Tim Reed has put the gws name change debate in the open, saying Greater Western Sydney is beyond its start-up phase while the club prepares to search for Dave Matthews’ replacement. Reed said the Giants will be a powerhouse, but the identity question now sits beside a major leadership change.
Reed Sets the Tone
"We have been through a period of what I'll call a start-up phase," Reed said. He added: "It's how you continue to defy gravity and make the finals year after year after year, through that process of continued renewal."
The Giants are in their 15th year in the competition and have played finals in eight of the past 10 years. Reed said that record sits against a crowded market, pointing to four NRL teams and two A-League teams in the club's region.
Matthews Exit Starts Search
Matthews announced last month that 2026 will be his last year at the helm after 14 years in the job. Reed said the club will engage a recruitment firm to help find his replacement, and that Matthews has already been involved in early discussions about the handover.
Reed called the coming appointment the board's biggest decision. "Dave is the longest serving CEO of any of the club CEOs. He knows the AFL backwards. He would bleed orange if you cut him open, he is a Giant at heart. It's going to be a huge decision for the board and a big change for the club," he said.
Giants Identity And Powerhouse Talk
Reed, who became the club's second-ever president ahead of the 2024 season, said the Giants have the best product in the biggest market and will become a powerhouse club. "There's four NRL teams and there's two A-League teams in our region, but we definitively have the best product in the biggest market and we will be a powerhouse club," he said.
He was even more direct moments later: "My responsibility, that of the board and leaders within the club at the moment, is just to make sure that we continue to progress towards that." He finished the point without hesitation: "But 100 per cent, we will be a powerhouse club."
The football side has been uneven this season, with the Giants sitting 3-5 after injuries to key players. Jason McCartney is viewed as a potential contender for the CEO role, while former GWS executive James Avery has also been linked, leaving the club with two major decisions running at once: who runs it next and what the club wants to be called next.
