RELATED: Round one is on | AFLW: Finals this weekend

The following letter is from North chairman Ben Buckley to the club's members and supporters. 

As you’ve probably heard by now, the AFL will forge ahead and play games as planned from this week, in both the AFL and AFLW competitions.

It is welcome news that we are all systems go on a 17-game season in the AFL, and the continuation of the AFLW season – which will proceed directly to finals.

While we are all disappointed we can’t go to the footy, we acknowledge this is much bigger than football and we all need to do our part to return to normal as soon as possible.

We are fully confident in the decisions being made by the AFL, and we will continue to work with government, the relevant authorities and health experts to do whatever we can to keep our players, staff and supporters safe.

As the chairman of this great club, my focus is on all our people during these difficult times.

Hopefully some football games will provide some much needed joy and fun in all our lives – especially if we can secure a few wins starting this weekend.

Our girls will be aiming for their sixth win in a row in the AFLW, while the boys will ramp up preparations at main training tomorrow in readiness for their opening clash with St Kilda on Sunday at Marvel Stadium.

We are not immune to the challenges ahead and will need to unite but I know we will all come together and ensure our club comes out the other side in a strong position.

I am humbled and encouraged by news that in the last seven days, we’ve processed more than 200 memberships from some extremely generous supporters. I simply cannot express how thankful we are for this generosity and loyalty. It only goes to reaffirm that we have the best fans in the world.

In this time, there are obviously many questions that will still need answering, and we will endeavor to get all the information to you when we receive it. Our CEO, Ben Amarfio, is working tirelessly with his management team and the Board to navigate a way through this with as little disruption as possible.

However, we are cognisant of the fact we will all need to share the financial burden this virus has created. This will not doubt mean a collective tightening of belts around the league, but with your help, we will rise to the challenge and overcome it.

We will also focus on general health and well-being, and continue to work on putting together a program for our players that enables them to be in peak fitness and form.

Our club was built on resilience and an unshakeable desire to survive and succeed especially in the face of great adversity; right now we must unite and harness that famed Shinboner Spirit and come out ready to compete and win.

We cannot lose sight of the fact that our women’s team is in red-hot form, chasing its first premiership. We need to also get behind our men and Rhyce Shaw, and do everything we can to support them as they open their season.

To our amazing partners, members and supporters; I hope you and your loved ones are safe and remain healthy.

We will be in regular contact with you in the coming days and weeks, and we will be working to keep you updated, engaged and entertained.

So make sure you keep up to date via the website, official app and social media channels.

Kind regards,
Ben Buckley