Dear members,
Welcome to a new month, but most importantly, the month which marks the start of the AFL season.
As we bid farewell to summer, I hope each of you had a great break and were able to spend some much-needed time with family and friends.
We are confident this year will be different to our last two in this regard. Already I can feel a sense of excitement around the club as we prepare to have our members back in the stands cheering us on.
One of our biggest focuses for 2022 is to reward each of you for sticking by us over the challenging last two seasons.
We want to engage with you in new ways this year and ensure that you are connected to the club beyond just being able to attend games. That will mean more communication from all of us here at your club.
I want to take this opportunity to thank you all for signing up for the season ahead. Your support is the lifeblood of our club. We are extremely grateful.
It has been great watching the current season of AFLW knowing that next year we too will be front and centre, and work is well underway as we prepare to enter the competition for season 7. Just over a week ago, the club took a momentous step in our AFLW journey as Bridget Deed committed to signing with the brown and gold – the club’s first female player set to don our stripes in the AFLW.
A product of the Eastern Ranges in the NAB League Girls competition, Deed has also been a valued member of Hawthorn’s VFLW program where she has been able to progress her game immeasurably over the summer. Having met her, I can confidently say Bridget represents the exact type of character and cultural fit that we want to build our AFLW list around.
While work continues with our AFLW program, Hawthorn’s VFLW team has had a promising start to their season with two wins on the board as they prepare for Round 4 this Saturday against the Magpies. Well done to our VFLW Senior Coach Cherie O’Neil along with all the coaching team, support staff and players on their impressive performances.
The Kennedy Community Centre at Dingley Village is moving fast, and we are confident that construction will commence later this year.
I can’t stress enough how exciting this project is for our club. It will be the best sporting facility of any team in the country when it is complete, giving all of our teams the best chance at success – and it is a reality. Environmental work is progressing at the site as we speak, and it won’t be long until we can share some updated plans and photos for you all to see.
Through our final stages of detailed design we will ensure that our future home is a welcoming home for our players, coaches, staff, the community and importantly, you our members.
I want to finish on the AFL season ahead. I know I said it is a new era for our club, and it truly is. Watching Sam out on the field with a new team of assistant coaches putting in the hard yards with new young talent alongside our senior players really has an exciting vibe.
Earlier last month we were proud to announce Ben McEvoy as our AFL Captain for a second consecutive year. Ben is a highly respected leader, teammate and individual within our club, consistently taking a club-first approach with everything he does. He has done an exemplary job at captaining our club thus far, particularly during a challenging 2021, and I have no doubt that he will continue to do so as we head into the upcoming season.
Last Friday afternoon we had the pleasure of taking a trip along the highway to Morwell where our players competed in a practice match against Collingwood in front of the Gippsland community. It was fantastic to have so many people in attendance, meanwhile, to see players like James Sicily and Jack Gunston return to the field - another real plus as we lead into the season.
The club now turns its attention to our AAMI Community Series pre-season match in Devonport this coming Saturday afternoon. Hawthorn will host Richmond in a tribute match at Devonport Oval for the families and communities affected by last year’s horrific accident at Hillcrest Primary School in north-west Tasmania.
The match has already gathered a significant amount of support with tickets selling out a week prior to the game. All funds raised from the tribute match will go directly to the Hillcrest Community Public Fund which has been established to provide ongoing support for the Hillcrest Primary School Community.
You can donate to the Hillcrest Community Public Fund by clicking here.
Whether you might be attending the game or watching from home, I encourage everyone to get behind the match in whatever capacity you can.
It’s great to see the football season underway, and with crowds returning to full capacity, I am eagerly excited to welcome you all back to our home stadiums in 2022.
Stay safe and well. Go Hawks!
Justin Reeves
Chief Executive Officer
Hawthorn Football Club
