Dear Members,
I hope this message finds you well, and that, like me, you’re looking forward to some positive results this weekend to help secure our AFLW team’s place in the finals. After a challenging start, our women’s team has shown tremendous resilience, emerging as one of the form sides in the competition as they prepare for Saturday’s clash against Collingwood. Let’s rally behind them and hope to see them in finals footy this November.
As President of the Melbourne Football Club, I want to be up front with you. We know that 2024 was a tough year, both on and off the field. We faced some big challenges, and we recognise that certain off-field issues caused disruptions. We admit that some situations could have been managed better, and we're committed to learning from these experiences to handle the inevitable challenges more effectively in the future.
Yesterday was a significant day for our club. While the focus was, deservedly, on acknowledging retiring CEO Gary Pert’s contributions, the announcement of Steven Smith’s commitment to stand up and support the club, the Board, and myself was equally important. The Board and I have been working hard to bring Steven into a position where he can contribute, and we look forward to the potential of him joining us in driving the club forward.
As I’ve mentioned in previous communications, we have some important updates regarding both the AFL Football and Board reviews and at the bottom of this letter you will find details regarding Call for Nominations ahead of our Annual General Meeting.
AFL Football Review
The purpose of the review was to identify opportunities for the AFL Football program to return to finals in 2025. Over the past four years, the AFL program has achieved significant milestones, including a drought-breaking premiership in 2021, three consecutive top four finishes, and the inaugural McClelland Trophy (in conjunction with the success of our AFLW team). We entered 2024 with the expectation of playing finals, and not doing so was incredibly disappointing for our members, players, staff, and everyone associated with the Club. We understand that this competition demands continual improvement, and we are committed to doing the work in every aspect of our football program.
This review involved over 40 interviews with players, coaches, football department staff, and external industry experts. Ex-All Blacks Manager Darren Shand, Gary Pert, and I conducted these interviews and meetings to gather comprehensive feedback.
Darren Shand then used the interview findings to lead a series of workshops and collaborative meetings with on-field and off-field leaders, including Max Gawn and Jack Viney, to establish key priorities for improving our program in 2025.
While much of the review’s details must remain confidential to maintain a competitive edge, we felt it was important to share the high-level findings and priorities with our members.
Key Findings:
- Our Playing List: The review identified strong confidence within the playing group and football staff that we can play finals next season. We have a very strong core group of players, but fast-tracking the development of our talented young players will be essential.
Throughout the pre-season and into the season, we will prioritise and dedicate additional time in our schedule for coaches to focus on developing our first to third year players, ensuring their growth and progression remain a top priority.
Members may have noted our commitment during the trade period to secure an additional top 10 selection ensuring we have two early picks in this year’s draft. This aligns with our decision to continue bringing in high-end young talent to complement our core group and return to AFL finals next year.
- Staff and Structure: The review confirmed the strength of our football program’s leadership and staff, while identifying an opportunity to refresh energy and leadership within the Assistant Coaching group supporting Senior Coach Simon Goodwin. The review also reinforced the importance of our midfield as a critical driver of success, prompting us to create two dedicated midfield coaching roles as detailed below:
- Troy Chaplin will transition from managing defence to overseeing our forward line and team offence. Troy has successfully built one of the league’s highest-performing defensive units while nurturing emerging talent. The review recognised our highly talented young emerging key forwards, as well as our dangerous mid and small forwards. Troy's focus will be on developing cohesive structures and disciplines within our forward line.
- Nathan Jones joins us as a midfield coach focusing on stoppages. Known for his football intelligence and drive for success, Nathan is highly respected by the playing group. His recent playing experience brings fresh perspectives to the role which the review identified as an opportunity for improvement.
- Sam Radford will work alongside Nathan as midfield coach. Together, they aim to maximise our current midfield group’s strengths while integrating new talent in the midfield mix.
- Nathan Bassett joins the club and will lead our backline and team defence. With a wealth of experience, including a decade in coaching roles with Essendon and Port Adelaide and most recently at Norwood in the SANFL, Nathan’s fresh outlook will greatly benefit our program.
