The 2011 Hawthorn Football Club Confreres' Player Auction promises to be a fantastic night to rub shoulders with players past and present at the home of Aussie Rules football, the MCG.
Each table of 10 will enjoy the company of a current Hawks player or coach, with plenty of entertainment on the night and a very special guest speaker.
The Player Auction has been part of the Club's Main Event for the past four years but this popular event will return to its former stand-alone format this year.
As a special treat for guests, President Jeff Kennett will be attending as Guest Speaker along with Hawks Senior Coach Alastair Clarkson, who will also be speaking. 24 of the Club's current players will also be in attendance for the night.
The Club is also putting on a silent auction of priceless Hawthorn Football Club memorabilia for guests to purchase.
Confreres' Player Auction
Where: MCC Members’ Dining Room, MCG
When: 7pm - 12am, Friday 18 February
Master of ceremonies: Daniel Harford, former Hawthorn player
Seating: Each table of 10 will be joined by a current Hawthorn player or coach
Auctioneer: Steven Abbott of Jellis Craig Real Estate
Get your friends together for a great Hawthorn night.
For general enquiries or to book your individual tickets (or a table of 10) email Don Scott at hfcconfreres@iinet.com.au
So who are the Confreres?
The Confreres, the Coterie Support Group of the Hawthorn Football Club, was founded in 1961 by a small, keen group of Hawthorn members, including Sir Henry Winneke, former Governor of Victoria, who became the first President of the Confreres. Today, the Confreres is one of the league's longest established coterie groups with a history of strong financial support of the Club.
The Confreres is a group of mostly business and professional people brought together by a great love for the Hawthorn Football Club and a desire to be more involved with the Club. The only real qualification for membership is to be a one-eyed Hawthorn supporter who enjoys the company of like-minded people and is prepared to spend a bit of money on the cause.
Initially one of the Confreres’ key roles was to find jobs for players. While this no longer applies for senior Hawthorn players, the Confreres continue to provide assistance in this area to the Box Hill Hawks and to the partners of players recruited from interstate.
Fundraising is an important aspect of the Confreres’ role in support of the Hawthorn Football Club. In addition to providing a sizable annual financial contribution to the Club, the Confreres have donated various items of equipment to the Football Department over the years as well as sponsoring the Players’ Room at Waverley.
Confrere members enjoy regular access to players, officials and administrators as well as a close relationship with these areas of the Club. They provide strong support for various Club functions as well as running several events of their own. These include the annual Players’ Parents’ Day, the Confreres’ Grand Banquet (a black-tie ball), the Spinning Wheel at the HFC Family Day and the annual Confreres’ Player Auction.
In 2011, the Confreres are celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the formation of the Coterie, as well as the Club’s first premiership.
So what is the Confreres’ Player Auction?
The Confreres have been running the Player Auction since 1992. In 2007 the Player Auction was merged with the Hawthorn Football Club’s “Main Event”. However, for 2011, it has been decided to revert to a separate function.
The Player Auction is simply a major fundraiser that allows our supporters to have a vested interest in how the players perform throughout the season - by “investing” some funds before the home and away season starts in the hope of getting a return on their money by way of dividends at yearend.
View the Player Auction guidelines (.pdf) for more information on how the night works.
