Having been drafted to the Essendon Football Club when based at Windy Hill, the ground will always have a place in my heart as an iconic suburban ground, steeped in history. I enjoyed training at the ground, particularly having the grandstand feel.

The recent move to the True Value Sola Centre has provided major advantages to players in terms of training and recovery facilities, but we must also consider the great advancement in terms of facilities for our staff and the broader community.

The club’s new Flight Deck room is one such example and a space in the club that I am really enjoying being able to utilise. The room is effectively a community classroom, designed to offer school groups, community members, players and staff a space to learn and discuss.

The room can be setup in a number of formats, and includes formal classroom style configuration, as well as a relaxed bean bag informal space.

The club’s youth and education partner Bendigo Bank – Strathmore has been a great supporter of the space and has provided investment to facilitate technology which includes an electronic whiteboard and a class-set of iPads.

The club’s community team tell me that they are now far better equipped to deliver our wide range of programs in this space, and we are already seeing multiple users and benefits.