Hawthorn President Jeff Kennett echoed the sentiments of everyone involved in Australian football that night when he spoke of the AFL community’s deeper obligation to reach out to those in need during difficult and challenging times.
Now as you know, Jeff and I agree on most things. And Jeff was spot-on with those words which captured the challenge for football.
Yes, we need to focus on the core business but we must never lose sight of the community in which we live, work and play.
A year on, I’m proud to say the football community rose to that challenge. From our clubs and players, to our supporters and volunteers, everyone worked to help bring some much-needed relief and even joy to those suffering.
The importance of football to the community was brought home to us through the extraordinary story of Kinglake football club, a club that literally rose from the ashes to go within a kick of premiership glory.
While it may have stumbled at the final hurdle, it was nothing compared to the insurmountable odds it overcame just to get there. Football wasn’t the winner in Kinglake - the community was.
This was not the only challenge we faced over the past 12 months. A year on, I’m also pleased to say that the game has emerged from the global financial crisis a stronger, more vibrant and more united game than ever.
For this I want to thank our clubs, supporters and broadcast and corporate partners, led by our premier partner Toyota. Your collective loyalty never wavered. It was no small achievement to come through the biggest economic crisis the world has faced in 60 years.
Not only did we do it, but importantly we did it together. Collaboratively. In partnership.
I also want to make a special mention of our clubs who managed this difficult period with minimal impact on the people who matter most - our members and supporters.
Indeed, 2009 capped off an extraordinary decade for Australian football. Who would have thought that 10 years ago we’d be talking about:
* An 18 team competition, with new clubs on the Gold Coast and Greater Western Sydney.
* New agreements with our major stadiums, including the MCG and Etihad Stadium, delivering unprecedented benefits to clubs and supporters.
* Record attendances, record TV audiences, record membership and record participation
* 11 per cent of AFL players from indigenous backgrounds
All of us take that in our stride but it took vision and courage to set the path to those goals. And a united football industry to achieve them. As former AFL Commissioner Colin Carter has observed, many of the ideas that brought us to where we are today were originally greeted with ridicule. Yet now we find it hard to imagine football as it was.
Tonight I stand before you as we prepare to begin not just a new season but a new decade for our game. And I can’t wait for it to start.
I can’t wait for a decade that will bring with it exciting opportunities, challenges and new frontiers to conquer. And - more importantly - new ideas on how we do so.
Before I talk about some of these, let’s fast forward 10 years and consider how our game might look in 2020.
It’ll be faster and more spectacular than ever before. We’ll follow the game using technology that we can only dream about. We’ll have players from all corners of the world.
Imagine, Majak Daw captaining North Melbourne. Imagine AFL players regularly drafted from South Africa or the Pacific Islands. Imagine Kevin Sheedy at age 72 unveiling his latest batch of Western Sydney’s version of the Baby Bombers.
In 2020 not only will the game look very different, Australia will be a different country. More Australians than ever before will have either been born overseas or have a parent who was born overseas. Our country - and our game - will have moved further away from its Anglo-Celtic roots and reflect Australia’s ever evolving cultural diversity.
And so it should. The strength of our game has always been its ability to open doors to all who embrace it.
With a new decade also comes new challenges. In reaching out to new communities it’s critical that we form meaningful and lasting connections. Connections that ensure the economic and social benefits are shared widely across the community.
This has been a focus of the AFL Commission led by our chairman Mike Fitzpatrick. To grow the game - not just in terms of revenues, attendances and memberships - but also to extend our reach and grow the number of people who genuinely love our game of Australian football.
We will also bring long-term benefits to the game and our existing clubs through a new broadcasting agreement. This new agreement, when it’s finalised, will underpin the future of the competition and be invested back into the game and the generations to come.
This is a critical point that sometimes gets overlooked by those fascinated by dollar signs. As a community organisation, the AFL is not driven by the money generated by broadcast rights.
What drives us is the impact this revenue can have when re-invested in our clubs, supporters, facilities, volunteers and better career paths and opportunities to attract the best athletes.
Over the coming years we’ll also have to confront a changing sporting landscape in Australia. We have to be ready for the possibility of the World Cup. The AFL has always said we are happy to accommodate major sporting events. We have a track record to prove it.
But we do not - and will not - accept second place for Australian football. We welcome other sports and major events but we won’t allow seven million fans to be deprived of Australia’s indigenous game. Nor put at risk the jobs of so many associated with our game.
As we head into the new decade we must continue to fulfill our obligation to be a leader in the community. To remain true to our core values to be accountable, progressive and respectful.
To have the courage to tackle social issues that impact on our game as they do the community.
Importantly, to leave the game - and also the community - in better shape for generations to come.
We are blessed to enjoy a fast, furious and spectacular game played by superhuman athletes, capable of extraordinary feats. Their skill, courage and determination continues to inspire us.
We are blessed with the world’s best supporters, whose loyalty, passion and commitment never wavers. We should never take their support for granted. And we don’t.
Together as clubs, players, supporters, and partners, we must remain united as we approach these exciting new horizons.
Australian football has come a long way in 151 years but the game’s magic will never die. If you doubt it, look into the eyes of a young fan next time you go to the football. You might just see yourself and remember how you too fell in love with the game.
Rob Dickson was someone who loved the game with a passion. He conveyed the magic of the game in all its all forms through his skillful and moving filmmaking. Indeed, his work was a big part of our season launches.
Tragically, Rob and his two sons were taken from us last April during a trip to South Africa where he was filming the AFL-AIS Team. But we’re very pleased his wife Dusty could be with us tonight. Welcome Dusty.
Football is poorer for Rob’s passing but he leaves behind a wonderful legacy. I was reminded of it watching a video Rob produced on the 2008 International Cup.
In the video, Kevin Sheedy addresses a group of young players. He tells them: “This is a game that will test you and it will also find your soul.”
I’d also like to note the passing this week of newspaper columnist Geoff McClure. “Chook”, as he was affectionately known, had an uncanny ability to find stories that combined both humour and an enduring passion for the game.
I’d also like to send our best wishes to Herald Sun chief football writer Mike Sheahan, a friend of many in this room, who's in hospital. We wish him a speedy recovery and can’t wait for him to return to covering the game with his trademark passion and insight.
A shared passion for our game is something that brings us all together tonight as we prepare for another season and the challenges, opportunities and - above all - the memories it will bring.
Enjoy the evening and good luck to everyone for the 2010 Toyota AFL Premiership season. Last year we were blessed to witness some of the best football ever played.
The good news is there’s just seven sleeps to go till it all starts again. With another baby in the Demetriou household I’d just be happy with one sleep.
I think I speak for everyone in this room tonight when I say I can’t wait.
