Quarterly Letter to Members from the President

[Bornadog]

Dear xxx, There?s no question there has been a lot going on at our Club over the last few weeks both on and off the field. In particular, this week represents a historic moment as we exceed 60,000 members for the first time. This is a remarkable milestone that you?ve made possible with your support, and one of several momentous events in recent weeks that point to a bright future for the red, white and blue. As you know, the Mission Whitten Oval redevelopment is complete and I would encourage you to visit us in Footscray if you haven't already. Our new home and its new features have to be seen to be believed and will provide a stunning backdrop to our AFLW games in the coming weeks. We truly appreciate all who contributed during our Giving Day last week, helping us exceed our $1m target. This is the final phase of our funding plans and all donations will support our redevelopment, minimise our debt and enable us to invest fully in our footy programs, laying the foundations for sustained future success. Staying at our spiritual home and now having access to facilities that will help us realise our full potential as a Club is truly inspiring. If you haven't yet had the chance to donate it?s not too late to be part of this historic moment. Every dollar counts as we Fight On ? Forever in Footscray. Our recent Retro Round was a wonderful opportunity to celebrate our journey and I'm sure playing under the Footscray name evoked nostalgic memories for many of you, as it certainly did for me. To acknowledge the incredible 1954 premiership team and hear what the achievement meant to former player Doug Reynolds ahead of our Round 21 game was a real privilege. Beating Melbourne by the same margin (51 points) as we did on that famous day 70 years ago was a wonderful coincidence! While the subsequent loss to the Crows on the weekend was a disappointing blow after such a fantastic few weeks, we remain in a strong position to play finals footy. I know that our players and coaches will regroup, take strong learnings from that defeat and be prepared for the challenge of our remaining games. Our destiny is in our own hands and I know that your vocal support at Marvel Stadium and in Ballarat will be key to securing a spot in September. As we all know, once we're there, anything is possible. With De Berry now leading our AFLW team as captain I can?t wait for the W Season to begin, particularly our first home game against Port Adelaide on Friday the 6th of September. It is sure to be a magnificent occasion under lights at Mission Whitten Oval and I hope to see you there. Our VFLW team went down fighting in their Grand Final last month but what a remarkable achievement to get that far, one that bodes well for our W program into the future. This is a really special time to be a member of the Bulldog faithful and I want to thank you again for your unwavering support. Your commitment and belief in us inspires everything we do. Exciting times ahead. Go Dogs!

Kylie Watson-Wheeler Western Bulldogs President