Club Mgmt. Board of Directors as led by President Andrew Wealshy - Ted Richards joins the board

[bomberlegend2007]

I do laugh at the anger on here around the messaging, or lack there of, with the term rebuild.

Yet, it was only a year or so ago when Scotts taken out of context of a comment around an “8 year build” was so met with such anger from the same people that want the club to do a proper rebuild.

 

[Orfullrules]

My name is George. I'm unemployed and live with my parents.

Gday im Keith, u able to help me move some furniture?

 

[MiguelM]

When he was pushed by Hird on footy classified about next year he did not say finals or wins. He said with the new fitness guys the measure will be getting the players fit and playing good footy and we will see where we are. He said we could not implement anything this year because we simply had too many players out of the side at any one time. I think his comment earlier about quickly up the ladder was not meant to be an indicator for next season per say which is why he quickly threw in off the field as well and finding opportunities to improve all areas.

He has certainly doubled down with the Merret stuff. It could possibly blow up on him but my gut feel is it will be a situation where a deal will not get done as I suspect the Hawks certainly do not see his value / price in the same bracket we do. Should he say I guarantee 100% Merrett will be playing with us in round 1 next year. You could say not. Should have been more along the lines of we want Zach to be playing for us and he is a contracted player. No guarantee.

Do you think Petracca has shifted the Hawk focus?

In any case Hawks need a midfielder if they want to take the next step. Day cannot be counted on with the serious injuries he has had.

 

[ant555]

Do you think Petracca has shifted the Hawk focus?

In any case Hawks need a midfielder if they want to take the next step. Day cannot be counted on with the serious injuries he has had.

I would say the Hawks have tried to have two irons in the fire.

 

[Lore]

Here's a transcript of the interview on the club website. It's basically the same as Footy Classified, like it was a practice run but with sanitised questions.

Rehearsed AF, but not a bad effort by him to sound normal doing it.

Q: Well Welshy, congratulations on taking on the role of presidency. Obviously a familiar face for Essendon fans already, but can you speak to what compelled you to take on the role and really step into this during this time?

AW: Yeah, thanks. It's it's a real honour for me to be voted in as president of the Essendon Football Club, a place that really gave me an identity when I was younger and drafted to the club, it helped build lifelong friendships, connections, but also is part of who I am and how I go about my day to day life, my enjoyment getting back with the football club has been extremely enjoyable, although very challenging at times, and a lot of things to work through. Working through those items to get us to where we are now is a really stable club, a really strong club, really energises me and excites me for this next phase we're about to embark on.

Q: You mentioned those items. Can you speak a little bit to the long term vision for you as president of this football club, and what you sort of see as the key metrics in terms of establishing that foundation for us to be successful?

AW: Yeah, Dave's done such a fantastic job leading in the club over the last three years to really give us this stable platform that we're on. And I don't want people to feel being stable, you need to be safe. We need to continue to take risks now that we are stable, on and off field. So what are we looking at corporately? How are we looking at embracing our fans, our supporters, and really bringing them along the journey, which we've done so well so far, because they are the best in the country. You know, you hear our players talk about it every week and they really are. So that's really important. And I want to look from our football programs how we can continue to invest in those areas. We've got the best 1-2 combination in the high performance area with our men's program now and continue to invest more in our women's program, so we have the ability now to build off this foundation that's been led by David Barham, to really push quickly up the ladder on the field, but really up the ladder off the field by looking at new opportunities and taking more risks now that we're stable.

Q: And you offer a bit of a unique lens compared to some other club presidents in your playing career, but then also with the business career that you've established away from it. Can you speak about that unique perspective that you bring to the role now, and what you think you can expect to see from that?

AW: Yeah, like it was a big thing for me once I finished playing, to move away from football altogether. I really enjoyed my time in the media, working with Channel Seven and Triple M through that period. It gave me my football kick that I needed, but wasn't involved day to day with a football club. So through that period, I got to learn, you know, many different skills that now has placed me well, firstly as Vice President, and I think will as President from here moving forward. So when Dave approached me a few years back to come onto the board, I was unsure. The first 12 months were tough. But what that reminded me of is; I never lost my passion for the Essendon Football Club. I just forgot how good this football club is and how good the people are, how good the fans are, and how much you can enrich your family's life and your friend's life by being part of the Essendon Football Club. So I'm really focused on making sure that people are proud to play here, to work here and to follow this club.

