In March 2020, the world was plunged into chaos as the COVID-19 Pandemic took hold.

With the AFL season brought to an abrupt halt just days after Round 1, the Melbourne Football Club, like many other organisations, faced significant financial uncertainty.

In response, the Club launched the ‘Proud to Belong, Proud to Give’ campaign in a bid to raise $1million+ to help combat the significant financial issues caused by COVID-19.

Through a combination of initiatives including donation campaigns, an auction and, most notably, a limited edition guernsey that featured the names of all donors and worn on-field by the AFL team, Melbourne was able to secure its future and remain an unassisted AFL club, largely due to the generous contributions of its loyal supporters.