My first Showdown has come and gone and while the result was not what we wanted, I was amazed by the intense rivalry, passion and excitement that engulfs the city. After more than two decades working in elite sport and having seen or been involved in NRL State of Origins, International Test Matches, including Rugby World Cup finals and Olympic Games, amongst other events, I have not experienced anything quite like it. 

It has been a busy few weeks for everyone at our Club and the effort that went into organising last week’s inaugural Hall of Fame Dinner was well and truly rewarded. Many people who have been part of the Crows family for a long time are calling it the best Club event they have attended and it certainly was a special and at times emotional evening. I must congratulate the eight inductees- Bob Hammond, Bill Sanders, Malcolm Blight, Ben Hart, Tony Modra, Andrew McLeod, Simon Goodwin and Mark Ricciuto- whose on and off field contributions helped build your Club from the ground up. There is no greater honour we can bestow and there are a handful of other very worthy potential inductees who will be considered for the next Hall of Fame event in coming years.

As we celebrate our 25^th season in the AFL, much has been said and highlighted (and quite rightfully so) about our Club’s past but it is just as important to keep our eyes firmly on the future. The new vision for the Club is ‘Bringing People Together To Achieve Great Things’. This applies to all parts of our operations – whether that is 45 players and a coaching group coming together to deliver finals appearances and to bring a flag back to Adelaide, or 50,000 fans to Adelaide Oval for a great live entertainment experience, or 60,000 members who come together to be part of something remarkable. Within a culture of accountability we will operate to newly defined values focussed on courage, authenticity, a team-first approach and high performance standards. This is a journey and there is plenty of work to do, but we will be guided by this vision and these values. I also want to thank everyone for the positive feedback on our new branding which brings this positioning to life under the banner of ‘We Fly As One’.

I also want to reiterate that our foreseeable future lies at West Lakes and any suggestion that we are on the move is incorrect. We have recently spent time, energy and money upgrading our training facility to a world class standard and you can rest assured the players are afforded every chance to get the best out of themselves. You can see the improvements for yourself by keeping an eye on afc.com.au and The Crows Show which airs on Channel 7 on Sundays at 11.30am, with our cameras offering a behind-the-scenes tour in the next week of two.

We also want as many people as possible to enjoy an Adelaide Oval experience so please encourage your friends and family to take up a 3-game Membership package which offers great value for money. I know Walshy and the boys appreciate the support and your efforts have played a part in their encouraging start to 2015. In saying that, it has been a tough past fortnight and we’re off to the Gold Coast this weekend well prepared and focussed on getting our fourth win of the season.

Let’s hope the hard work pays off and finally, a very Happy Mother’s Day to all the Mums out there for Sunday!

Cheers

Andrew