ANTHONY Ingerson’s heart has beat true since the day he joined the Melbourne Football Club.

The former defender played his first game for the Dees in 1996, after crossing over from Adelaide with 37 matches under his belt.

He added 121 games to that tally during his time at Melbourne, before hanging up the boots at the end of 2001.

But Ingerson’s ties with the Dees didn’t stop there.

For the next 20 years, he remained a loyal supporter, before reconnecting with the club in a more official capacity last season.

That was through his cleaning business, Prats, who are now a partner of the club’s.

“It’s been brilliant,” he told Melbourne Media.

“We say, Prats and Ingerson back at the club and we win a premiership straight away.

“I’ve personally really enjoyed it, our company has really enjoyed it, and the guys that I work with have really enjoyed it.

“They love the fact that they’re associated with one of the greatest ovals in the world and why not be involved with Melbourne – this is our home.

“It’s been great for our business.”

Ingerson jumped on board in time for the Demons’ drought-breaking premiership and was no stranger himself to the last Saturday in September.

“I was fortunate to play in the last Grand Final for Melbourne before this one, so even though we lost we still have a pretty strong bond with that group of players,” he said.

“I played in two finals series – I played in ’98 as well.

“They were quite different, but both of those years were so much fun from my point of view.

“And it was a real reward for a lot of hard work over a long period of time.”

Like many players from that era, Ingerson’s fondest memory came a couple of weeks earlier than the big dance, in the form of a nine-point come-from-behind Qualifying Final victory.

“The Melbourne versus Carlton game in 2000 was a really special game,” he said.

“It was probably the most jovially celebrated game after the game from our point of view.

“We played the Preliminary Final two weeks later and we were a machine.

“We went out there and we smashed them.

“But the Carlton game was such a huge release of emotion, so that was probably my favourite game ever.”

That win, and run of form, came largely due to the man at the helm, who reenergised the playing group from the moment he walked through the doors in 1998.

“What Neale Daniher did for me is he gave me belief,” Ingerson said.

“He said to me, ‘This is what you’re going to do, this is how you’re going to do it and I’m going to help you be the best centre half-back in the competition’.

“No other coach had said that to me before.

“This is the very first meeting that I had with him.

“I bumped into him at the club before the pre-season had started.

“I thought I may as well do some training before pre-season starts because we’ve got a new coach and I better be on my game.

“He gives me this speech and then says, ‘Go out and train like you’re the best centre half-back in the competition. I believe you’re going to be, so get on with it’.

“He followed that up over time.”

Daniher instilled the Demon Spirit in Ingerson as a player, and it will never go away.

The now 52-year-old has cherished being back inside the four walls of the club and is seeking the rewards from a business perspective as well.

“There were a lot of people who were sponsors when I was playing that are still sponsors and still in the President’s Club,” Ingerson said.

“It’s nice to see some old people in the room, but we’ve also made some new friends.

“We’re spending a lot of time with the Haymes Paint family … and we just went on the corporate sponsors weekend in Adelaide and met some more people.

“Over time, hopefully that develops into more opportunities for Prats.

“We have typically been a sub-contractor in that space, so basically we work for other cleaning companies – we provide the labour.

“What we want to do is grow our business to be the main contractor and have our own work.

“It’s a slow burn but all of us are really enjoying our involvement with the footy club and it’s been really exciting because the football has been good at the same time.”

Four years ago, Ingerson closed some of his other businesses to focus on Prats with a friend and has seen some great development in that time.

While COVID-19 has undoubtedly made life tough for Prats, and many small businesses in recent years, Ingerson couldn’t be more positive about the trajectory they are heading.

Prats is proud to employ people from 28 nationalities, continuously growing as an organisation, and its relationship with the Dees makes that process all the sweeter.

“To be involved with Melbourne and be associated with the MCG and help those people feel like they’re a bigger part of being in Australia is a huge part of why we’re sponsoring the footy club,” Ingerson said.

“For me, it’s a different discussion: I work for a company that sponsors the club and I’m giving back to something I love.

“But for the rest of the team it’s feeling like they’re part of something and it’s a really nice thing.”

For more information on Prats and Ingerson's ties with the club, click here.