Essendon Football Club senior coach John Worsfold has been thrilled by the support fans have thrown behind his side in the pre-season.

The club has surpassed its target of 50,000 members before Christmas and Worsfold said it was a great show of faith from Bombers fans.

“It’s the first time we’ve ever been able to achieve this many members before Christmas, it is really significant for where we’re at,” Worsfold said.

“It’s great seeing that the members look like they’re on board.”

Leading into just his third season at Essendon, Worsfold said it hasn’t taken long to understand the commitment of the club’s members.

“In my brief time at Essendon I’ve seen how supportive, how loyal and how resilient the supporters have been,” he said.

“And hopefully they’re excited about next year and beyond, so that’s why they’ve all joined up so quickly.”

Worsfold said there are plenty of reasons for the Essendon faithful to feel excited about what is in store in the near future.

“We’ve got a really exciting list, we believe in where we’re heading and how quickly this team is going to be a great team,” he said.

“We play a really exciting brand of footy and we’re aiming to get better and take our game to another level, which means playing and winning finals footy.”

Having reached the finals this year after a disrupted season in 2016, Worsfold is embracing the new expectations of his team.

“I think everyone has got that high expectation that we’re going to be a better team next year and that’s certainly what we’re driving for.

“The players’ attitude has been great, the squad is training well, so seeing that everyone is really keen and ready to go.”