I hope you and your loved ones remain safe and well, wherever you are.

As you will be aware, due largely to the recent upswing in positive COVID-19 cases in Victoria, the WA Government has today announced a delay to the move to Phase 5 on WA’s roadmap to relax COVID-19 restrictions, with us remaining at Phase 4 for a bit longer.

This is obviously disappointing for Western Australians, but we need to avoid taking backward steps with this virus; I’m sure things are very tough for Victorians who are in lockdown once again.

It means that matches at Optus Stadium will remain subject to the current limit of 50% capacity (30,000 people), and the round seven RAC Derby will be immediately impacted.

Although a Fremantle home fixture, it was intended that West Coast Eagles members would receive a priority to purchase tickets; this priority sale was halted minutes before it was due to commence, along with all other ticket sales for the RAC Derby.

Unfortunately, with the reduction in capacity now confirmed, there will be no priority sale possible for West Coast Eagles members. It isn’t clear yet whether there will be any general public tickets released for sale.

At the moment, the Premier has indicated that Phase 4 – and the 30,000 capacity limit – will be in place until at least August 1, and will no doubt impact our first home match back in Perth.

We are yet to receive any fixture information from the AFL for round eight – once we do, we’ll be in touch with members with WA match access in relation to ticketing processes. Naturally, with only 50 per cent capacity, and far more than 30,000 members with access entitlements, we will not have the ability to accommodate everyone; however, we will be doing our best to accommodate as many as we can.

While disappointing, this is where we find ourselves, given the unpredictable nature of COVID-19 and the potentially serious impacts of not getting our community response right.

Please keep a close eye on your emails over the next couple of weeks for more information regarding access to matches, and be patient with our Membership Team – the scope of work required to turn this around, and in very tight time frames, should not be underestimated!

In far more positive news, our players and staff will be heading home from the Queensland hub tomorrow night, following our round six match against the Adelaide Crows… hopefully with another win under our belts. As I outlined in my last email to you, all players, staff and families returning to Western Australia will be subject to strict protocols to ensure that they are quarantined from the broader community for the mandatory 14 days.

Despite the fact that it will be a little bit longer before you can cheer the Eagles on in person at Optus Stadium, I’m sure that you – like me – will still be loudly and proudly showing your support in front of the television screen. At the very least, our boys will be on home turf, ready to take on the rest of the season.

Thank you once again for your ongoing support – please stay safe, and maintain those good physical distancing and hygiene practices that have worked so well, so far; with a bit of luck (together with good planning) we will see full crowds back at Optus Stadium again soon.

Stay well, and go Eagles!