But the Purple Bombers' official graduation into the upper echelon of the Dons' support base is a big moment, particularly for a club which has long been influenced by corporate-based coteries such as the Essendonians and Diamond Dons. "We want to contribute financially, but we also want to help them become the most inclusive club in AFL," says president of the group Jason Tuazon-McCheyne. "It's about recognising that three to five per cent of our supporter base are not straight, and for them to be able to feel safe at the football." Tuazon-McCheyne, a lifelong Essendon supporter who has been going to watch the Bombers weekly since he was a child, feels safe now, he says. But not everyone is accorded the same respect. "Even last year, some of our gay women, at two different games, were harassed by other supporters, called dykes. They were two different couples, just quietly watching the game, and were abused. I've got a husband of 16 years, and a 10-year-old son who we want to be able to take to the footy. I just can't have that, it's ridiculous." Essendon, via the support of players like skipper Brendon Goddard, and now with the Purple Bombers' endorsement as a coterie group, feel the same. Which is why the Bombers and North Melbourne are teaming up for a series of initiatives at their round eight game at Etihad Stadium a few days before IDAHOT day (international day against homophobia and transphobia).

There will be a banner in support of the day, a guard of honour, and players will wear rainbow-coloured boot laces. Scoreboards will show the AFL Players' Association anti-homophobia video. Several days later, on the day itself, the group will host a major function. "The good thing about the ASAD/WADA period is that it has caused Essendon to ask what does it stand for," says Tuazon-McCheyne. "We have a million fans in Australia. We're a big club. Football is a meeting place for many of us. It's a community we're part of, and it needs to be a safe space for everyone." In a piece he penned for the recently-released book From The Outer, Tuazon-McCheyne says for 25 years he was "haunted" at the age of 16, hearing Essendon legend Simon Madden say his club was no place for people who were gay. The pair caught up not long ago. Madden couldn't remember the comment, but did say that definitely wasn't what he thought now. Madden will be a guest at the Purple Bombers' IDAHOT Day function. So will Goddard, who has a gay niece, and has been vocal in his support of the Purple Bombers, sometimes to his cost.

"When we launched, he got harassed on social media," says Tuazon-McCheyne. "One of the comments was along the lines of: 'Why are you supporting this group? Why do they need their own group?' And he said to them, 'they don't need their own group, we need it'. And I thought that was really powerful. He doesn't get why this is still an issue, either." At a club which has been forced to examine every aspect of not only its operations, but its philosophies, it no longer is. The Purple Bombers, unlike a lot of coterie groups, are not just for the well-heeled. Nor just for people of a particular sexual orientation. "We have three levels of membership, so people of any socio-economic level can join," says Tuazon-McCheyne. "Our goal is to have a membership of 150. About 30 of them are straight. Last year, we contributed $7000 to the club and this year, we want to double that." The Purple Bombers want to help Essendon achieve their 17th premiership. But, headed by Tuazon-McCheyne, they want to achieve something in many ways far more important. "We don't want to be just tolerated or accepted, we want to be included," he says. "Just like anyone else. I think there's acceptance, generally. Maybe at AFL level it's still at the tolerance stage. But we need to get to the stage of inclusion."