Essendon Football Club wishes to congratulate its NEC Hangar partner Western United on claiming an inaugural A-League Men championship.

Western United, which relocated to the Bombers’ home base in October for a minimum of two years, defeated Melbourne City 2-0 in Saturday night’s grand final to lift the silverware in just its third season.

Essendon’s partnership with Western United has seen the A-League club utilise the community oval on the NEC Hangar’s training fields, with its players and staff also accessing some of the new performance and expanded office areas.

It has been another step forward in the Bombers’ aspirations to develop a truly world-class, multi-faceted sports and community precinct at the NEC Hangar, while having no direct impact on the operations of the club’s football programs.

See below as United star Leo Lacroix thanked the Bombers for their support in his post-match interview.