Gillon McLachlan responds to calls for membership refunds

Gillon McLachlan says an overwhelming majority of footy fans have not asked for refunds on their AFL memberships due to the coronavirus crisis.

But the league’s chief executive said clubs would be more than willing to work through financial issues with their members.

“To be frank, a very small amount,” McLachlan said when asked by Neil Mitchell how many members had got their memberships refunded.

He said “clearly” some people would need to ask for their money back, given the current circumstances.

“But it’s been limited and we thank everyone for their support,” he said.

As for the state of the season, McLachlan remained optimistic about the AFL’s chances of completing the remaining 16 rounds and finals.

“Yeah, I do,” he said.

“I don’t want to sound naive, and we will be guided by what government says and I’ve said this repeatedly – our priority is the safety of our community and we’ll do our bit to make sure we all stay safe – that’s priority one, two and three.

“Football is so important to so many people and we need to make sure we come out the other side.

“If we can play, we will.”

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