Club Mgmt. Board of Directors as led by President Dave Barham - Statement from Barham addressing Merrett etc - 12/9

[Lore]

Spoiler: Timeline of events

• 15/8: President, Paul Brasher resigns, replaced by Dave Barham who foreshadows external review
  • Votes for Brasher: Peter Allen, Simon Madden, Sean Wellman
    Sean Wellman

    Age

    51

    Ht

    193cm

    Wt

    90kg

    Pos.

    Def

    Career

    Season

    Last 5

    D

    14.1

    4star

    K

    9.7

    4star

    HB

    4.5

    3star

    M

    4.5

    4star

    T

    1.0

    3star

    No current season stats available

    D

    8.0

    2star

    K

    4.4

    2star

    HB

    3.6

    3star

    M

    2.6

    3star

    T

    0.8

    3star

  • Votes for Barham: Andrew Muir, Dorothy Hisgrove, Melissa Green, Kate O’Sullivan, Kevin Sheedy
• 21/8: Senior Coach, Ben Rutten
  Ben Rutten

  Age

  42

  Ht

  190cm

  Wt

  98kg

  Pos.

  Def

  Career

  Season

  Last 5

  D

  13.4

  3star

  K

  6.3

  2star

  HB

  7.0

  4star

  M

  5.3

  5star

  T

  1.3

  3star

  No current season stats available

  D

  10.6

  3star

  K

  6.2

  3star

  HB

  4.4

  4star

  M

  3.6

  4star

  T

  1.0

  3star

  sacked
• 24/8: CEO, Xavier Campbell resigns
• 24/8: Directors to resign
  • Paul Brasher, immediately
  • Simon Madden, immediately
  • Sean Wellman, after new football director is appointed
  • Peter Allen, after AGM & finance portfolio handover in December
• 26/8: Details of coaching selection committee appointment
  • Sub-committee of 6: Josh Mahoney
    Josh Mahoney

    Age

    48

    Ht

    180cm

    Wt

    83kg

    Pos.

    Fwd

    Career

    Season

    Last 5

    D

    11.3

    3star

    K

    6.8

    3star

    HB

    4.5

    3star

    M

    3.5

    4star

    T

    1.6

    4star

    G

    0.9

    4star

    No current season stats available

    D

    9.2

    3star

    K

    5.4

    2star

    HB

    3.8

    3star

    M

    2.2

    3star

    T

    1.6

    4star

    G

    0.4

    3star

    (Chair, GM-Footy), Robert Walls, Jordan Lewis
    Jordan Lewis

    Age

    39

    Ht

    186cm

    Wt

    86kg

    Pos.

    D/M

    Career

    Season

    Last 5

    D

    23.5

    5star

    K

    12.1

    4star

    HB

    11.5

    5star

    M

    5.5

    5star

    T

    2.7

    4star

    MG

    310.5

    4star

    No current season stats available

    D

    15.0

    4star

    K

    6.8

    3star

    HB

    8.2

    5star

    M

    4.8

    5star

    T

    2.8

    5star

    , Simone McKinnis OAM, Andrew Thorburn and Dorothy Hisgrove (board member).
• 26/8: Details of external review process
  • Ernst & Young to coordinate with support from Andrew Thorburn, working closely with Nick Ryan (Acting CEO) & Dorothy Hisgrove (board member)
  • Focusing on four areas: (1) Board effectiveness & composition, (2) a review of leadership, operations and culture including the footy department, (3) the senior coach appointment and (4) the new CEO appointment.
• 26/9: Andrew Welsh appointed to the board of directors, replacing Simon Madden
• 29/9: Brad Scott appointed as Senior Coach
• 30/9: Kevin Sheedy claims decision to appoint Brad Scott was 6-1 against him
• 3/10: Andrew Thorburn appointed as CEO - alternative link
• 3/10: “External review to be handed to the board next week”: Andrew Thorburn, Crichton Medal Address
• 4/10: Andrew Thorburn resigns as CEO
• 11/10: External review preliminary findings
• 24/10: External review preliminary findings II
• 2/11: Dan McPherson appointed as General Manager of Performance & Cam Roberts as Head of Development
• 11/11: Dean Rioli appointed to the board of directors, replacing Paul Brasher
• 14/11: Tim Roberts & David Wills appointed to the board of directors, replacing Sean Wellman and Paul Allen respectively
• 28/11: Dorothy Hisgrove announced as first female vice-president (at the Essendon Women's Best and Fairest night)
• 1/12: Craig Vozzo appointed as CEO
• 13/12: Board director election results: Andrew Welsh and Andrew Muir elected
• 15/5: The club's First Nations Advisory Council established, to be led by Dean Rioli (chair, Indigenous board member), and including: Leanne Brooke (EFC EGM – Community & The Long Walk. Essendon FC), Dorothy Hisgrove (EFC VP and National Manager Partner KPMG), Kane Ellis (CEO of Illawarra Aboriginal Medical Service), John Evans (Pro Vice-Chancellor Indigenous Engagement at Swinburne) and Che Cockatoo-Collins (EM, Indigenous Affairs NBN, EFC Past Player)
• 16/5: Board of Directors declare support for the First Nations Voice to Parliament, after consultation with the new First Nations Advisory Council
• 28/8: EGM - Football, Josh Mahoney has accepted a role as GM Football Operations at the AFL
• 10/10: GM - Performance Daniel McPherson, and Head of AFLW/AFL Operations Manager Aysha Ward have been elevated to the club executive as joint leaders of the club's football department, as GM-AFL and GM-AFLW respectively