Q: You mentioned that pride that you feel in the football club still, and how that never sort of went away for you in those last couple of years now, being on the board, director of football governance, how is that, in a way, sort of altered your perspective on the football club, and how do you sort of assess where we're at now based on that from your playing career?

AW: Yeah, I feel that the club is really balanced now in all areas of football club, on and off the field. There was some tough calls that needed to be made in the football department this year. And the high performance area. You can look at the positives: "We had 15 debutants", but you don't want to be in that position. A number of rising stars. Another positive, but we don't want to be in that position. So we've fixed that. We think that area on field for the men's program is going to be enormously successful. The players are feeling energised by those appointments now, so really comfortable with what we've got in position there, and we're continuing to go and talk to really good people, really successful professional people, both on and off the field, around joining our club in different roles.

Q: The key touch point, from our board perspective down all the way through to the club in the last few years has been building for the long term. You mentioned that balance that we have as football club now, how do you balance that sort of shift for long term success with, I suppose, some of the impatience around wanting that short term hit and wanting to have that success now?

AW: Yeah, and I think that's the exciting opportunity where we are now, with the foundation and stability that we have, we can start really building on that. I feel the fans frustrations and want of success. I'm an Essendon supporter. You know, I go home every day after a game, and the kids deeply concerned around us not winning football games. So you know, we are doing everything that we possibly can and will continue to take risks to make sure that we are sitting ahead of the foundations that have been laid to make sure that we are ready to go when our opportunity comes, on-field with the list that we're building, but also off-field how we're looking at other areas to continue to challenge each other to make this club great again.

Q: And there's probably is that feeling of disgruntlement around some long term supporters of the football club, just based on the challenging times that we've been in over the last decade or so. What are your plans in terms of reigniting that passion within the fan base, and I suppose even speaking to your relationship with them directly as well?

AW: Yeah, I really enjoy the engagement with the fans. Thankfully, I've been involved with the club for 25 years now, as a player, then as purely a supporter and member. life member, and more recently, as the board and now as president. So I enjoyed those engagements with the fans. They're very honest, they're very proud, they're very passionate, but most of them also been part of the times when this club had been really successful on-field, and they felt what this club means to them at those points in time, and that's what we want to be getting back, is that on-field success which ultimately enriches everyone's life. And you know, people proud to say who they barrack for, and that's the Essendon Football Club.

Q: And you've touched on this year and how you sort of viewed it holistically. Can you also touch on a little bit your relationship with the football department, in particular, figures like Brad Scott, Natalie Wood, people who are around and how that sort of evolved over the course of the last couple of years.

AW: Yeah. So as chair of football governance, we catch up regularly with Nat and Brad and Dan MacPherson, Craig Vozzo, Dave Barham and Dean Solomon

Dean Solomon

Age

45

Ht

189cm

Wt

102kg

Pos.

M/F

Career

Season

Last 5

D

14.8

4star

K

9.4

4star

HB

5.5

4star

M

3.9

4star

T

3.7

5star

No current season stats available

D

17.6

5star

K

13.4

5star

HB

4.2

4star

M

6.2

5star

T

2.8

5star

. So Aysha Ward's also part of that. So we have deep conversations around the governance of the football department areas and areas we need to be monitoring, areas they need more support in, and both of those are fantastic coaches, Nat's doing a great job with our W program, and Brad, in the face of adversity, with implementing football program, but not really having the players this year due to injury, to actually implement that, the way he's gone about it has been outstanding. And he continues to have our full support of the board, of myself, Dean Solomon

Dean Solomon

Age

45

Ht

189cm

Wt

102kg

Pos.

M/F

Career

Season

Last 5

D

14.8

4star

K

9.4

4star

HB

5.5

4star

M

3.9

4star

T

3.7

5star

No current season stats available

D

17.6

5star

K

13.4

5star

HB

4.2

4star

M

6.2

5star

T

2.8

5star

, the other past player on the board, because Brad has done such a fantastic job so far, and we're going to continue to support him to make sure that he's getting that support now we need and and The players are on the field or on the training paddock that gives him the ability to actually deliver on his football outcomes.

