Essendon Football Club has hit its first membership target for season 2011 - reaching 30,000 members before Christmas.

 

The lucky number 30,000 was 12 year-old Izaak Rathbone from Shepparton. Izaak signed up at this morning’s open training session at Windy Hill and was rewarded with an Essendon jumper signed by both players and coaching staff and presented by Senior Coach James Hird.

 

Izaak’s favourite Essendon moment before today was seeing David Zaharakis’ match winning goal in the 2009 ANZAC Day Clash against Collingwood, but in a day he will never forget, Izaak now has a new Bomber memory to top his list -  meeting James Hird and also his favourite player, Jobe Watson.

 

The entire Rathbone family including his dad, two younger brothers and grandma travelled from Shepparton to attend the special Christmas open training session and they weren’t disappointed.

Coach James Hird said he was pleased to see Essendon fans uniting and encouraged unsigned supporters to join and stand as one.

 

""It's obviously a very exciting time for our proud club and it's great to see so many Essendon supporters signing up to be a part of it,"" Hird said.

 

""The hard work has only just begun and we need all our supporters from around the country to stand as one with the team, coaches, board and staff by signing up as members in 2011 and playing their part in helping to take this club back to where it belongs.""

 

Essendon is 7000 members up on this time last year and has set a target of 50,000 members and beyond for 2011.
 
Get behind the Bombers in 2011 as we STAND AS ONE - Proud. United. Excited. Click here to buy your membership today.