SYDNEY Swans member Grant Wilson is the lucky winner of the QBE Sydney Swans Academy Raffle.

Grant made the trip from Wollongong with his kids Sam and Meg on Monday for the presentation of the $10,000 winner’s cheque from QBE Sydney Swans Academy General Manager Dennis Carroll.

Over 6,000 tickets were sold for the raffle, with Grant’s lone purchase proving that all you have to do is be in it to win it.

“When I received the phone call to tell me I had won, it was an absolute shock, but it turned to delight in no time,” an excited Grant said.

“I didn’t recognise straight away that it was Deborah (Hutton) on the other end of the phone, but it was a nice surprise.

“I only bought one ticket in the raffle this year over the phone, but I’ve bought them in previous years when we’ve been at games.”

Growing up in Canberra, Grant played AFL before moving to Wollongong for work commitments. His family is now actively involved in their local club, the Wollongong Lions, where his son Sam plays.

“We just enjoy supporting junior football. My wife and I are active volunteers, I am a treasurer and my wife works in the canteen so we love our AFL,” Grant said.

The family’s love of AFL and desire to be a part of the Swans family is a reason they became Swans members seven years ago.

“We’ve been members since 2004 and renew our membership every year. We make sure that we come up and see as many games as possible,” Grant said.

“We just love the game and the excitement. We have learnt to recognise all the different players and how they play, but mostly we just love being involved.”

Grant’s son Sam is starting to make his mark on the game in his local area, selected in the Illawarra Storm U13 Rep Team.  The Wilson family is also familiar with the Academy set-up and the opportunities it can provide as Sam is hoping to gain a place in the QBE Sydney Swans Academy U13 Squad.

“Sam is trialling for the U13 program. We think it’s a really great program and it’s given him a lot of opportunities,” Grant said.

“We will find out in December how well he has gone and if he’s part of the Academy program in 2011.”

Sam had a firm hold on the cheque before passing it over to his dad for safe keeping on the journey home. So does the family know how they are going to spend the major prize?

“We’ve spent it a couple of times already,” Grant said with a laugh.

 “But probably some home improvements, maybe some solar, and there’s always bills to pay.”