ESSENDON has enlisted the help of its 2000 premiership stars to urge supporters to join them by donating to the club's Flight Plan fundraising initiative. 

Premiership heroes Matthew Lloyd, Scott Lucas, Jason Johnson, Chris Heffernan, Sean Wellman and captain James Hird have fronted a video on the club's website, revealing they have donated money to support the club's new high performance training centre at Melbourne Airport.

The Flight Plan initiative has raised more than $600,000 since being launched in August last year, but it is still well short of the club's $3 million target.
 
Heffernan, who now sits on the Essendon board, said the new base would help the club return to its former glory.
 
"I think this club and its fans deserve success," he said.
 
"We need to give the current players the best chance to deliver Essendon another premiership."

Hird said the club needed its supporter base to get behind the move if it was to get back to the top of the ladder.

"It's been far too long since our last premiership," Hird said.

"The players, the coaches and the administrators at Essendon are 100 per cent committed to seeing this happen. The question is, are you?" Hird asked members on the video.

The club also announced plans for a special one-off Flight Plan jumper next year.

Donors who contribute $2500 or more to the initiative will have their name printed on the jumper that the players will wear in one game next year. A sketch of the design sees the names of donors making up the traditional red sash.

Callum Twomey covers Essendon news for AFL.com.au. Follow him on Twitter at @AFL_CalTwomey.