To our Bloods 2020 members and supporters,
We’re on the home stretch of the home-and-away season and we couldn’t have got here without each and every one of you who have stood with us this season. We continue to be truly overwhelmed by the support of our members – we know this has been a difficult year for many of you also, but you have stuck with us through the rollercoaster of 2020 and provided encouragement, messages of support and some good old footy banter along the way. Over the coming weeks we have a few surprises in store to show our appreciation and give back to you.
It would be remiss not to mention our partners, particularly our Principal Partner QBE and Major Partners Volkswagen and realestate.com.au, whose unwavering support has been instrumental this season. I encourage you to support them where you can, to support those who are supporting your club.
This year has certainly challenged us, both on and off the field. But together we have shown resilience, a fighting spirit, and a steadfast determination to build something great. We know there is much work still to do, but we believe we have the right foundations in place.
Over the past few weeks our young team has experienced the triumph of winning the Sydney Derby in the west, the disappointing performance in our Marn Grook game, and then the lessons learned in challenging the ladder leaders but falling short at the finish. They will learn and grow from these experiences, and I’m sure like me, you’re excited to watch the evolution.
The team has been on a literal journey around the country too: Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide and now a base in Cairns. It’s been a wonderful opportunity for our group to bond and share in a unique experience living and playing together, albeit incredibly challenging being away from loved ones and family.
It has also been a challenging time for our staff who remain at home. As you know, we made the difficult decision to stand down a number of staff earlier this year, and we are now working through a restructure as we move to a leaner operation for the future.
Finally, in the coming week we will announce our final member tally for season 2020. While over recent years we have been fortunate to announce new record membership numbers, for a variety of reasons, that won’t be the case this season. We are not disheartened by this, in fact the opposite, we are buoyed by the number of those in our Swans family who were able to stay the course and share in the unique and challenging journey of season 2020. Bloods 2020 was so much more than a tagline or theme for this year – it’s a badge of honour that we can all be proud to wear as we take the club forward, together.
Stay safe and look after yourself,
Tom Harley
CEO, Sydney Swans
