To our valued members and supporters,

The prospect of our players running out to play AFL games in empty stadiums for the foreseeable future, minus the roar of our loyal and passionate members and supporters is foreign to each and every one of us.

So too is the prospect of the Purple Army not being able to high five a player after a thrilling win at Optus Stadium, or for your sons or daughters to have a selfie with a player during a school visit.

What about those diehards we see at almost every training session? Many of them have got through more training sessions in this pre-season than some of our injured players.

Yet now as the season is about to get underway, we’ve asked them to abandon one of their cherished football rituals.

Sadly, getting the inside running on who is “burning up the track” at Cockburn has had to go the way of the post-match high five and the player selfie…for now.

Our Banner Crew members will be a bit lost on Monday nights as they reflect on their stockpile of crepe paper and sticky tape, while the latest catchy slogan about our opponents remains a jumble of unused letters…for now.

The fanatics in the Cheer Squad are keeping their floggers under wraps and saving their chants until they are allowed back into Optus…for now.

Football clubs are wonderful places for bringing people together.

As a club, we would cease to exist without our members and supporters, the fan in the front row getting a high five from Fyfey or a selfie at school with Sonny, the Banner Crew, the Cheer Squad and, yes, the diehards who rarely miss a training session at Cockburn.

But they have all been cast into a kind of limbo…on one level deprived of their footy rituals and the right to go to Optus Stadium and watch the game they love and, far more importantly, left uncertain about how Covid-19 will impact their lives - today, tomorrow or in a few months.

From a club perspective, what our members and supporters want is calm, measured and professional leadership.

Our ongoing and critical priority is the health and well-being of all of our people, including that of our players, staff, members and supporters.

That is why, for example, we have closed to the public both the club's reception area and Team Store at Cockburn, and have put in place measures for as many staff as possible to work remotely.

Our members and supporters want to see that we are working hard to find solutions for the problems we’ve got as a football club and ensuring that we get the best possible outcomes.

I am really confident in the AFL in that sense, and certainly very confident in the ability of our board and executive to work through this in a methodical manner.

But at this stage, with the situation changing almost on an hourly basis let alone daily, we genuinely don’t have all of the answers to many of your questions.

Since Friday’s announcement that all AFL games will be played under “lockout” conditions for the foreseeable future, we have been working with the AFL to establish what this means for our members and supporters.

Given the levels of uncertainty we are all dealing with it is not possible to indicate what all the implications are at this stage.

Our intention is to see this progressed and communicated to you, along with any other updates, as soon as possible.

However, until that time we are asking for your patience and understanding.

With that in mind, we request that you hold off from communicating with the club seeking information for the time being, because at this point in time we are unable to respond with definitive and accurate information.

Finally, if I can finish by reassuring you about the longevity and resilience of our great game and what that means for the future.

Our great game is 150 years old.

It has endured world wars, depressions and financial crises.

Covid-19 is undoubtedly a crisis, but we will endure it and we can get through it.

But we will only get through it and endure what we are facing as a football club if we do it together, with the understanding and support of all of our loyal and passionate members and supporters.

Thank you for your time, we will back in touch as soon we are able to better inform you.

Please take care and do everything you can to ensure those near and dear to you remain healthy.

Kind regards,

Simon Garlick
CEO