AFL NSW/ACT is targeting the Showring in Moore Park – next door to the SCG – as one option to bolster the shortage of tier-two Australian Football facilities in Sydney. 

Ground availability has long been a bugbear of the Swans, who received a boost this year when the neighbouring Lakeside Oval was upgraded to match the dimensions of Melbourne's Marvel Stadium.

There is still a lack of amenities at Lakeside Oval, where Sydney's AFL side trains, despite the multimillion-dollar expansion.

The only suitable tier-two venue for Australian Football in Sydney is at Blacktown International Sportspark in western Sydney.

A tier-two facility must meet certain requirements, including a high-standard surface, amenities with perimeter fencing, a capacity to cater for larger crowds and even broadcasting capability. 

The Showring site sits next to Fox Studios Australia and has long been owned by the Carsingha group, which is in the process of developing a master plan for its future development.

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No discussions on a proposed tier-two facility there can begin until that master plan comes out at some stage next year. 

The Swans are supportive of AFL NSW/ACT's interest in the site, but chief executive Tom Harley said the plan was to continue using Lakeside Oval and the SCG as their main training venues. 

Lance Franklin checks his watch during a training session at Lakeside Oval. Picture: AFL Photos

"Green space is a significant challenge for our code in NSW, especially in Sydney's east. The reality is we need more ovals for the game to grow at a grassroots level," Harley told AFL.com.au. 

"Our club is extremely grateful to the government for the investment in the redevelopment of Lakeside Oval. 

"Our full squad returned this week and for the first time commenced a pre-season on an elite training surface." 

This news comes just over a year since the Swans announced they were converting the Royal Hall of Industries building in Moore Park into a $55 million state-of-the-art football and community centre. 

The Federal Government committed $15 million in April to the construction of the centre, which will house the Swans' eventual AFLW team, the club's boys' and girls' Academy and the NSW Swifts netball side.

They hope to start construction as soon as December but possibly not until January. 

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"This is a significant day for AFL in NSW, because it paves the way for the Sydney Swans to have a women's team," Harley said at the time. 

"Facilities have been the key barrier to us entering the AFLW competition. 

"Simply put, we had nowhere to house a team and we strongly believe that an elite women's team deserves elite facilities." 

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AFL NSW/ACT previously submitted plans, with Cricket NSW and the University of NSW, to build two ovals and adjoining buildings at Astrolabe Park in Daceyville, in Sydney's eastern suburbs. 

However, adverse local reaction to the blueprint saw the consortium withdraw. 

That setback followed a proposal to build an oval in the middle of Randwick Racecourse also falling through, after AFL NSW/ACT initially struck a deal with the Australian Turf Club.

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A change of leadership at the Australian Turf Club meant that opportunity no longer existed.

It's understood the state body is also in negotiations with Inner West Council to upgrade the Henson Park surface in Marrickville, as well as exploring off-field improvements to tier-two standard. 

That possibility would enable the venue to host AFLW matches, on top of NEAFL and AFL Sydney games.

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The Swans have steadily increased the size and scope of their Youth Girls Academy.

The next opening for interested clubs to score an AFLW license is unlikely to come until the 2023 season, once the next collective bargaining agreement is locked away.