The banner was brought back by West Coast. Currently, a significant change is “considered and discussed.”
The West Coast Eagles are thinking of going back to their original club theme song, so the banner might not be the only significant return this season.
The Eagles announced over the weekend that they would be reintroducing the banner for home games in 2024, which means they will be doing away with the inflatable tunnel that players have been running through since the team’s 2018 move to Optus Stadium.
Don Pyke, the recent hire as West Coast CEO, has now hinted that the song might be the next major gameday alteration.
It follows a vocal online campaign by fans to return to the original version of “We’re Flying High,” as the show had been airing for the previous four seasons with a modified club song.
Pyke revealed in an interview with The West Australian that the club was “considering and discussing” playing its original song again.
The Eagles re-released the club song in 2020. Ian Berney, lead singer of Birds of Tokyo, wrote, composed, and produced it. Ian Kenny was recorded singing the melody. The song’s opening featured a didgeridoo and clapsticks, an AFL club song first, to honor West Coast’s Aboriginal and Indigenous communities. It also featured two new verses to complement the original chorus.
Following changes to the club’s logo and colors in 2017, a move to Optus Stadium in 2018, and a change of training bases in 2019, then-Eagles CEO Trevor Nisbett stated in 2020 that it was time to revisit the club song.
However, many Eagles supporters have only stated that they would like to see the club’s original theme song return after it was confirmed that the club would be returning to its original banner.
At the Eagles’ fan day over the weekend, Pyke declared the banner’s return and informed the crowd that it was done so in an effort to strengthen the club’s ties to the neighborhood.
After hearing the opinions of numerous members and supporters over the past few years, Pyke stated, “We see the banner as part of the culture and match day experience for fans and it’s coming back.”
“We envision additional chances to engage with our cheer squad and neighborhood associations, who will be employed to create and display the banner during game days and also contribute to its content.”
Club legend Nic Naitanui, who assisted in making the announcement, was crucial in the change, according to Pyke.
