09 Jun 2017 09:24am
Essendon boss Xavier Campbell says "thorough research" has shown plenty of sponsor interest in a Bombers AFL Women's team, after the club today announced its bid to win an expansion slot from 2019.
Essendon boss Xavier Campbell says "thorough research" has shown plenty of sponsor interest in a Bombers AFL Women's team, after the club today announced its bid to win an expansion slot from 2019.
Bombers number-one ticket-holder and Rio gold-medal rower, Kim Brennan, today declared Essendon's intention to join the AFLW when the competition awards expansion licences.
Kia and Fujitsu, the latter of which signed a long-term renewal last month, both feature prominently on the Bombers' proposed AFLW guernsey shown at today's launch.
The club's proposal includes a commitment to stage matches in the Northern Territory and Melbourne's north-west corridor. Also promised is an $18m facility expansion and a focus on career development, supported by the Essendon Women’s Network.
Essendon chief executive, Xavier Campbell, said the club had canvassed support from existing club sponsors and had also tested the wider corporate market before launching the bid.
"We have conducted thorough research with the inaugural AFLW Clubs, have strong financial interest from new and existing commercial partners, consulted with a number of industry experts and key stakeholders, and through the key learnings, built a strong framework we believe will help us establish a strong and sustainable AFLW model," he said.
Last month the AFL commission announced that a minimum of two teams would be added to the competition in 2019, with bid conditions now now under consideration.
Five teams – Geelong, St Kilda, North Melbourne, Richmond and West Coast – have already been granted provisional licences by the AFL, which means Essendon is only an outside chance in the first expansion round.
All eight existing AFLW clubs entered the first season with a full book of commercial supporters and several teams boast more than $1m in sponsorship income for their women's programs alone.