The Essendon Football Club fully supports the AFL's decision to reschedule our Opening Round match against the Gold Coast SUNS.

Our priority is the health and safety of the affected communities in Queensland and New South Wales and our players, staff and fans who were set to travel to Queensland for Saturday’s match.

“In these unique circumstances, the football outcome is secondary to the challenges facing the QLD and NSW community in the coming days. The health and safety of the community is the number one priority, and our thoughts and well wishes are to everyone who may be affected in the coming days,” Essendon CEO Craig Vozzo said.

“Postponing the match is the right decision, and we will now work with the AFL and Gold Coast SUNS on rescheduling. We will keep our members and supporters informed as soon as we have further details.”

The AFL will announce the alternate schedule for these matches as soon as possible as they continue to work with clubs and venues on possible scenarios. Our rescheduled match won’t be played during Opening Round.

We will collaborate closely with the AFL and ticketing partners to ensure our members and supporters are provided with the best possible alternative arrangements.