By the late 1970s the South Melbourne Football Club were in a dire position. Struggling financially, dilapidated facilities and had small crowd attendances. It all seemed lost for the Swans. But in 1980 a VFL report unveiled an appetite for Australian rules football in Sydney. South Melbourne took up the opportunity and moved home games to the harbour city in 1981. The decision outraged fans, divided the playing group and created national headlines.

<p>By the late 1970s the South Melbourne Football Club were in a dire position. Struggling financially, dilapidated facilities and had small crowd attendances. It all seemed lost for the Swans. But in 1980 a VFL report unveiled an appetite for Australian rules football in Sydney. South Melbourne took up the opportunity and moved home games to the harbour city in 1981. The decision outraged fans, divided the playing group and created national headlines.</p>

In the late 1970s the South Melbourne Football Club was fighting against extinction. Small crowds, lack of sponsors and an ailing Victorian Football League saw the Swans almost running on borrowed time. 
 
Despite an uproar from South Melbourne fans a decision was made for the club to move all of its operations to Sydney in 1982. What followed was years in the sporting wilderness, with the public not accepting of the team in a rugby league town. Fleeting on field success under a private owner helped them generate headlines and publicity, but it was short lived as the club were plunged into serious financial jeopardy. They were struggling to keep the lights on. 

With the help from some of the biggest names in footy the club would climb out of the mire and establish itself as one of the strongest sporting clubs in the land.
 
In this series we uncover the furore of the move away from South Melbourne, the challenging early years in Sydney, chaotic years of private ownership and the Swans' eventual rise as a new force in the AFL, as they broke the longest premiership drought in history.
 
This is the Swans' story, this is The Bloods.
 
Created by The Horde and brought to you by QBE Insurance, backing the Sydney Swans since 1987.