Hall of Fame member Leigh Matthews has this morning reached out to Brisbane Lions’ members, urging them to “Believe. Belong” in 2014, as the Club kicked-off its membership campaign for a new era.
Matthews, the triple premiership-winning former Lions coach who was recently appointed to the Club’s Board of Directors, has urged members to get behind new coach Justin Leppitsch and the team as they look to build on this year’s tally of 10 wins. In a recorded message, Matthews thanks Lions members for the way they’ve welcomed him back to the Club, then says: “We all need to get behind Leppa and the boys in some way, and you can by becoming a 2014 member.”
Matthews’ endorsement of the campaign is supported by cameos from Fitzroy legend Kevin Murray, Jonathan Brown, Jed Adcock, Simon Black, Daniel Rich and Pearce Hanley as part of a video series that will be released via membership.lions.com.au. The series begins with an emotive call to arms by Leppitsch – with the campaign to emphasise the links between Lions players and Lions members.
Watch the launch video here
CEO, Malcolm Holmes, said the involvement of Matthews and Murray alongside some of the Club’s biggest current stars was important in bringing “Believe. Belong” to life for members.
“Leigh Matthews and Kevin Murray are two of the biggest names in the history of our Club and I’d like to thank them for their support of the Brisbane Lions’ membership drive for 2014,” Holmes said.
“’Believe. Belong’ is about the connection between our members and the players and their support helps bring this to life.
“We believe that Leppa is absolutely the best man for the job.
“Our members and fans should ‘believe’ that this team under Leppa will be working as hard as they can in the off season to deliver the best possible results during the season proper.”
“Believe. Belong” was launched on the same day the entire squad departed for a gruelling training camp to Arizona, USA, under the watchful eye of Leppitsch.
The squad will be based in high-altitude in Arizona for almost three weeks as they look to get an edge over their rivals for the 2014 AFL Season.
Leppitsch said he was hoping more Lions’ members would get on board for the ride next year. The Lions had 24,155 members in 2013 – an increase of 16 percent from the previous year.
“The support I’ve received from members since my appointment has been amazing,” Leppitsch said.
“The team has got a long pre-season of hard work ahead of them and the players will be expected to show that same level of commitment.
“We hope our members will recognise that and jump on board and get behind the team in 2014.
“The support our members show really does make an impact both on and off the field we thank all of them for that.”
For 2014, Lions members will have a choice of who they want to feature on their membership card, with Adock, Hanley and Rich featuring, as well as a ‘vintage series’ comprising Murray, Alastair Lynch and Roger Merrett. A revamped and dedicated membership mini-site – membership.lions.com.au – will again make the purchase of memberships easy for Lions’ members.
The Lions’ open their season against Premiers Hawthorn in Tasmania before hosting Geelong in the first game for 2014 at the Gabba.
Easter Thursday action at the Gabba also returns in 2014, when the Lions host Richmond in Round 5, while the QClash against Gold Coast is scheduled for Rounds 3 (away) and 18 (home).
The Lions will also play their first-ever match for Premiership points when they face St Kilda in an ANZAC Day battle in Wellington, New Zealand, while the Club’s Victorian-based members will get to see their side play six times next year. The Lions will face Western Bulldogs, Richmond, Collingwood, North Melbourne, Melbourne and Geelong in Victoria in 2014.
Prices for Queensland memberships will remain the same for 2014.
Victorian memberships will increase as a result of the additional game in Melbourne – the Lions played four games in Melbourne in 2013, with a further game in Geelong.