 

[jdBombers3598]

Sheedy remaining on the Board is insanity.

He’s a fossil in terms of footy expertise and brings no administrative or commercial acumen. I am baffled as to who voted for him.

We have that many nuffies and absolute deadshits who would vote for him in a heartbeat every time and demand that Hird is reinstated as coach, president, CEO etc.

 

[jmoo wan]

We have that many nuffies and absolute deadshits who would vote for him in a heartbeat every time and demand that Hird is reinstated as coach, president, CEO etc.

to be fair, James Hird would be a very good CEO

 

[yodellinhank]

to be fair, James Hird would be a very good CEO

Bring him in

 

[fairbump_playon]

Alcohol is not a good analogy. You can buy it anywhere. Pokies need a venue and Essendon deliberately targets poorer suburbs to exploit. Socially irresponsible and quite pathetic

But just selling the licenses doesn’t move the poker machines

If we really wanna make a difference let’s keep the license and turn the machines off. We could put a big photo of Stephen Dank on each one to show punters the possible consequences of gambling.

 

[fairbump_playon]

Not too fussed about the club owning pokies (feel the pressure should be on the government to legislate against them) but jeez you’d think our club president would have enough media training not to score such an own goal

Just an extremely poorly run club through and through

Yep we’re looking at the small picture here

The government should ban pokies and limit the sports gambling ads that kids can be exposed to. No doubt.

Alcohol is pretty fkd. I say that as a life long heavy and now semi-moderate drinker with alcoholics littered through the family tree. Booze advertising will ultimately go the way of Benson & Hedges World Series Cricket.

Not sure the club is very much to blame for problems in Melton. Probably a bit, but also quite not as much as Dan Murphy’s.

You should be able to still drink and punt. It’s just about getting a healthier balance of visibility and availability.

This needs leadership at a much higher level than clubland.

Sure, I would like it if Essendon got out of pokies, but not as much as I would like the club being financially healthy and winning a flag.

 

[Happyskeret]

Have we solved the world’s problems yet?

 

[faible]

Have we solved the world’s problems yet?

No, not until Essendon wins a Premiership will the balance of the world be righted.

 

[Happyskeret]

No, not until Essendon wins a Premiership will the balance of the world be righted.

phffft

 

[PressureCooker]

No, not until Essendon wins a Premiership will the balance of the world be righted.

 

[HirdsTheWord]

I don't really disagree with much of that except I wouldn't call pokies having a punt. They are nothing but cash removal machines. People who want to have a real punt can do so without having to have absolute advertising saturation about it. Just like people can smoke and drink. We know it's there. We don't need to hear about it every 30 seconds.

I agree about the advertising. Stuff like that needs to be wound back for sure.

But banning stuff? nah, just needs better regulation.

 

[jdstorm]

Maybe as a direct comparison to the home life it's not but the cost to the economy from obesity is massive, not to mention the strain on the health system which inturn has costs

Remove all the vices from life and we are going to have very very boring lives. The far majority of people can have a punt responsibly and within their means, banning it just because a minority can't is stupid.

I'm not on board to ban anything. Regulation is better than banning IMO.

Pubs and Clubs should be made to adopt the same level regulation that Casinos have.

Man this series of posts is making me seriously mad/upset about how callously ignorant it is.

We can spend hours complaining about players in the best 22 who aren’t capable of playing AFL footy. (And normalise the idea that not every person is a good judge of their own ability/capability)

Yet as a society we enable those with influence and power to engage in predatory behaviour and then demonise the victims of this institutional harm as the problem.

But hey someone has to pay for the booze at Essendon board functions and it won’t be the board members themselves

 

[fairbump_playon]

Man this series of posts is making me seriously mad/upset about how callously ignorant it is.

