Essendon Football Club has passed another membership milestone with more than 40,000 members already signed up to Don the Sash for the 2017 season.

It’s the first time in the Club’s history that 40,000 members have signed up prior to Christmas.

CEO, Xavier Campbell, thanked the members for being part of the comeback story.

“To have 40,000 members signed up in the first week of December is testament to loyalty of our members and highlights the optimism surrounding the Club heading into season 2017,” Campbell said.

“Our goal was to reach 40,000 members by Christmas, so to reach this milestone in the first week of December is fantastic.

“Given the current momentum, we now appear on track to have 45,000 members signed up by Christmas, which would be a fantastic outcome.

“2017 is an important chapter in our Club’s comeback story, and we’re extremely pleased to see so many members are on board, and we remain confident we can surpass our all time membership record (61,317) in the new-year.”

The Club’s official membership tally currently stands at 40,094 compared to 31,432 at the same time last year.

To be part of Our Comeback Story, click here.