Essendon officially set a new membership record on Thursday, surpassing the 2015 tally to currently stand at 61,343 members.
The Bombers reached the tally 100 days faster than they reached their previous total two years ago, and Chairman Lindsay Tanner was thrilled with the news and thanked the club's fans for showing their support.
“To set a new membership record so early in the season, is an incredible show of faith in the direction of our Club and shows our Comeback Story is gathering momentum,” Tanner told essendonfc.com.au.
“On behalf of the players, coaches, staff and Board – thank you to the Essendon family for your amazing support.
“We have broken the 2015 record at a blistering pace, and on current projections should comfortably surpass 65,000 members this season, which is a phenomenal effort by the Essendon family.
“Our members are the lifeblood of our Club. We have been overwhelmed by their unwavering support and we thank them for their ongoing passion and commitment in helping us achieve our vision of being the most inclusive, successful and respected sporting Club in Australia.
“We have a clear path ahead of us, we have an exciting team which is hungry for success and I encourage every Essendon supporter out there who isn’t a member, to sign up and be part of our Comeback Story.”
Bombers coach John Worsfold echoed the sentiments of Tanner, and told the club website the support of the fans plays a huge part in Essendon's on-field success.
“We are truly grateful to our members for their ongoing passion and commitment,” Worsfold said.
“We witnessed the true strength of the Essendon family last week at the MCG and we are determined to continue to repay the faith of our supporters with an exciting brand of football this season.
“Without a doubt, our members make us stronger and lift us as a team. We want to make our members proud just as they have made us proud of their loyalty and passion.”
It's been a week to celebrate for Essendon following their resounding opening win over Hawthorn with Chief Executive Xavier Campbell looking forward to the future, saying the door remains open for ex-coach James Hird and other Bomber legends at Windy Hill.
