emerged, in particular Anthony Thomas' (Mouthful of Lead (MOL)) website which is a must for those with a twisted sense of humour. It's an absolute classic.

As far as keeping up with the current events at the Club, I believe the issue has come full circle for the overseas fans. This was shown recently when my father (living in Llanelli) phoned me to find out the latest 'goings on'! So I'd advise any fans who want to keep up to date with the Swans to get connected to the Internet and join the SCFC Mailing List.

I'd like to thank all those who have active web sites and contribute heavily to the Mailing List - it's greatly appreciated from 'down-under'.

Alan Phillips (Melbourne, OZ)
Swans Supporter for 32 years (yes, I remember Herbie Williams !)

A reminder that the supporters Internet address is http:/www2.prestel.co.uk/gmartin

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