Dear Hawks fans, 

Exciting things are happening at the Kennedy Community Centre, and we are thrilled to share our latest update with you. While it has been a little over two months since we celebrated the Turning of the First Sod Ceremony, construction is moving at a rapid pace and there has been lots happening at our new future home.

During that time, important piling work has been carried out (now approximately 70% complete) to set the base for the Harris Elite Training and Administration Facility (ETAF), as well as the Community & AFLW Pavilion. At the Harris ETAF, we are down to the last section of piles down the western end which will support the club’s future aquatics zone. Additionally, we have seen the installation of our oval’s drainage and irrigation systems where our men’s and women’s teams will train in future years. I am now really pleased to share that last Saturday, the first concrete slab was poured at the Harris ETAF (where the future 100 seat indoor theatre will be). Additionally, the very first vertical elements of the project are being erected, with columns being boxed up and poured. As you can see in the images included, this progress is very exciting– as quite literally, the foundations are being laid for our future home.

As I’m sure you are aware, the magnitude of the Kennedy Community Centre is enormous. It will be a game changer for our football club. It will ensure that we cement our status as a destination club in the AFL for both men’s and women’s players, whilst creating a long-term home for the entire Hawthorn family. We wanted to share just how important our KCC fundraising campaign is to ensure the successful delivery of our new home and allow us to thrive into the future. We are confident we can galvanise the entire brown and gold faithful to help preserve the club’s long-term prosperity through this critical capital raising campaign.  

A key component of our fundraising strategy was the creation of our special Kennedy Community Guernsey, which was launched just a few short weeks ago. This is a fantastic initiative and presents a rare opportunity for people to etch their names into Hawthorn history via a tax-deductible donation. Starting at $400, every donation will see your name ingrained on the famous brown and gold guernsey that will be worn by our players when they run out onto the MCG against Carlton in Round 22. Whether it’s your name, a loved one’s name, or in memory of someone special – the Kennedy Community Centre Guernsey will be the people’s guernsey, and seeing it come to life later in the year will be just so fantastic to see. There are still spots available, but this opportunity will close on Sunday 28 April, so CLICK HERE to secure yours now. 

All levels of donations, regardless of how big or small, are critical in setting our club up to flourish in its new home. If you would like to know more about how you can further contribute or have any questions about how you can come on board, please contact Rodney ‘Rocket’ Eade on rodneye@hawthornfc.com.au to arrange a meeting. With tax time fast approaching, there is no better time to donate! 

Step by step, we hope you are as excited as we are, as the Kennedy Community Centre comes closer to life each day. 

Andy Gowers 
Hawthorn President