Q: And you step into the role at a pretty intriguing time for our football club in terms of the external pressure that sort of been coming on in recent weeks. Can you maybe speak to the Zach Merrett situation and how it sort of unfolded from your lens?

AW: Zach's a champion of our club. He's a great guy, he's an Essendon person, and we have spoken publicly and continue, Zach's a required player. He's contracted to the club, so we won't be entertaining any trade for Zach. And at the core of it, I think Zach is such a fantastic Essendon person that I'm confident come pre-season, that he's going to add significant value through these recent experiences for the group.

Q: And as a final one, if there's anything that you'd like to say to Essendon supporters that you haven't already touched on, or anything that's been sort of pressing, something you really wanted to, you know, spill out for them. What would that be?

AW: Oh, I'm really excited, really energised. I will go back to we've got a great foundation that's been led by David Barham to get us to this point. We are not going backwards from here. We now have the opportunity to accelerate forward, both on and off the field, and the transition process that's been put in place for a number of months now, for Dave to feel when that time was right, which he has felt now, is a good opportunity for us as a club to galvanise internally; to ask for our members and supporters, past players, corporates, to galvanise externally. Because the Bomber Army, when we're together, we're formidable, and we'll get places quicker when we're together and stable. And I'm really looking forward to Leading that.

https://www.essendonfc.com.au/video/1901986/meet-the-new-president-andrew-welsh?videoId=1901986&modal=true&type=video&publishFrom=1758600081001

 

[jdBombers3598]

Did anyone watch the midweek tackle? he's left the door open for past essendon people to come back, mentioned Duds

 

[ant555]

Did anyone watch the midweek tackle? he's left the door open for past essendon people to come back, mentioned Duds

Lets get the context right. Not back to the club as far as employment goes. Back to the club as far as being at functions and games and in the fold with more unified front. Dodoro is not coming back to the football department.

 

[yodellinhank]

Lets get the context right. Not back to the club as far as employment goes. Back to the club as far as being at functions and games and in the fold with more unified front. Dodoro is not coming back to the football department.

Yeah, board members shouldn't be involved in the football department for mine.

 

[jdBombers3598]

Lets get the context right. Not back to the club as far as employment goes. Back to the club as far as being at functions and games and in the fold with more unified front. Dodoro is not coming back to the football department.

not good enough , This scumbag should be barred from the club for life.

 

[Lore]

Did anyone watch the midweek tackle? he's left the door open for past essendon people to come back, mentioned Duds

He's said it a few times. The footy classified version seemed to describe James Hird (who was sitting next to him at the time):

Eddie: Welshy, you played in the last Essendon finals win. It seems to me as an outsider that the club's been riven by factions ever since basically that last game. It's so important for you now to actually forgive on behalf of Essendon so many good people who have been driven away. There's always mistakes in football clubs and you'll lose a lot of good people for the wrong reasons sometimes and you inherit a lot of people who are no good for the same reasons. What are you going to do to try and bring the Essendon family back together?

Welsh: Yeah, it is listening Ed, and I get disappointed and I get sad in many ways of some of people that have been involved with the club for a long period of time, how they're treated, and haven't had the ability to move on with their lives. It impacts them, it impacts their families. I want to see that change. I want to bring people who may have not left the football club in best terms, be embraced by the football club, feel welcome back at the football club. Because, as you said, times change, things move on, and this can be a real galvanising moment, is what I'm putting it to, for our football club, for our past players, to get them in, being part of the solution and not the problem. Making sure that our members and supporters are seeing the vision and what we're looking to achieve on-field, and bringing them along for the journey off-field as well.

You also have blokes like RoCo and Robert Shaw that want to help and have repeatedly and publicly said they don't feel like the club wants them to.


Jack Jones used to volunteer to show people around the memorabilia at the club. They can help without getting in the way of the footy department, if you set your mind to it.

 

[Lore]

I also wonder how that email goes down particularly with the past players that have a media presence... your Tim Watsons and Matthew Lloyds and James Hirds come to mind. All have said things that would seem to run counter to things that serve the club (conflict of interest).

 

[Lore]

Spoiler: Tweet doesn’t embed fully

 

[Keystone agony]

Its all so fishy this aint it

 

[thebigboy]

I also wonder how that email goes down particularly with the past players that have a media presence... your Tim Watsons and Matthew Lloyds and James Hirds come to mind. All have said things that would seem to run counter to things that serve the club (conflict of interest).

