The Western Bulldogs are proud to announce that member recongition program, First Bounce has officially been launched with the first two recipients being presented with their 2009 General Admission memberships.

First Bounce is a new initiative that aims give back to dedicated supporters and say thanks for all of their support. The First Bounce program is for those fans that are experiencing hardship in life or financial difficulty.

The Western Bulldogs recognise the importance AFL plays in many people’s lives, and are helping out the community by providing a program that will give fans the opportunity to get back in among the action of attending games.

The first recipients to be recognised for their long time support of the Western Bulldogs were dedicated fans Joe and Jane Baldacchino who have been proud supporters of the team for over 25 years.   Along with their two kids Krystal and Joshua the Baldacchino’s attend as many of the Bulldogs games as possible. Travelling interstate a number of times to Sydney, Adelaide, Perth and Brisbane shows just how much they enjoy watching their beloved Bulldogs.

The Baldacchino’s are fanatical Bulldogs fans and decked their hallway with a number of Bulldogs memorabilia; their whole house was a shrine to the Bulldogs without a room where you wouldn’t see red, white and blue. To show just how far they would go they had an air conditioner removed from their kitchen area and had the bulldog emblem put in the cut out on lead light.

Unfortunately the Baldacchino’s lost their home along with all their possessions including their much loved Western Bulldogs memorabilia in an accidental house fire in Sunshine. 

To ease the pain of this tragic event the club were able to donate to Joe and Jane a membership each that will allow access into all Western Bulldogs home games. This is only a small gesture but one in which we hope will put a smile back on the family’s faces.

As the first participants of this competition Joe and Jane were invited down to Whitten Oval where they were taken on a tour of the new Mission Elite Learning Centre. They then had the rare opportunity of watching the team train, where at the end they were greeted by some of their favourite stars with the likes of Brad Johnson, Mitch Hahn, Dale Morris and Adam Cooney just to name a few.

The Western Bulldogs are proud to announce that member recongition program, First Bounce has officially been launched with the first two recipients being presented with their 2009 General Admission memberships.  To nominate for the program, simply email communityprograms@westernbulldogs.com.au a one page description of your request.