Let me start by saying a very big thanks to all of you for helping our Club break yet another Membership record and push past 60,000. It is a significant milestone made even more special by the fact we are just days away from entering our 25th season in the AFL. Your loyalty, passion and enthusiasm are extraordinary and everyone involved in the day-to-day running of the Club is appreciative.

Our next challenge is to keep pushing well beyond our current tally and I urge you to encourage friends and family who have not yet joined us on our journey to do so. I understand the pressures of modern day life make it hard for some to attend all of our games, hence why we are focussed on providing a variety of packages that allow everyone to connect with your Club in a way that suits them. The popular 3-game Membership is a prime example.

I also want to apologise for the delay that some of you have experienced in receiving your Membership cards. There are a few reasons for this, but regardless, I acknowledge the frustration and inconvenience that it may have caused. We will work hard to ensure we improve upon this next season. I appreciate your patience.

As you are probably aware, we have launched our Hall of Fame with the first group of inductees to be honoured at a Black Tie event on April 29 at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre. It makes sense that we do this during our 25th season where we recognise those who have had a profound impact on the Adelaide Football Club, whether they be players, coaches, staff or administrators. The event is open to everyone in the Crows family and I would love it if you were able to attend what is sure to be a special evening. If you would like to join me there please visit afc.com.au or contact the Club for more details.

I’ve been involved in elite sport for more than two decades and have seen many athletes prepare for competition but few have done so with the attention to detail and work ethic of Walshy and his coaching team and of course the players. After a long and gruelling pre-season they now just want to get out there and play for points. They are ready, everyone at the Club is ready and the desire to return to finals burns intensely.

It has also been a busy summer off-field with a number of new partners joining our ranks including Domain, BLK and Revolution Roofing – and we will announce another major partnership in the next few days. This support is critical and I would like to thank all of our corporate partners for backing us in season 2015.

I'm also excited that this weekend we will launch our own television program which airs on Channel 7 Adelaide on Sundays from 11.30am during the season. Tune in and gain insight into the goings on behind closed doors, from Walshy barking orders to players relaxing away from AFL life.

But above all else, make sure you get along on Sunday as Walshy takes charge in his first match for premiership points and if you can’t I encourage you to pass your ticket onto family or friends. Thanks again for your support and I hope to see you at the footy.