Dear members, 

First and foremost, on behalf of everyone at the Essendon Football Club, we hope you are holding up in these very challenging circumstances.

It is difficult to put into words the feelings and emotions we are all experiencing at the moment as we try to navigate through the uncertainty of this significant issue for our community. 

Right now, the health and safety of the Australian public is paramount, particularly the elderly and vulnerable.

The AFL industry is united in its response to this unprecedented issue and we will continue to work closely with the league and health experts to guide our decision making, and we continue to have in place specific preventative measures to directly protect our people and players. 

COVID-19: YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED

The AFL this evening announced round one of the season will go ahead, without crowds. It is incredibly disappointing that you won’t be able to be there to watch your team live. But, if our members are unable to attend the game, it is upon us to do everything we can to bring you closer to the club and your team.

As such, our media and communications team are in the process of providing several unique opportunities for our members to gain access to the inner sanctum of the club, including behind-the-scenes content, live and interactive interviews with players and coaches, regular updates from the senior leadership of the club and a unique take on match day this Saturday.

In addition, for our members watching the game on TV or via a live streaming service, we will be working closely with the broadcasters to provide further access to our coaches and players during the match, as well as engaging with our members watching at home during the game with more content and interaction on our digital and social media channels.  

Further to this, we would love our members to send in video messages of support for the players, we know you can’t be there in person but you can let the players know you will be cheering them on at home. We have set up a new portal for the mighty messages to be uploaded.

UPLOAD YOUR MIGHTY MESSAGE

As much as possible during these unique and challenging circumstances, we hope these initiatives can assist in keeping our loyal and passionate members feeling connected to the club and part of our unique 2020 journey.   

We also understand the significant impact this is having on community and local football, including our VFL/VFLW programs.

There are many real challenges in front of the club off-field and there will inevitably be more to come. But as a club, as an industry and as a broader community, we will get through this together. Our club is nearly 150 years old, we have been tested before and will be tested again, but the strength of the Essendon family will always prevail.  

It is going to be a strange feeling on Saturday when the Bombers run out onto Marvel Stadium, but one thing that will always be the same is the unwavering passion and support from the Mighty Bombers members. 

We are currently working through a range of scenarios relating to the impact on club operations and membership. Thank you for your understanding during these unprecedented and challenging times. There are still so many questions we don’t yet have answers for. But we will continue to provide regulars updates to members when new information becomes available.

This is your club and we will continue to do everything we can both on and off the field to navigate these unchartered circumstances. We exist because of you and your continue support is profound.  

Most importantly, please stay safe and look after yourself and your loved ones.  

Go Bombers.

Regards,

Lindsay Tanner and Xavier Campbell