Essendon members were the first to receive the following letter from Bombers CEO Xavier Campbell on Wednesday night.

Dear members,

Today, our club launched its 2020 season and I would like to take this opportunity to provide an update to our members this evening on a number of important strategic football and business priorities ahead of the season opener.

Firstly, you may have seen the news come through this morning that the club has agreed to terms on a two-year partnership with NEC - a global technology solutions powerhouse.

NEC becomes the naming rights partner of The Hangar and the official information and communications technology (ICT) hardware partner of the Bombers, as well as a premium partner of The EFC Network. This two-year term allows a premium partnership between Essendon and NEC, which has been delivering world-class technology solutions and services to customers across the globe for more than a century. There are strong parallels between the two organisations across innovation and technology, and the value NEC will bring to The Hangar specifically, but the club more broadly, will be on show for all to see.
 
Today, our corporate and coterie groups came together under a powerful new platform called The EFC Network at an inaugural luncheon at Crown Palladium. Developing meaningful corporate connections has always been a core strategic focus of the club, and this new platform will provide an exciting opportunity for individuals and businesses to unlock the full potential of what is one of Australia’s most powerful business communities built on the back of our significant 149-year club heritage. 

It was here I addressed the room to discuss several key strategic themes and business priorities for the year ahead in 2020 and beyond.

Firstly, our membership base. In 2020, the club will continue to engage and build on the connection our club has with our loyal members through member experiences and increased engagement including unique content and servicing. 
 
In 2019, we broke our all-time membership record, passing the 80,000-member mark for the first time in the club’s rich history. The final tally reached 84,237. For the second time in AFL history, total club memberships exceeded one million members. But in benchmarking ourselves against other clubs, it is not unreasonable to strive to be pushing the 100,000-member milestone. And I expect us to achieve this over the next 24 months. 

The second phase of the facility expansion reinforces the club’s investment into our football program, including improved AFL player facilities and new changerooms for the VFL and VFLW teams.

The facility expansion, which will have a myriad of social, community and performance outcomes, will be completed in time for the club’s 150th anniversary next year. And as you’ve heard me previously state, this will undoubtably deliver us with the best training and administration base across the country, and one that competes on a world stage in professional sport. 
 
The expansion of the facility will have a direct impact in strengthening our men’s and women’s football programs as well as our Next Generation Academies for the long-term. It will also play a part in ensuring the club continues to play a significant role in the communities in which it operates, as well as in our strategic partnership with Paralympics Australia. 

I’d also like to advise our members that we are exploring, in partnership with the Greater Western Sydney Giants, the opportunity to showcase the game of AFL for premiership points in the United States, more specifically in the San Francisco or Los Angeles areas at some point over the next 24 months. Plans and discussions are very much in their infancy, but talks have revolved around the relocation of a GWS home game, with the opportunity to position the match as one of the early marquee games of the premiership season.

We believe this has the potential to present a compelling and unique opportunity to create a significant TV spectacle, while also exposing and unlocking the game of AFL and the Bombers’ and GWS’ brands to California – the world’s fifth largest economy in its own right. Regardless of where the exploration of this project gets to, we believe this sort of thinking is essential to ensure we remain progressive and relevant, at the forefront of creating performance and commercial advantage. 

I would also like to briefly touch on our pathway to the AFLW competition. I know our members, supporters and key stakeholders feel equally as passionate about our entry into the AFLW competition, I can confirm that we have recently written to AFL GM of football Steve Hocking to request clarity on the AFL’s position on the growth and future expansion of the AFLW competition and absolute certainty on our entry point.  
 
We have had a long and proud history of developing the game and providing opportunities for women on and off the field. By the end of the year, in line with the completion of the second stage of the facility expansion, we will have the best facilities anywhere in the country, boasting the most outstanding and comprehensive female facilities in the game. The Essendon Football Club will be equipped. As such, it is our strong desire to enter the AFLW competition by 2022. And no later than 2023.

With the new, we also honour the old. And in the heartland of Essendon on Napier Street, we have a vision for our traditional home of Windy Hill – a more open and inclusive precinct, encouraging of more elite grassroots sport and potentially even AFLW games at a point in time. as well as key VFL and VFLW games. We want it to be a site that has a higher standard of facilities to what is there now, and one that pays respect to the heritage and history the ground and broader site have delivered for the club.

This is the Windy Hill Project. We are, and have been, actively and patiently cooperating with the Moonee Valley City Council over the past 24 months. We need to be able to bring this project to life. It is a big precinct with big potential and needs a strong and united partnership with us, the council, and the AFL. We are committed to realising the potential for the precinct for the long-term and will actively pursue and progress these discussions throughout the year. 
 
And finally, the on-field. 
 
We are heavily focused on building a robust and sustainable game style that can deliver in finals. I've been quietly satisfied at the level of alignment and passion on display from both our playing group and broader football department staff over the past four months. 
 
Our senior coaching succession plan has been a considered approach and I feel we are seeing a strong version of both John Worsfold and Ben Rutten, and most importantly both men are enjoying the challenge, the opportunities and are working extremely well together. 
 
In closing, you may have noticed a more low-key, steely, blue-collar-like approach over the pre-season across all areas of our football program. Of my six years of being CEO of this club, I have never felt more confident in the people we have, or in what we are building. We have a plan and we are working to that plan. We are building and we are progressing. Success isn’t linear, but I feel quietly confident that the foundations being laid will put us in a strong position to deliver our ultimate vision and goal – winning the club’s 17th premiership. 

Members, your unwavering support means you are the backbone of this football club. I thank you for your continued faith in the mighty red and black.
 
I look forward to enjoying the ride with you all for the season ahead. 
 
Go Bombers!  
 
Xavier Campbell, CEO