As we now rush towards the end of 2022 it seems like a good time to update you on things happening at the Brisbane Lions.

AFL

While we didn’t quite achieve our ultimate goal of winning a premiership, we did manage two stirring finals wins. Firstly, we beat Richmond at the Gabba and then we beat last year’s premiers, Melbourne, at the MCG. A well-rested Geelong beat us easily in the preliminary final but showed how strong their form was the following week when they beat Sydney by a similar margin in the Grand Final.

Winning those two finals against finals hardened teams did feel like a step forward.  

A number of individual honors are worth mentioning. Lachie Neale was an unlucky runner-up in the Brownlow Medal as well as being named in the All Australian team. Lachie was joined in the All Australian team by Charlie Cameron and Hugh McCluggage.

Our list has further strengthened in the off season with recruits Josh Dunkley, Jack Gunston and Conor McKenna all arriving at the Club. We then gained Will Ashcroft, Jaspa Fletcher and Shadeau Brain during the draft period. Will and Jaspa are both Father-Son recruits and Jaspa and Shadeau are graduates of our Lions Academy. Our recruiting and list management team have had a great off season.

The coaching group sees Dale Morris arrive as Development Coach. Dale played over 250 AFL games and is highly respected within the industry.

We thank the players and staff who have left the Lions and wish them all the best in whatever comes next for them (unless of course that involves them coming up against the Lions!).

Our VFL team also had a great year, making it to the Preliminary Final where they lost to Casey Demons. Their finals efforts overall were very brave, unfortunately they suffered from injuries to the AFL squad and the need to ensure players were fit for the AFL finals, so had to play a number of their finals missing key players. The fact the AFL and VFL teams both made it to Preliminary Finals speaks volumes for the depth we currently have at the Club.

AFLW

AFLW Season 7 has only just been completed with the Brisbane Lions falling just short of a premiership, losing the grand final to Melbourne by 4 points. It was the first ever match played at our new club home Brighton Homes Arena, in Springfield Central, but we couldn’t quite get the fairytale ending we craved.

The team had a tremendous season, losing just the one match prior to the grand final. Ally Anderson won the AFLW Best and Fairest. Jesse Wardlaw was named the AFLW Leading Goalkicker, setting an AFLW goal kicking record in the process.  Greta Bodey, Nat Grider, Breanna Koenen and Jesse Wardlaw were named All Australians and Craig Starcevich was awarded the AFLW Coach of the Year.  

It has been a challenging year for the AFLW group, playing two seasons in the one calendar year. We congratulate them on a tremendous 2022 and the group are now off on a well deserved break. 

THANKS TO OUR STAFF

We started Season 6 of AFLW this year on Sunday 9 January in Adelaide. Season 7 finished for us at Brighton Homes Arena on 27 November. That is a period of 46 weeks. On 44 of those weeks one or both of our AFL or AFLW teams were playing. In many of those weeks the VFL team were playing as well. The AFL team had a bye Round 14 of the AFL in June and AFLW didn’t play in the second week of AFLW finals on 12 November. They were our only breaks. The club played in 11 finals in that time (including VFL). 

That placed a huge burden on many staff within our Club who have administrative and support roles across each of the teams. It had already been a huge year and then a few weeks ago, when it became apparent playing the AFLW Grand Final at Brighton Homes Arena was a possibility, it was literally all hands on deck to make it happen. This was no different to the rest of the year, where they have worked incredibly hard.

Our players and occasionally our coaches get a lot of recognition, but we shouldn’t forget the staff that work so hard for our Club. It has been a long, intense year for our staff and I thank them for everything they do.

BRIGHTON HOMES ARENA

The opening of Brighton Homes Arena was a very important milestone for our Club. Michael Voss Oval is part of Brighton Homes Arena and it was a special moment for Lions fans to have Michael attend the AFLW Grand Final and participate in the ribbon cutting ceremony to officially open the facility.

The Brisbane Lions are extremely proud to be able to deliver an asset of such quality and are extremely grateful for the support from so many people that made it possible.  

We have already held a number of events there and there will be more opportunities for our supporters to visit in 2023, including AFLW games, VFL games and open training sessions.

OLYMPICS DISRUPTION

We continue to work with Queensland Government and Stadiums Queensland to understand the likely disruption to us during the period the Gabba is unavailable due to construction and the alternatives that will be available to us.

Unfortunately, we are not in a position to provide any more detail that adds to my previous advice on this matter, but we will keep you informed as options are evaluated.

TOTALFUSION LIONS & WILDE KITCHEN CAFE

Part of the attraction of Brighton Homes Arena is the fact we can operate commercial activities from the site, enhancing the commercial viability of our Club. One of the new commercial activities at Brighton Homes Arena is a Health and Wellness Club that is a joint venture between the Brisbane Lions and TotalFusion (Total Fusion Lions). It includes a state of the art gym floor, fitness studios and wellness services.  

Membership is now open to the public with opening expected in January 2023.  You can learn more about TotalFusion Lions here. 

Wilde Kitchen Café, located in the main foyer of Brighton Homes Arena, is also now open to the public, serving up breakfast, lunch and dinner. It will be formally opened in the New Year and I encourage anyone local to Springfield Central or visiting the area to come and check out the café.

FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE

The financial year ended 31 October 2022 and has seen another strong financial performance from the Brisbane Lions, with the Club recording an operating profit of approximately $2.4m. This operating profit has been invested in the completion of Brighton Homes Arena as the Club saw significant increases in construction costs during the period between design completion and commencement of construction, the costs of which still need to be funded. We will continue to operate our fund-raising initiatives to ensure we can put the final finishing touches to Brighton Homes Arena and then move into a debt reduction phase.

THANK YOU 

Finally, it has been a great year for the Brisbane Lions and a big part of that is due to the ongoing support of our loyal members and supporters.  It has been fantastic to see the growth in our membership base, with 43,319 members helping the Club smash its previous membership record. The milestone comes off the back of sustained on-field performances from both our AFL and AFLW sides since 2017, which has seen the Club more than double its membership in six years. 

Hopefully with us having 6 AFL games in Melbourne in 2023 for the first time in a few years we can further grow our Victorian supporter base.

From an Australian Rules football participation perspective, Queensland is the fastest growing state in Australia and in the long term that bodes well for the Brisbane Lions supporter base. I don’t underestimate the role that our current supporters play in growing the code here, as you spread the word and introduce new people to our game.

Thank you to all of you for your continued support for our Club and our great game.  

If you celebrate Christmas, I hope it is a happy time for you and your family and if you don’t celebrate Christmas I hope you get a chance to relax with family and friends over the holiday season.

I look forward to welcoming you back to support the Lions in 2023.