Jim Stynes was a hero in the truest sense of the word. His personal achievements were many and he left an indelible imprint on the Melbourne Football Club that will last forever. He was and always will be a Demon hero.

Perhaps his proudest achievement for the Demons came in 2008, when he stood in front of a group of Melbourne supporters and called upon them to ‘save the club’.

That group would become known as the Foundation Heroes.

Stynes set the lofty goal of wiping 5 million dollars of club debt to begin the movement towards on and off field success.

Since that night, the Foundation Heroes have gone on to be the most successful supporter group in the AFL, with over 580 donors pledging a minimum of $5,000 each to support the future of the Club. A group of passionate Melbourne supporters, spurred on by Jim Stynes to continually stand by the club they love, the Foundation Heroes laid the foundation for our players and coaches to claim the ultimate success, with the achievement of an AFL premiership in 2021 and AFLW and VFL Premierships in 2022.

The Foundation Heroes program continues to actively grow in members and donations. Their contributions are vital in ensuring the Club can continue to invest in its high performance programs, facilities and people, to cultivate success, both on and off the field.