I think there’s a greater chance of it having cut through because it’s come from a past player rather than another businessman on the board.

Hird seemed to support it on Footy Classified which is good, haven’t heard reports from Watson and Lloyd, but I doubt they’d be critical of the message.

Again though, it’s great to publicly back it within 24-48 hours of it coming out, but the test of this will be when we hit adversity in-season. That’s when I’ll fully trust that the message has cut through

 

[Old Campaigner]

View attachment 2436884

Spoiler: Tweet doesn’t embed fully

All this because a bunch of washed up old boomers are pissy that Hird was not appointed coach and dododo got sacked?

 

[Doss]

All this because a bunch of washed up old boomers are pissy that Hird was not appointed coach and dododo got sacked?

I can at least understand the magnetic pull of Hird (yes, saga aside etc) for some, but how the hell would Dodoro have any semblance of a rusted-on following?

What did he ever do to get that? It honestly boggles the mind.

 

[ant555]

I can at least understand the magnetic pull of Hird (yes, saga aside etc) for some, but how the hell would Dodoro have any semblance of a rusted-on following?

What did he ever do to get that? It honestly boggles the mind.

He has plenty of followers within the coterie groups who think he would have had a GF side if the saga did not interrupt things.

 

[Doss]

He has plenty of followers within the coterie groups who think he would have had a GF side if the saga did not interrupt things.

Those people should be preserved. A tribute to the vagaries of the human mind.

 

[Lore]

I can at least understand the magnetic pull of Hird (yes, saga aside etc) for some, but how the hell would Dodoro have any semblance of a rusted-on following?

What did he ever do to get that? It honestly boggles the mind.

He would’ve been there when we drafted each player of the last 30 odd years, been the one to tell them we were making their dream come true. He was also the wellbeing guy at the club when list wasn’t a full time gig yet, would’ve been around a lot of players in that time.

The older blokes only through coteries and functions though I suppose.

 

[Nicholas61]

I can at least understand the magnetic pull of Hird (yes, saga aside etc) for some, but how the hell would Dodoro have any semblance of a rusted-on following?

What did he ever do to get that?

His burner accounts

 

[CBombers17]

Crazy nobody thought to bring in multiple a graders till now

 

[windyhill]

The circus just gets circusier.
It all leads to " let's get the golden boy back"
****ing pathetic.

 

[srobbo]

Like seriously, you can argue his methods, you can argue he's past the times and all, but if you honestly think he's a **** coach given his record before us, then you're not just wrong, you're idiotically wrong.

Idiotically wrong? He destroyed North & had an unbelievable 35% win rate over his last 4 years there, showcasing his ability to rebuild a club.

We show no semblance of a game plan, & still can’t defend or remotely indicate that it’s a priority, but sure please outline how he’s not a shit coach??

 

[Lore]

Idiotically wrong? He destroyed North & had an unbelievable 35% win rate over his last 4 years there, showcasing his ability to rebuild a club.

We show no semblance of a game plan, & still can’t defend or remotely indicate that it’s a priority, but sure please outline how he’s not a shit coach??

35% win rate after… starting a proper rebuild? Like with all the young kids learning their craft and trying to get good picks by trading or retiring your senior players? That’s kind of what you expect in that situation, the goal is not to win that many games.

 

[nipst@r]

He would’ve been there when we drafted each player of the last 30 odd years, been the one to tell them we were making their dream come true. He was also the wellbeing guy at the club when list wasn’t a full time gig yet, would’ve been around a lot of players in that time.

The older blokes only through coteries and functions though I suppose.

Good at the parts of his job with the least correlation to on field success and poor at the most important aspects of his role.

Also we likely would have won a final without the saga but a successful era is delusional.

We should also be blaming key decision makers at the time for the actual saga and appointment of a coach with no expieriemce and surrounded by yes men.

Stuff all those who appointed hird initially. What could go wrong?

Honestly what expierience did hird have that translates into a successful senior coaching role in the afl era.

U14 coach?
A decorated playing career?

Should have and still should be told get some assistant coaching experience expierience? Or some senior coaching expeirience at a lower level level