- High-Performance Environment:
The review highlighted the importance of empowering the player leadership group to play a greater role in shaping and sustaining our High-Performance environment, setting clear expectations and driving performance outcomes. This includes preparing our next generation of leaders through education and development.
To support this, we have engaged an external leadership expert to implement a club-wide program with a dedicated focus on our player leadership group, set to commence when players return for pre-season training.
In addition, Darren Shand will mentor both our on-field and off-field leaders, as we implement the various initiatives that resulted from the review.
- Game Style:
The review emphasised the need to refine our method of play, focusing on all facets of the game— with the ball, without the ball and in the contest. During the pre-season, our coaches will work on evolving our game style to maximise the strengths of our playing group, aiming for a style that not only propels us back into the finals but withstands the pressures of finals football. As a competitive measure, specific details of our game style remain confidential.
While the review has highlighted areas for improvement, it also reaffirms that we are well-positioned to turn challenges into opportunities. With strong foundations in place and a clear path forward, we are committed to driving the Melbourne Football Club back to success in 2025.
Board Review
In tandem with the football review, the Board initiated an external governance review in September, conducted by governance and culture expert Megan Dwyer. This review assessed our structure, practices and composition to identify areas for alignment with best practice and our strategic goals.
Key Outcomes:
- Commitment to Improvement
While the review acknowledged our commitment to improvement, it also identified areas where further changes would support our objectives. The Board is committed to embracing these recommendations and will continue evolving our practices as we implement them.
- New Committees
As part of our strategy to meet member expectations and bolster on-field success, we will establish two new committees: a High-Performance Committee and a Member Engagement Committee. These committees will bring in additional expertise to strengthen our approach in these areas.
- Governance Working Group
To maintain focus on continuous improvement, a Governance Working Group, chaired by Director Sally Freeman, has been established. This group will guide the implementation of review recommendations.
- Strengthening Board Skills and Experience
The review’s skills matrix analysis supports and expands on the Board’s objective to recruit highly skilled and experienced individuals who can support our strategic objectives and foster a culture of TRUE (Trust, Respect, Unity, Excellence).
In closing, I want to extend my gratitude to all who contributed to these reviews. We acknowledge the honest feedback from our players, coaches and staff, which will be invaluable as we strive to improve. Most importantly, we thank you—our members and supporters—for your unwavering trust and passion.
As we enter the Call for Nominations period, members can nominate for a Board position. As mentioned yesterday, Chris Barlow will be nominating alongside Steven Smith, while incumbents Sally Freeman and Dr. Angela Williams will stand for re-election.
Our path forward relies on collective effort. With the reviews complete, our players and coaches are ready to put in the work needed to return to the finals in 2025 and we ask that they feel the support and energy from you, the Demon faithful, as we prepare for the 2025 season.
Thank you once again, and as always—Go Demons!
Brad Green
President
Melbourne Football Club
Call for Nominations - Melbourne Football Club Ltd Board
Nominations open 1 November 2024 and close 16 November 2024
Effective from Friday 1 November 2024, nominations are open for election to the Melbourne Football Club Ltd Board.
There are four board vacancies arising at the election.
To be eligible for nomination for election to the Melbourne Football Club Ltd Board, you must meet a number of requirements, including being a 2024 MFC Voting Member. A Voting Member is an Ordinary Member, Life Member, MCC/MFC Member or an AFL/MFC Member of MFC Ltd.
Each candidate must be nominated by twenty Voting Members. The twenty nominating Voting Members and the candidate must complete and sign an online nomination form which can be obtained by contacting the Company Secretary/Returning Officer via email at returningofficer@melbournefc.com.au or by clicking here.
In order to be valid, applications must be submitted by 5pm on Saturday, 16 November 2024.
It is proposed to hold the Melbourne Football Club Ltd 2024 Annual General Meeting on Tuesday 17 December 2024.
