CHAIRMAN Glen Bartlett says “significant progress” was made by the club in 2017, although the club missed out on finals by percentage in both the AFL and AFLW seasons.
Speaking at the club’s annual general meeting at the MCG on Thursday night, Bartlett said it was a year of growth, “but a stark reminder that the path to ultimate success is earned and not easily given”.
“On the field, our 2017 season started back in February, when we were part of history, playing in the inaugural AFL Women’s competition,” he said.
“This was a realisation of a dream for our club. We’ve had a long and proud history in supporting women and girls, who play football. The inaugural season was a fantastic display of the power of AFLW and the positive impact it has on the AFL industry.
“On the field, both our men’s and women’s season ended in heartache. Our AFLW team missed out on the Grand Final by percentage and more recently, we all know the story of our AFL team, which missed finals by the smallest margin in the game’s history. While we were all disappointed not to take our respective seasons further, we should not lose sight of undoubted progress we made as a club this year.”
Bartlett said he was also proud of what the club achieved off the field.
“My excitement and belief in the direction of the club was further reinforced off the field, in what was another strong year for the club. Whether it was the success of the ‘Big Freeze at the G’, the record breaking crowd on Anzac Eve or the success of our inaugural ‘Welcome Game’, the club continues to break records and I’m proud of our efforts in this regard,” he said.
“In summarising our season, it shows how far we’ve come, but also how far we need to go to claim the ultimate success.
“I personally could not be more confident in our club. We have the very best people and that will continue to drive excellence in our football department, and ensure this club is back where it belongs.”
Bartlett praised the efforts of Simon Goodwin in his first year as senior coach.
“Simon Goodwin’s performance and leadership has been outstanding throughout the season,” he said.
“He has grown and developed our players and is building this team on the right foundations, which we know will drive us towards the sustained success our members are craving.”
Bartlett also thanked Melbourne’s members and supporters for their continued investment in the club.
“We achieved another record membership number with 42,233 members signing up for the year,” he said.
“We also saw home crowd attendances grow by 13 per cent, which totalled our highest home attendance as a club since the 2005 season. Furthermore, more than 800,000 supporters watched Melbourne play across 22 home and away games – a first for this club.”
