For more than 15 years, Andrew Endicott has proudly worn the GIANTS colours.
A Foundation member who signed up before the club had even played a game, his journey with the GIANTS is one that perfectly captures the power of sport and community and how supporting a team can evolve into something much bigger.
“I was a Foundation member - it was the membership the year before they entered the AFL,” Andrew recalled.
“I signed up then. I’ve still got the Foundation membership cap.”
He joined when memberships first went on sale in 2011, ahead of the club’s inaugural 2012 season, and later added the 200 Club membership - a reflection of his early belief in what the GIANTS were building in Western Sydney.
Growing up in Seven Hills, Andrew didn’t come from an AFL background.
“I grew up in Western Sydney… and the school I went to was a big rugby league school,” he said.
“AFL basically didn’t exist.”
Although he always had a passing interest in the game, he’d never truly connected with a club.
“I knew it as a Melbourne sport,” he said.
“I always liked AFL, but I just didn’t really have a team to support.”
That soon changed when the AFL announced the GIANTS would soon be entering the competition.
“When it was first mooted that there was going to be a Western Sydney team, I was like, well, this is it. I might as well jump on board.”
He soon began attending GIANTS games in both Sydney and Canberra but after five seasons of supporting the GIANTS there was one thing he’d never done. He’d never played the game himself.
In 2017, at 39 years of age, he played his first ever game of Australian rules football.
“That probably never would have happened if it wasn’t for the GIANTS,” he said.
“It never even crossed my mind that I could play AFL [Aussie Rules] myself.”
Supporting the GIANTS sparked something deeper - a desire to experience the game from beyond the stands.
“It didn’t make sense to support a team in a sport that you’ve never played,” he said.
From there he joined the AFL Masters side at the Balmain Tigers Australian Football Club and hasn’t looked back. Nearly a decade later, he’s still playing.
“I didn’t play my first game until I was 39,” he said.
“Irrespective of age or experience or anything like that, I’d say get out there and play. You get a completely different appreciation for the game - for the situations and for the players.”
What began as a personal challenge soon turned into something much bigger.
Andrew became President of the Balmain Masters team before the team formally merged it into the broader Balmain Australian Football Club structure. Today, he serves in an operations role across the entire club and continues to volunteer wherever needed.
One particular match day summed up his commitment to the club.
“I was up at 7:30am getting food for the canteen,” he said.
“Then the umpire didn’t turn up, so I had to umpire the first quarter. Then we didn’t have any runners, so I was a runner for a while. The scorer wasn’t there, so I ended up scoring. Then I played my game. After that we had a women’s game that I promised I’d umpire. So I started at 7:30am and finished at 6pm - and played a game and a half in between.”
He laughed reflecting on it, but the pride was clear.
“It’s not just that I’ve got to play AFL [Aussie Rules] and do all these things, it’s that I’m happy to give back. It’s great from a social point of view as well.”
He believes Balmain’s strength lies in its inclusivity.
“We’re a very open club in terms of ability and experience,” he said.
“Everyone at the club plays football. There’s no older administrators who don’t play.
“It’s quite an accessible sport. People don’t realise that, but you really can just get involved.”
His love of the game even took him overseas after being selected for an Australian AFL Masters (over 40 years) side for a tour of Ireland to play against an Irish representative side.
“We played International Rules with the round Gaelic football,” he said.
“We probably needed at least a six-month head start to understand the Gaelic game style – and the first time the team played together was our first game,” he laughed.
While he proudly calls himself a GIANTS member, these days Andrew’s weekends are often spent on the field. But, if fixtures allow, he’s at ENGIE Stadium watching the GIANTS - particularly alongside his 11-year-old daughter Ruby.
Last year he took Ruby to three unforgettable wins against Richmond, Gold Coast and Sydney - all remarkable comebacks.
“There’s nothing better than when your team comes back from six or eight goals down,” he said.
Ruby is now a member herself.
“She knows all the players and has nicknames for nearly all of them. She properly got into supporting the GIANTS last year,” he said proudly.
Upon reflection, the GIANTS have led him down an incredible path he would have never predicted 15 years ago.
“The GIANTS were sort of the gateway,” he said.
“If the GIANTS didn’t come about, probably none of these experiences would have happened. I would just be a fair-weather AFL fan.”
Instead, 15 years on from signing up, Andrew is still a member, still playing, and still giving back - helping ensure the next generation of footballers in Western Sydney have the same opportunity he took at 39.
His advice to others?
“Get out there and play. Join a local community AFL club. Nothing’s stopping you.”
From the stands to the field to the committee room, Andrew’s story is exactly what community football - and the GIANTS - are all about.
