To all of our members, particularly those residing in Victoria, New South Wales and the ACT, I want to acknowledge how tough and difficult the most recent restrictions have been on the wellbeing and overall vibrancy of our communities. My own and the Committee’s thoughts are with all of our members who continue to be impacted during these challenging times.
I write to members today following confirmation that the MCG will not be hosting this year’s AFL Grand Final. Words cannot describe how incredibly disappointing this is to me, your Committee, Club management and staff and I am sure to you as well as members. For quite some time your Committee and Club management have been working closely with the Victorian Government and the AFL to map out a plan for the return of matches for the Finals Series in a COVIDSafe environment. As the Victorian situation worsened more recently, we narrowed this planning down to a focus exclusively on the AFL Grand Final. However, we now have to accept the decision that this will not happen given current COVID-19 case numbers and vaccination levels in the community.The Federal and State Governments have foreshadowed that when vaccination levels increase to 70 or 80 per cent, we will pivot to a phase of living with the virus. What a great pity it is that we are not at that stage now as this would have enabled us to put forward a far more persuasive case to proceed with the AFL Grand Final at the ‘G. National Cabinet’s COVID-19 response transition plan does however give us greater confidence that attending games during the upcoming cricket season, including the Boxing Day Test against England, is something that members can look forward to.
Considering the collective experience we’ve been through over the last 20 months and especially having said goodbye to the 2020 AFL Finals Series and Grand Final, this year’s situation makes it all that more heartbreaking. While we’re naturally disappointed, we do wish Optus Stadium in Perth all the very best in hosting this cherished event. We have received some enquiries from members who are based interstate about their access to tickets for the 2021 AFL Grand Final at Optus Stadium. We are currently exploring options with the AFL and will be in touch with members in due course.
With Melbourne Football Club (MFC) having claimed their first minor premiership since 1964, this year’s Final Series is of even greater interest to the large number of our members, myself included, who support the Dees. Our Club has a long and proud history with MFC, which became a sporting section of the MCC in 1890 before separating in 1980 and reuniting in 2009.
Congratulations to Captain Max Gawn, Coach Simon Goodwin and all the players on winning the minor premiership. Following their strong Qualifying Final win against the Brisbane Lions, we wish them all the very best for their upcoming Preliminary Final and hopefully the Grand Final.
Despite the challenges the global pandemic has presented, I’m proud the Club was the industry leader in the return of major events back in Victoria with the 2020 Boxing Day Test match. This year, we’ve presented 42 AFL matches and 30 of them have been with crowds, totaling over one million fans. We set the benchmark for COVIDSafe protocols and procedures at major events in the state, and while they presented a different experience at the MCG than what we were used to, we were able to get back to what we love doing – bringing our members and fans together to watch greatness come alive on the hallowed turf.
We now look ahead to the upcoming 2021/22 cricket season with Sheffield Shield and BBL matches scheduled at the MCG before the old enemy England returns to Australia for an enthralling Ashes Series. I want to assure members that your Committee and Club Management are doing everything in their power to ensure the delivery of an uninterrupted cricket season.
We continue to prepare for upcoming events and ensure that critical day-to-day management and maintenance is upheld at the MCG. CEO Stuart Fox is an active member of the Live Entertainment Industry Forum (LEIF), which brings together Australia’s biggest promoters of entertainment and sport, venue managers, and key peak bodies. Featuring the likes of TEG Live, Frontier Touring, Mushroom Group, Venues Live and some of Australia’s biggest stadiums, this industry collective shares insights on how our country’s biggest venues and events can navigate the ‘COVID normal’ landscape for major events.
On the international front, Peter Wearne our General Manager of Facilities is an active representative member of the Green Sports Alliance, to seek advice and insights from members based in the United Kingdom and United States, where sporting events with near-capacity crowds have returned. It is the takeaways from being involved in these forums that strengthen our position and knowledge of the current landscape, aiding our decision-making around our COVIDSafe operations for when crowds are allowed to return.
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The Club has been committed to finding a balance in providing support to members during a difficult period while also protecting the business of managing the Club and the MCG. As a membership club, our members have been integral to the sustainability of the Club, as has their understanding that the privileges our members enjoy hinge in part on our role as managers of the MCG and our obligation to maintain the Ground continues even in the absence of crowds.As I mentioned in my last note to you and in speaking to members at the recent Annual General Meeting (AGM), this rationale was used when deciding to extend another 30 per cent discount to members for the 2021/22 membership season. The discount is in recognition of the previous disrupted membership season as well as recognising the ongoing impacts of the global pandemic.
We understand the disappointment members will feel about missing out on attending the 2021 AFL Finals Series and Grand Final as part of the 2021/22 subscription year and the Committee will take the interruption into account in future decisions.
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Like the rest of the country, we were gripped with pride in the performances our Australian athletes during the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympic Games. The MCC boasted 11 Club members representing the green and gold, with six of them taking home an Olympic Medal.Jessica Morrison took out a Gold medal as part of the Women’s coxless Four in the Rowing, building on their World Champion credentials and setting an Olympic-best time of 6:15:37.
Jock Landale joined his Boomers’ teammates in bringing home Australia’s first ever men’s basketball medal, and the swimming trio of Alexander Graham, Mack Horton and Matthew Temple between them claimed four Bronze medals in the pool to contribute to Australia’s most successful Olympics swimming campaign. Tennis player John Peers joined Wimbledon champion Ashleigh Barty in securing the bronze medal in the mixed doubles.
Congratulations to all our members who represented Australia at these games.
Our attention has now turned to cheering on the Australian athletes competing in the Paralympic Games, where member Nathan Pellissier represented our country in the Class 8 classification of Para-table tennis earlier this week.
The Club’s AGM was held on Wednesday July 28. As with last year, unfortunately this was only able to be held as an online event. While we always prefer to see members in person, I’d like to thank those members who attended virtually and for their contributions throughout the meeting. Many interstate and overseas members, who would not normally be able to attend the AGM in person, appreciated being able to attend the virtual meeting. In light of this, we are looking at the possibility of future AGMs being both in person and virtual.
Finally I note the Club is delighted to have released its first book under the Club’s Publishing Support Program, Chadwick: A Man of Many Parts, the first-ever detailed biography on former MCC President, Sir Albert Chadwick.
Authored by Nick Richardson, the publication covers various aspects of his rich life’s tapestry including being the Melbourne Football Club’s first-ever Premiership captain-coach, an integral member of the Australian Flying Corps in World War One, a prominent business man and sports administrator, alongside serving the Club as President from 1965-1979.
The release is timely for Father’s Day, and with the Melbourne Football Club forging through Finals, 95 years on from when Chadwick led them to the ultimate prize.
To all members, thank you for your continued support of the Club. While almost all elements of the Club, its operations and our preferred ways of management of the MCG have been compromised dramatically during this pandemic, it is our members who continue to be the lifeblood of our great Club. On your behalf, we are committed to support the community in returning life to near normal and not leaving a stone unturned in our pursuit of that.
For those currently in lockdown and separated by border closures, we stand with you in the hope that your return to the MCG is sooner rather than later.
Michael Happell
President
Melbourne Cricket Club