Adelaide Chairman John Olsen is confident the Club is tracking well on and off the field as it looks towards 2022.
On field, the Crows claimed seven victories this AFL campaign, including two big scalps against Geelong and minor premiers Melbourne.
Olsen spoke at the Club Champion dinner on Saturday night, off the back of the final round win in which three Crows greats were farewelled.
Olsen said moments of that final game were a “clear demonstration of the journey we are on as a footy Club”.
“Let’s have a look at the final minutes in the final quarter of the final match of the season; the immediate response of the team was electric, it was uplifting,” Olsen said.
“That spontaneous response demonstrates the Club culture that we have, prioritising others, that connection that we have, the team, particularly the playing group and the squad.
“The results of a recent Members survey had two strong themes emerge; pride and excitement.
“It is clear there is a shared optimism and a sense we are building a strong foundation on which we can push forward for sustained success.”
Olsen credited Senior Coach Matthew Nicks, as well as the men’s and women’s players and their families, after another Covid-19 interrupted year.
“There is enormous pressure on coaches in a rebuild,” Olsen said.
“Despite this, (Nicks’) calmness, his compassion, but steely focus that he has shown, his determination to succeed with buy-in from the squad is impressive.
“To the players, coaches, football department, staff, partners and families… your ability to get on with it and be professional is commendable and it’s certainly appreciated by us.
“If we cast our minds back to earlier this year, our AFLW team did us proud by making its third Grand Final in five years.
“Our women have been trailblazers at the elite level and they do our Club proud.”
Olsen said the Club was working on establishing its new headquarters, with the aim to ensure Adelaide became a “destination Club”.
“At the centre of the planning for the future is the new headquarters,” Olsen said.
“This is about cementing the Adelaide Football Club as a destination Club, rebuilding towards finals with an excellent culture and a great player and member facility.
“Stay the journey, the future is bright.”