Today marks a significant moment in the history of the Adelaide Football Club. We are extremely proud to welcome two fresh faces to the Crows family with the announcement of the first signings for our women’s team to compete in next year’s inaugural national league.

West Australians Kellie Gibson and Chelsea Randall come on board as marquee players and are among the most admired female footballers in the country. Kellie is known for her pace, outside run and ability to read the play, while Chelsea’s athleticism and hard hitting approach are sure to make her popular among Adelaide fans.

Like I have said before, we want to make the Crows the club of choice for women and girls, and provide an opportunity for them to enjoy what the game has to offer whether it be as a player, coach, administrator or fan. Both Kellie and Chelsea will play an important part in helping us achieve that goal both on and off the field.

After months of discussion and planning, we are taking meaningful steps towards our dream becoming a reality. The search for a Senior Coach is well underway with a top quality list of candidates currently being interviewed, while sponsorship talks and team uniform designs are among the many other tasks grabbing our attention. Exciting times lie ahead, likewise many more announcements, so stay tuned and keep an eye on afc.com.au or our social media platforms to hear the news first!

We are also fast approaching another Toyota AFL Finals Series and Pykey and the coaches have the team well positioned with five home and away games to go. Last Saturday’s result against Geelong was obviously disappointing but it also served as a valuable learning experience. This playing group has a fierce desire to get better and rest assured they were back in the Club this week working hard. The AFL website’s ladder predictor must be getting a good work out based on the amount of comments coming my way. Although this prompts good natured banter and plenty of friendly wagers amongst mates, we continue to keep a week-to-week focus given that each round shows any team can win on a given day.

I am sure you will join me in congratulating Josh Jenkins on his new five-year contract extension. Josh has grown as a player and a leader this season and his long-term commitment is a show of faith in our football program. I’m sure you will all wish JJ the best when you see him around town in coming weeks.

The commercial side of the business is performing well and our footprint on the east coast continues to grow as highlighted by last week’s Melbourne business luncheon which attracted a packed house. Guests heard insights and industry observations from a number of high-powered speakers, including AFL Chief Executive Gillon McLachlan, respected journalist Caroline Wilson, leading horse trainer and Crows Ambassador David Hayes and our own Mark Ricciuto. We are already on the lookout for an even bigger function room next year!

There was further good news in the last couple of days with the League confirming our Round 23 home match against West Coast will be played on a Friday night. We see this as a fitting reward for our Members, who continue to turn up week in week out to offer support. The Club fought hard to scuttle the suggested plan of a Monday night timeslot which would have prevented quite a few of you from attending and we were pleased to see the AFL take into account what we thought was a compelling argument, along with a number of other considerations.

However, our immediate focus is on beating the Bombers this weekend! This is also the second of our Sunday Funday matches with free junior general admission with the purchase of any other general admission ticket. I encourage you to share this initiative with your friends and family to encourage as many of our younger supporters to come along as possible. There is always plenty on offer for the kids including the expanded Crows Kids Zone, which includes mini draft camp activities as well as kicking and handball zones and a range of interactive activities. It should be a great family day out. I would also urge you to support one of our charity partners, the Salvation Army, by bringing along quality children’s clothing to Sunday’s twilight match. There will be collection points around the Adelaide Oval with all clothing going to families in need across South Australia.

Here’s hoping for another win! We Fly As One.

Cheers, Andrew.