Dear Members,

It’s a great honour to write to you all for the first time as the CEO of the Essendon Football Club.

I’ve been in the chair for almost a month now and I’d like to take this opportunity to introduce myself and provide an update for you.
 
Our members are such a critical part of our purpose as a football club and I’ve greatly admired from a distance the incredible passion and strength of our members and supporters. I am excited to now be a part of the Bombers family.

My wife, Chris and I, have settled nicely into Melbourne life and we are enjoying living in the heart of an Essendon-mad suburb. It’s been a great experience to meet many of you out-and-about and to hear about the passion you have for the club. I’m looking forward to getting to know more of the Bombers’ faithful over the journey.

 As CEO of our great club, an important part of my role is to represent you, the members, and work incredibly hard with our loyal staff to build a club that you are proud of. To do this, our immediate strategy will be to narrow the focus of the club to concentrate on our core pillars of football, our members and our community – after all, these are why we exist.
  
On the football side, I have been impressed with the men’s football program led by our new Senior Coach Brad Scott. Brad is a strong and proven leader who is committed to developing our players and team, with a long-term focus and based on solid foundations.

All of our players, coaches and staff are united and committed to continuous improvement. Whilst there are no guarantees in life, let alone AFL, it’s clear to me that the boys are putting in the hard work required on the track and pleasingly, they are doing it with a smile on their faces.  
 
Brad’s been very clear about the journey we are on and he gives our players great confidence and belief in the direction of the club. With less than 30 days remaining before our round one clash with Hawthorn at the MCG, the season will be upon us sooner than we think and I have witnessed the healthy competition for spots and competitiveness at training.

We want our members to be excited in watching our young team develop and improve this year.
 
Women’s footy at Essendon is also around the corner with the 2023 VFLW season due to start on Sunday, March 26. Our opening round will be extra special as we prepare to unfurl the club’s 2022 Premiership flag at the NEC Hangar. The club will continue to be guided by the AFL on the key dates for the 2023 AFLW Season, with the dates for the sign and trade period likely to be announced in the coming weeks. Natalie Wood and our AFLW players and staff are super keen to build on our impressive debut season in 2022.
 
We are focused on football and providing a world-class football program for our five teams – AFL, AFLW, VFL, VFLW and VWFL. We have invested in our people, resources and support networks in an effort to provide our players with the best opportunity to develop and achieve their potential. This commitment underpins everything we are doing this season.
 
I want to also take this opportunity to thank all the 59,510 members who have already signed-up for the 2023 season. Our club is built on our members and supporters around Australia and the world. Your commitment to Essendon is our greatest asset and the club thanks you. Importantly, if you haven’t signed up yet, we encourage you to join us.
 
Continuing the membership theme, the club is committed to improving the member experience at our home base at the NEC Hangar and I am pleased to announce we have recently received approval to commence the construction of seating and shading on the northern wing of the MCG Oval. We expect construction to start in the next few weeks and for completion of these works by late March.

This is the first stage of work around the MCG Oval at the NEC Hangar and we will assess and get your feedback once the works are completed.

For the first time since 2020, we are delighted to announce the return of the Essendon Family Day to be held at the NEC Hangar on Saturday, March 4. The morning will be filled with lots of fun for the whole family, including fan activation zones, player signings, interactive clinics and give-aways. We look forward to seeing as many of you there as possible.
 
Our AFL team also recently finished their Community Camp in Bendigo. After two covid-restricted years,  it was exciting to witness the crowds at Queen Elizabeth Oval to watch the boys train and to see them engage with the local schools and community. It was so pleasing to watch our boys building that connection with the heart of our game – our community.

Finally, I’d like to acknowledge the outstanding job Dyson Heppell has done as our club Captain over the past six seasons. Leadership is never easy and Dyson has always handled the challenges in an authentic and admirable way. He is universally respected across the club and the wider AFL community and, irrespective of the title, he will continue to remain an important player and leader for our young squad moving forward.

Thank you for your time today – the privilege of leading this great club is not lost on me and I look forward to working incredibly hard with our staff to build a strong and successful Essendon Football Club. I look forward to updating you on our progress throughout the season.

Go Bombers,

Craig