THIS is a special night in a special year for the AFL. As you know we are celebrating 150 years of Australian football, and this Hall of Fame Tribute match and this Community Weekend are one of the highlights of our 2008 calendar.

This has been a busy week for the AFL but one that has really reinforced the impact of football on the community and our lives.

On Thursday night eight people were inducted into the Australian football Hall of Fame, including players Gavin Brown, Garry Hocking, Glen Jakovich, Geof Motley, Noel Teasdale and Des Tuddenham; umpire Tom McArthur and of course Kevin Sheedy. This is the highest recognition a person can get – to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, and my congratulations extend to all those inducted this week, and to all members of the Hall of Fame.

To become a member of the Hall of Fame is to be recognised for one’s total contribution to football, and this week has been a snapshot of Kevin Sheedy’s impact on the game in total. In a week when he was honoured for his contribution to Australian football, Kevin spent every waking hour in his role as assistant coach of Victoria, spruiking this game on radio and television and in the newspapers, and inside the offices of the AFL. He is certainly one of a kind.

I also want to pay tribute to Alex Jesaulenko, who has become the 22nd legend in the Australian Football Hall of Fame. There are few people who love this game who haven’t uttered the immortal words “Jesaulenko, you beauty” at some stage in their life.

For those who think things come easily to the best of the best, I want to refer you to a quote from Jezza in a great interview in tonight’s AFL Record where Jezza describes learning those legendary ball-handling skills.

He said: “I practised my ball-handling for hours on end, often on my own. I’d bounce the ball against a wall and catch it on the rebound. By doing that, you get a real feel for the ball and you learn how it reacts when it bounces a certain way.”

I am sure all those in the Hall of Fame and all the champions playing tonight will have similar stories. The path to the top is never easy and not without hard work, but for all those inductees and our newest legend whose journey is now complete, I offer my warm congratulations.

Tonight might be Victoria v the Dream Team but it is also the opportunity for 50 of our best players, our senior coaches and our umpires to honour the people that have contributed so much to our game. That support is shown by the fact that the players, coaches and umpires have not only embraced the concept of this special game with great enthusiasm, but all are donating their payments, which will see more than $250,000 given to charity. This is a wonderful gift, and one that should not be underestimated.

The best player on the ground tonight will receive the Allen Aylett medal, recognising not just a great player – a Tassie Medallist himself in representative football – but also a football visionary who has been a key player in the growth of Australian football as a national game. For as long as the game exists, Allen’s contribution will be remembered.

While thanking those who have contributed to the growth of the game nationally I would also like to welcome former AFL commissioners, Graeme Samuel and Colin Carter as well as former AFL CEO Ross Oakley. Allen Aylett started the ball rolling, but each of Graeme, Colin and Ross pushed the game to its current exalted status. They deserve our gratitude.

I also must thank our corporate partners, particularly premier partner Toyota, which is supporting Victoria and Foster’s, through Carlton Draught which is supporting the Dream Team. I would also like to mention the Herald Sun for their work in promoting the game and the pre-match on-field experience and NAB for their support of the pre-match game and the NAB AFL Auskick at half time. 

Although this game is a focal point of the weekend, it is not the only celebration. We celebrate Community Football Weekend this week and we hope that more than two million people attend community football matches to celebrate the rich history of their clubs, their players and their communities. More than 300 AFL players are attending community games this weekend which is a way we – as an industry – can say thank you to the grassroots clubs and the volunteers – almost 100,000 men and women - who have devoted millions of hours to nurturing, caring and promoting our game.

Finally, I need to refer to a piece I wrote for tonight’s AFL Record in which I referred to recent inappropriate comments which have attempted to demean and diminish the role of women in our game. I want to make it very clear tonight – as I did when the issue first aired – that the AFL emphatically supports the involvement of women at all levels of our game.

Our game would stop tomorrow without the millions of hours women devote to Australian football, whether as administrators and board members or coaches, trainers and team managers. That contribution will never be diminished by unacceptable, inaccurate, and misguided comments and any suggestion that women do not contribute in those roles is ridiculous. It doesn’t – and never will – represent the views of the AFL or the wider football community.

And it doesn’t – and never will represent the views of the fans, as we will see tonight, with women certain to represent almost 50 per cent of the attendance. This is a remarkable, and unchanging fact, consistent through 150 years of our history.

Thank you, and please enjoy the game. As the promos have said, it has been 150 years in the making. Let’s enjoy it to the hilt.