The Brown family didn’t plan on falling in love with AFL and the GIANTS, it just happened. 

Their journey started through an after-school footy clinic three years ago and was followed by attending their first GIANTS game soon after and the Brown family admit they’re now hooked on our great game.

Hailing from Prestons in Western Sydney, Aaron and Kathryn Brown and their two sons Ethan,11, and Liam, 8, had no connection or interest in AFL or the GIANTS until Ethan, nine at the time, took part in an after-school Auskick program. The rest is history for the now footy-mad family who are proud members of the GIANTS Cheer Squad for a second year running as well as part of the club’s banner making team.

“My wife has always had a bit of a history with AFL through her grandfather, but I’ve never really been a big sport follower,” Aaron Brown admitted.

“But after Ethan did an Auskick program a few years ago in primary school he joined the GIANTS Recruits and we got some free tickets to a game and after we went to a GIANTS game Ethan was hooked.

“After a couple of years of Auskick, Ethan started playing footy with a local club, the South West Tigers, and then we started going to a few more GIANTS games and then finally last year we got a membership and became part of the cheer squad and it’s just been fantastic.

“My wife ended up managing Ethan’s under-10s side and then last year Liam started playing too and I started coaching his under-9s’ team and now my wife and I are on the club’s committee so we’ve fully embraced AFL as a family which we are loving.

“The whole family can be involved with footy and that’s what has drawn us to the sport, especially with the GIANTS and the family-friendly atmosphere, we really love it.”

Their excitement for the game was taken up a notch earlier this month when the Browns were part of a live cross for the Sunrise breakfast show in the lead up to the Opening Round match with Collingwood, it was there where they were informed that Ethan and Liam would be given the opportunity to run through the banner with the GIANTS players for the huge clash against the Magpies at ENGIE Stadium (formerly GIANTS Stadium).

“Isaac Cumming told us we got to run out through the banner and that made us so happy,” Ethan said.

“We got to run out with them through the banner and through the flames and fireworks and everything. I got to run out with Toby [Greene] and my brother got to run out with Stephen Coniglio which was really cool.

“The players are always really kind to everyone no matter how old you are and no matter what religion or culture you are. They always take time to do stuff with their fans and they use their time to come and do stuff with the fans and it’s really nice.”

His little brother Liam was just as thrilled with the experience.

“It was exciting when we got told we could run out with the boys,” Liam said.

“It was a bit scary at first but then it was fun when it actually happened because I ran out with Stephen Coniglio and my brother ran out with Toby Greene and it was really fun. The crowd was very cheerful which I liked.”

“My wife and I were raising the banner, so it was pretty cool to do that as the boys ran through it, they were just on cloud nine, they loved it,” their proud dad said.

“Toby [Greene] is Ethan’s idol and he loves him and he got to run out alongside him and Liam ran beside ‘Cogs’ [Stephen Coniglio] and they were both ecstatic.

“As I said, as a family we never really watched or followed footy but ever since Ethan showed an interest in it three of four years ago, and then Liam as well, the whole thing has grown into the family being huge GIANTS fans and getting totally involved in the club and we just love it.”

Such is his family’s new-found love for the sport and the GIANTS, Aaron says he’s playing his part in spreading the message of the joy that the game of Aussie Rules can bring.

“We are trying to do whatever we can to grow the awareness of AFL and what a great sport it is out here in Western Sydney,” he said.

“The area we live in is quite a soccer-heavy area so it can be a bit of an uphill battle but we try and get as many people as we can to look at the sport because we now what a great game it really is to play and watch, and what a great family-friendly thing it is to be involved with.”