Editing Sydney Swans (section)

=== Edelsten era and privatisation: 1985–1987 ===
On 31 July 1985, for what was thought to be [[Australian dollar|$]]6.3&nbsp;million, [[Geoffrey Edelsten]] "bought" the Swans; in reality it was $2.9&nbsp;million in cash with funding and other payments spread over five years. Edelsten resigned as chairman in less than twelve months, but had already made his mark. He immediately recruited former Geelong coach [[Tom Hafey]]. Hafey, in turn, used his knowledge of Geelong's contracts to recruit [[David Bolton (Australian footballer)|David Bolton]], [[Bernard Toohey]] and [[Greg Williams (Australian footballer)|Greg Williams]], who would all form a key part of the Sydney side, at a league-determined total fee of $240,000 (less than the $500,000 Geelong demanded and even the $300,000 Sydney offered).<ref>Williams, Greg: ''Diesel: The Greg Williams Story'', page 91. Pan MacMillan Australia, 1995</ref> The likes of [[Gerard Healy]], [[Merv Neagle]] and [[Paul Morwood]] were also poached from other clubs, and failed approaches were made to [[Simon Madden]], [[Terry Daniher]], [[Andrew Bews]] and [[Maurice Rioli]].<ref>Williams, Greg: ''Diesel: The Greg Williams Story'', p. 93. Pan MacMillan Australia, 1995</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sydneyswans.com.au/club/history/timeline/1984-1989|title=Timeline: Privatisation (1985–1989)|access-date=9 April 2022}}</ref>

During the Edelsten years, the Swans were seen by the Sydney public as a flamboyant, flashy club, typified by the style of its spearhead, [[Warwick Capper]], his long bright blond [[mullet (hairstyle)|mullet]] and bright pink boots made him unmissable on the field and his pink Lamborghini, penchant for girlfriends who were fashion models and his general showy eccentricity made him notorious off the field – all somewhat [[1980s in fashion|fashionable in the 1980s]]. During Capper's peak years, the Swans had made successive finals appearances for the first time since relocating. His consistently spectacular aerial exploits earned him the [[Mark of the Year]] award in 1987 while his goalkicking efforts (amassing 103 goals in 1987) made him runner up in the Coleman Medal two years running. The Swans' successive finals appearances saw crowds during this time peak at an average of around 25,000 per game. Edelsten also introduced the "Swanettes", becoming the sole such American-style cheerleading group among VFL teams following the disbandment of Carlton's Blue Birds in 1986. The Swanettes did not get much performance time, owing to the short intervals between quarters of play in the VFL and the lack of space in which they might perform while other activities take place on the field. The Swanettes were rapidly discontinued.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sydneyswans.com.au/club/history/timeline/1984-1989|title=Timeline: Privatisation (1985–1989)|access-date=9 April 2022}}</ref> During the Edelsten era, the club's owner and the private company Westec are reported to have sunk more than $10 million in additional private capital to keep the club afloat.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article126948764 |title=ACT hovers over Swans' deathbed |newspaper=[[The Canberra Times]] |volume=67 |issue=21,002 |location=Australian Capital Territory, Australia |date=13 October 1992 |accessdate=7 September 2022 |page=20 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref>

When the Southern Cross club went bankrupt in 1987, the club relocated to the newly built [[Sydney Football Stadium (1988)|Sydney Football Stadium]].<ref name="History" />

In 1987, the Swans scored 201 points against the [[West Coast Eagles]] and the following week scored 236 points against the [[Essendon Football Club]]. Both games were at the SCG. The Swans remain one of only two clubs to have scored consecutive team tallies above 200 points, the only other being Geelong in 1992.<ref>[[1992 AFL season]]</ref> However, this was followed by several heavy losses, including defeat by Hawthorn by 99 points in the Qualifying Final and by 76 points against Melbourne in the First Semi-final.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sydneyswans.com.au/club/history/timeline/1984-1989|title=Timeline: Privatisation (1985–1989)|access-date=9 April 2022}}</ref>