We can spend hours complaining about players in the best 22 who aren’t capable of playing AFL footy. (And normalise the idea that not every person is a good judge of their own ability/capability)

Yet as a society we enable those with influence and power to engage in predatory behaviour and then demonise the victims of this institutional harm as the problem.

But hey someone has to pay for the booze at Essendon board functions and it won’t be the board members themselves

Do you even know how much Sheedy drinks? It’s not a cheap exercise

 

[yodellinhank]

Do you even know how much Sheedy drinks? It’s not a cheap exercise

So we make fun of alcoholism but pour our hearts out for problem gamblers, is that the state of play?

 

[fairbump_playon]

So we make fun of alcoholism but pour our hearts out for problem gamblers, is that the state of play?

Yep, you have to pick a side. I do quite like the problem gamblers but my dad went for the alcos so I grew up supporting them, and it’s too hard to shake it off now.

 

[windyhill]

Do you even know how much Sheedy drinks? It’s not a cheap exercise

Same guy who would absolutely annihilate any of his teammates at richmond if they came anywhere near him smelling of grog. Any of his players once he started coaching the same. Now he is a giant piss head, would turn up to training in his last years reeking of red.
Hypocrite.

 

[Lance Uppercut]

to be fair, James Hird would be a very good CEO

Based on what evidence? Running a very small chocolate import wholesale business?

 

[The Prosecutor]

Based on what evidence? Running a very small chocolate import wholesale business?

Red Sash for CEO!

 

[Lore]

Kinda curious what the clientele of the Melton club is actually like.

A lot of those places are like a family, the pensioners spend all their time there, breakfast lunch and dinner, know all the waitresses by name. Play the pokies in between meals I suppose.

 

[DERO]

to be fair, James Hird would be a very good CEO

Ha ha. They finally got you!

 

[fairbump_playon]

Based on what evidence? Running a very small chocolate import wholesale business?

Well we do have to replace pokies. Chocolate has the diabetes / obesity risk but is a step forward.

 

[tandino]

The military-industrial complex seems to be the going thing at the moment, maybe the club can leverage its IP for some of that sweet sweet cash.

 

[yodellinhank]

The military-industrial complex seems to be the going thing at the moment, maybe the club can leverage its IP for some of that sweet sweet cash.

And to think some peanuts wanted to drop the "bombers" moniker

 

[Lore]

most furniture is made from timber that probably isn't sustainable, and manmade fibres that are generally analogous to plastic and mostly ultimately derive from crude oil

the use of air conditioners contribute to rolling blackouts in summer, and they're made of plastic which is made from crude oil

fast food companies contribute to obesity problem & the cost of medicare in treating obesity related diseases, while the wrapping is often made out of (or coated in) plastic, which is made from crude oil

merchandise is fast fashion, man-made fabrics that are generally analogous to plastic and mostly derive from crude oil - and stitched together by people on near slave wages in sweatshops of the developing world, shipped across the globe with a massive carbon footprint and designed to be disposed of in the short term so that you buy it again, rinse and repeat.


ditto pretty much any large retailer with high profit margins.....


The club needs to think outside the box if it wants to be sustainable and humanitarian with good member services in the long term. Would like to see some discussion around what that could look like, say in 20-30 years (accounting for time in transition)

 

[Godzke]

most furniture is made from timber that probably isn't sustainable, and manmade fibres that are generally analogous to plastic and mostly ultimately derive from crude oil

the use of air conditioners contribute to rolling blackouts in summer, and they're made of plastic which is made from crude oil

fast food companies contribute to obesity problem & the cost of medicare in treating obesity related diseases, while the wrapping is often made out of (or coated in) plastic, which is made from crude oil

merchandise is fast fashion, man-made fabrics that are generally analogous to plastic and mostly derive from crude oil - and stitched together by people on near slave wages in sweatshops of the developing world, shipped across the globe with a massive carbon footprint and designed to be disposed of in the short term so that you buy it again, rinse and repeat.


ditto pretty much any large retailer with high profit margins.....


The club needs to think outside the box if it wants to be sustainable and humanitarian with good member services in the long term. Would like to see some discussion around what that could look like, say in 20-30 years (accounting for time in transition)

Most timber products are from PEFC or FSC certified plantations, so wouldn't worry too much about that.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

Apart from everything else, Sheedy turned 76 the other day.

All in all, it’s really not a great idea to have the elderly in a leadership role such as being on the board. The simple reality is that we lose cognition as we age. Of course Sheedy may be an exception and if he has useful input then one or more of the current board may very well seek his guidance or counsel. But max age limits to actually be on the board is probably not a bad idea.

It’s a huge problem elsewhere, not least in politics. The next US election may well be fought out by a 79yo and an 83yo. It’s not good.