Club Mgmt. Board of Directors as led by President Dave Barham

[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

    50

    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

  41

  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

    47

    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

    38

    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

 

[Old Campaigner]

Fk the board, get better players!

We’ve got good players, they just need a board who will tell them to play four quarters and that they need to be feared by the opposition.

Many clubs are doing this

 

[dank420_]

And the Scales votes gave credibility to my answer.

You PM'd everyone begging them to vote for you.

Maybe Weston should have taken some tips.

 

[Squeaky]

We’ve got good players, they just need a board who will tell them to play four quarters and that they need to be feared by the opposition.

Many clubs are doing this

Don't forget shouting at the boys as they finish their 2km time trial to "breast the tape!"

 

[boncer34]

You PM'd everyone begging them to vote for you.

Maybe Weston should have taken some tips.

Didnt you get his PM on X?

 

[Pweter]

Don't forget shouting at the boys as they finish their 2km time trial to "breast the tape!"

I'm inspired. Man, we really missed a trick here.

 

[justlookingaround]

65% of people knocked back a statement in the constitution acknowledging the harm of pokies revenue.
I can't help but feel that will embolden the club to drag its heels in divesting from the pokies, knowing there isn't all that much supporter pressure.

 

[Rick Ross]

I too had concerns about Solly. I have gone back and listened to this interview, he's pretty genuine, good character, and I would be surprised and really disappointed if he turned out to be a snake in a suit.

Good prompt. Just had a relisten too.

My key take aways:

Board alignment

• Andrew Walsh is a “great mate” emphasised repeatedly
• Supportive of current board
• calls himself “independent”
• Cultural focus
• Works as a collaborator

Agenda

• Aligned to board’s “No sugar hits” repeated a few times
• Plan strategically
• More transparency on where we are at, what we are doing about it

For what’s it worth… I think transparency is deeply lacking. Read BF, it’s the key frustration. Listen to Barham, it’s lacking. Listen to coach… it’s limited. If all Solly does is bring that to us supporters, he’ll have done well.

Sometimes those big egos like Barham (who I 100% support) need some diversity in opinion rather than the usual “yes man” responses they typically get. Hopefully Solly is this.




—————
Additional guff:

• Experienced & complimentary to board
• Love club
• Have time
• Has kids
• Involved in football up north
• Does nameless business stuff
• Wants to make EFC great again “great club like Sydney, Storm, Geelong” - obviously no detail on what change that requires…

 

[jmoo wan]

65% of people knocked back a statement in the constitution acknowledging the harm of pokies revenue.
I can't help but feel that will embolden the club to drag its heels in divesting from the pokies, knowing there isn't all that much supporter pressure.

i think the fact 35% of people (many of whom also voted for Solly and Knucklehead) voted in favour after being told not to by the club board is very encouraging and probably sends a message… whether that message is heard or not is a difference kettle of pokies

 

[Sleepwalker]

I need more conspiracy theories involving Solomon/Sheedy/Dodoro/Hird. Trojan horse Shirley?

I fear it's going to get boring for all.

 

[Don Won]

Good prompt. Just had a relisten too.

My key take aways:

Board alignment

• Andrew Walsh is a “great mate” emphasised repeatedly
• Supportive of current board
• calls himself “independent”
• Cultural focus
• Works as a collaborator

Agenda

• Aligned to board’s “No sugar hits” repeated a few times
• Plan strategically
• More transparency on where we are at, what we are doing about it

For what’s it worth… I think transparency is deeply lacking. Read BF, it’s the key frustration. Listen to Barham, it’s lacking. Listen to coach… it’s limited. If all Solly does is bring that to us supporters, he’ll have done well.

Sometimes those big egos like Barham (who I 100% support) need some diversity in opinion rather than the usual “yes man” responses they typically get. Hopefully Solly is this.




—————
Additional guff:

• Experienced & complimentary to board
• Love club
• Have time
• Has kids
• Involved in football up north
• Does nameless business stuff
• Wants to make EFC great again “great club like Sydney, Storm, Geelong” - obviously no detail on what change that requires…

Mel green was great at transparency. I’d get great goss during the board spill via her husband

 

[TheGreatBarryB]

We don't have the balls to cut ties

This masthead (The Age) reported in November that Sheedy was paid the overwhelming majority of $150,000 in ambassadorial payments in 2024 while he was a club director.

