MELBOURNE CEO Gary Pert has highlighted the club’s investment in elite training facilities for its current crop of footballing talent at the club’s Annual General Meeting on Monday night.
Pert told club members the club had outlaid $17 million across the Demons’ MCG, AAMI Park, Gosch’s Paddock and Casey Fields footprints over the last four years.
The club has also eliminated over $4 million in debt within the same time period.
The works include an expansion of the Gosch’s Park playing surface and construction of an indoor kicking facility, gym and aquatic recovery facilities at the Casey Fields venue.
“We're investing in our high-performance facilities because all our teams are in a premiership window, with AFL and AFLW premierships in recent seasons,” Pert says.
“We want to ensure that in the next four or five years we've given the players and coaches of both teams a chance to experience as much success as possible for themselves and our supporters.”
The Casey aquatic pools will be ready for use in late 2023, rounding out the high performance facilities at the venue.
Pert assured members that work to find the club’s inner Melbourne home was ongoing despite confidentiality requirements meaning that the Club couldn’t provide ongoing updates.
“We are working in partnership with the highest levels of State Government and the AFL to deliver an inner Melbourne home base for the Melbourne Football Club.”
“I know one of the frustrations of members is that the Club does not provide ongoing updates on the status of the discussions, but unfortunately one of the conditions of our working party with the State Government and AFL is that we explore options on a confidential basis.”
“I can assure members that it remains our highest off field priority, and we will explore every option to deliver our vision to players, staff and members.”
Pert also underlined the importance of developing Melbourne’s home in the east with Casey Fields a crucial part of the Demons’ plans for the future, even when the Club secures its inner Melbourne home.
“When we get our inner Melbourne home base we will continue to use Casey Fields because we need it service our four teams (AFL, AFLW, VFL, VFLW). It is an outstanding facility and an important part of our long term strategy,” Pert says.