Dear members,

I’m proud to share that our Club has surpassed 100,000 members for the sixth consecutive year.  

The loyalty of so many West Coast Eagles families is something truly special and deserves to be celebrated. Everywhere I go I see members and fans proudly wearing Eagles hats, beanies, shirts, jumpers and hoodies in recognition of the deep sense of belonging they feel towards our Club.

On behalf of our players, coaches, staff, and Board, I want to sincerely thank you for your passion and commitment. These past few seasons have tested us all, but through every challenge, you’ve kept showing up — backing our players, wearing the colours and believing in us. That kind of loyalty is rare. We exist because of our members and are so grateful for this milestone.

We know we have a lot of work to do to lift ourselves back up the ladder, but we believe in the path we are on and appreciate your support. Our new Senior Coach Andrew McQualter has led the team with commitment and energy, built a strong connection with our players and is establishing a clear style of play.

While we have not won often enough, we have seen encouraging performances, particularly against top four contenders Brisbane, Geelong and Collingwood, and there has been progress.

Every game between now and the end of the season is an opportunity to take steps forward and everyone in our Football Department are determined to get better quickly. The Club will again use every available lever of draft, trade and free agency at the end of the season to strengthen our playing list.

Pleasingly, our next generation of players are maturing and developing, with Brady Hough, Reuben Ginbey, Elijah Hewett, Harry Edwards and Harley Reid consistently impressing. There is plenty to be excited about from recent draftees Jobe Shanahan, Tyrell Dewar, Bo Allan, Tom Gross, Clay Hall, Malakai Champion, Archer Reid and Tom McCarthy who have shown enough in their early opportunities to indicate plenty of good AFL football lies ahead.

Before the season draws to a close, we will recognise two of our retiring premiership greats – Jeremy McGovern and Dom Sheed.

It is always bittersweet to farewell such wonderful people and players, and both Jeremy and Dom should be incredibly proud of the significant contributions they have made to our Club.

Both are Life Members of our Club, and they will forever be inextricably linked as the bookends of that famous match-winning passage of play in the 2018 Grand Final.

We will honour them at our next home game at Optus Stadium against Adelaide on Sunday, August 10 to thank them and give them a rousing blue and gold send off.

AFLW membership continues to grow, currently sitting at 3,116 members ahead of the season starting on Thursday, August 14 against Gold Coast at Sullivan Logistics Stadium.

We can’t wait for Daisy Pearce and the team to build on last season and with new co-captains Bella Lewis and Charlie Thomas at the helm it promises to be an exciting year of further growth for the team. Our squad has been training hard in the off-season and new players Lucia Painter, Lucy Boyd, Charlotte Riggs, Liz McGrath, Kayla Dalgleish and Courtney Lindgren have added significantly to our maturing group. So, grab a membership, put on your blue and gold and get along and support your W team.

Lastly, we are expecting confirmation of our final round home fixture against Sydney shortly, which will be our ‘Member Thank You Round’. For our East Coast Eagles members, the Club will also recognise your outstanding support in our last away game against the Western Bulldogs at Marvel Stadium on Sunday, August 17.

Thank you once again for your steadfast support.

Together, we strive to Fly Higher.

Don Pyke

CEO

*As an extra way of thanking our members, we’ll be giving away $100 SuperStore vouchers to 100 randomly selected members over the coming days. Keep an eye on your emails in case you are selected!