Sheedy will maintain a role at Essendon in 2025 – as a paid ambassador dealing with coteries, past players, and influential sponsors, a position he occupied before his appointment to the board in October 2020.

 

[Old Campaigner]

Someone needs to put some novichok in his shiraz I think

 

[Pweter]

We don't have the balls to cut ties

Well bloody hell, if that isn't an open invitation to continue his meddling then I don't know what is.

 

[Donflicted]

We don't have the balls to cut ties

unreal this club is

 

[Dave]

I can't help but feel that will embolden the club to drag its heels in divesting from the pokies, knowing there isn't all that much supporter pressure.

I think it’s more people worried about the legal implications of having such a statement innour constitution. Whilst Id be happy for us to get rid of pokies I saw adding the statement in the constitution as a big risk.

 

[joey_jo_jo]

sounds like an "If we pay you will you shut the **** up and go away" deal. Problem is guys like Sheeds are likely to break the deal at any point.

 

[dank420_]

HOLY SHIT DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAVE

 

[P Money]

I think it’s more people worried about the legal implications of having such a statement innour constitution. Whilst Id be happy for us to get rid of pokies I saw adding the statement in the constitution as a big risk.

Was a good bluff by Barham if it was bullsh*t

 

[justlookingaround]

IMO... there's just not really any world in which we divest from pokies anytime soon.
The club signed a 30 year gaming license with Melton City Council only like a year ago.

 

[Agronomus]

65% of people knocked back a statement in the constitution acknowledging the harm of pokies revenue.
I can't help but feel that will embolden the club to drag its heels in divesting from the pokies, knowing there isn't all that much supporter pressure.

What's wrong with having pokies at the club? They're still legal are they not? We don't want to be the nanny club that decides what people can and can't do

 

[faible]

What's wrong with having pokies at the club? They're still legal are they not? We don't want to be the nanny club that decides what people can and can't do

Pokies are linked to higher rates of DV. If you want the club to support that, then go for it.

The relationship between electronic gaming machine accessibility and police-recorded domestic violence: A spatio-temporal analysis of 654 postcodes in Victoria, Australia, 2005–2014

An emerging body of research has documented an association between problem gambling and domestic violence in a range of study populations and location…

www.sciencedirect.com

Too close to home: The closer the pokies venue, the greater the loss | IMPACT: Monash Business School

Living close to a gaming venue increases the likelihood that you will gamble, go bankrupt or experience poor mental health.

impact.monash.edu

That Pokies cause harm is well known, has been for quite a while.

 

[Dave]

HOLY SHIT DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAVE

Phone went nuts……

 

[Agronomus]

Pokies are linked to higher rates of DV. If you want the club to support that, then go for it.

The relationship between electronic gaming machine accessibility and police-recorded domestic violence: A spatio-temporal analysis of 654 postcodes in Victoria, Australia, 2005–2014

An emerging body of research has documented an association between problem gambling and domestic violence in a range of study populations and location…

www.sciencedirect.com

Too close to home: The closer the pokies venue, the greater the loss | IMPACT: Monash Business School

Living close to a gaming venue increases the likelihood that you will gamble, go bankrupt or experience poor mental health.

impact.monash.edu

That Pokies cause harm is well known, has been for quite a while.

Not arguing they're not harmful to certain kinds of people. What about the majority of people who play them and can exercise restraint?

 

[dank420_]

Not arguing they're not harmful to certain kinds of people. What about the majority of people who play them and can exercise restraint?

What about them? Do they deserve special treatment over DV victims?

 

[ant555]

I am not a pokies fan. Could not care less if they all vanished tomorrow. Do not play them and they are an addiction to a lot of people .Yes they do cause some serious DV issues but so does alcohol . I like a couple of drinks here and there so I am not a non drinker but i would say that if you are making a stand against pokies because of the DV issues then you have to be standing on the same soap box for alcohol which causes DV issues , health issues , untold issues in Indigenous communities and death and injury on the roads and in the streets though drunken violence.

My view is "if" they are going to be legal then they should only be at the horse and greyhound racing venues as they are an industry that runs of gambling profit and they should only be operating from 12pm - 7pm or 10pm if they are at a racing venue that has a night meeting on that day. They can also be in the casinos. They should not be in clubs and pubs in nearly every suburb of Melbourne.

They will never be banned as Governments love the tax they return.