Dear Members,

We trust you and your families are keeping well.

At the start of the year, we established our purpose of being a club where our people feel proud to belong. This, along with our values of Trust, Respect, Unity, and Excellence (TRUE), guides our decision-making and our approach in everything we do as a club.

For this reason, today we are excited to launch the Melbourne Football Club’s Proud to Belong, Proud to Give fundraising program. 

DONATE VIA MELBOURNEFC.COM.AU/GIVE

Proud to Belong, Proud to Give is an integral part of the Club’s response to the expected $5M impact created by the COVID-19 crisis. It aims to engage our most passionate members and supporters, to help protect the Club’s financial position and allow us to quickly bounce back from the financial burden created by this crisis. 

Supporters should be rest assured that the Board and Executive of the Club are doing everything possible to manage our finances this year. We want to avoid having to seek additional financial support from the AFL, and therefore, become an “assisted club”. This will ensure we are able to independently make key strategic decisions, which will drive the continued growth of this great club.  

We have all been overwhelmed by how our members have supported us throughout this time. You are amongst the most loyal fans in the league. You have stood your ground and shown great strength throughout the COVID-19 period, helping to ensure the viability of the Melbourne Football Club. 

However, we know that you have greater aspirations for the red and the blue – it’s more than just short-term viability. By filling the $5M void quickly, and helping us avoid being an AFL “assisted club”, we can return our focus to achieving the ultimate success both on and off the field. 

The Proud to Belong, Proud to Give program is your opportunity to play a critical role in driving the Melbourne Football Club forward. The ambitious targets laid out in our four-year strategic plan are still the same, and with your support, we can remain on track. 

There’s no denying this will be a challenge, and we’re not shying away from it. The quicker we can recover from this crisis, the sooner we can resume investing in the strategic priorities of eliminating all debt, improving membership services, driving innovation, investing in expertise in our football department and building club facilities. 

If you are in a position to help, we are calling on you now to go above and beyond and donate to this cause. By doing so, you can truly play a role in reigniting the Demon Spirit and creating a club where all our people feel proud to belong. 

Thank you again for your commitment and passion as a Melbourne member. This is a unique opportunity to shape the future, and together, we can ensure the Melbourne Football Club rebounds strongly in a post-COVID environment. 

Go Dees, 

Glen Bartlett and Gary Pert