Saints News St Kilda FC: Governance Thread - Board and Committee

Remove this Banner Ad

Parkysp said:
Thanks for all the time and the info provided. I feel I'm just a credit card for the AFL nowadays and doesn't help that the Saints board goes along with that thinking. As a 30 year member it is very disheartening.

Being a Liverpool supporter I've being wondering how we could organise something similar to the 'Spirit of Shankly' supporter group. https://spiritofshankly.com/

They've forced the Liverpool FC owners into a number of backflips on poor decisions they've made over the past decade. I wonder if some collective organisation could get better answers on governance and how that feeds into the being a club that can consistently perform better on the field. Something is awry at the club. We all see it played out on field but we can only take guesses about why that is.
Click to expand...
Lol the AFL own the STKFC. This is a low rent strategy by person or persons unknown.

Barge pole time
 
Joffaboy said:
Lol the AFL own the STKFC. This is a low rent strategy by person or persons unknown.

Barge pole time
Click to expand...
Perhaps but isn't there some element of us all being frustrated to the point of wanting to know just WTF is going on after a decade of rubbish. Thread after Thread is asking questions of what, why, how and the board construct is the apex of that.
 
Saints Governance said:
As stated in the introduction - just a collection of St Kilda Members interested in Club Governance. It was something that bothered a few of us that we couldn't find all the information in one place. It wasn't here, it wasn't on the Club website. It wasn't...anywhere.

We figured there must be a stack of other Members with similar concerns. If nothing else, we hope the Membership finds it informative.
Click to expand...


Are you going to put together a ticket at some point? If so, even if you're a bunch of morons I'd give you a go over the dumpster fire that are in power at the moment.
 

Log in to remove this ad.

Oztralian said:
I took a punt on providing an opinion. Unfortunately I wasn't welcomed. My actually identity was questioned, then my English.
I am sure there are good and tolerant people, amongst Saint supporters here, and I wish them well.
Click to expand...
We have had people on our site before who have created multiple accounts to wind us up and just create general frustration so many of the current posters here are wary of newcomers posting on this site initially out of skepticism that the new poster is genuine.

I would say to keep getting involved in the discussion here and that perception will definitely change as it has to many other newbies.

Don't take the comments personally. We have had a few loonies over the years that those kind of comments stem from.

Welcome to the Saints board :thumbsu:
 
Pakenhamsaint said:
The constution still says we have a vote.
Click to expand...
Yep - Ltd company so must act in accordance with Corporations Act.

I haven't looked for a while but it also gives members (of the company) the right to call for an extra-ordinary general meeting.

I think its the 5% requirement that was talked about when the Pies members were calling for an early general meeting.
 
Oztralian said:
I took a punt on providing an opinion. Unfortunately I wasn't welcomed. My actually identity was questioned, then my English.
I am sure there are good and tolerant people, amongst Saint supporters here, and I wish them well.
Click to expand...


Don't get scared off Ozzie, it can't get any worse that your baptism of fire. We're not very nice but we do follow a good club.
 
pebblesofsand said:
Yep - Ltd company so must act in accordance with Corporations Act.

I haven't looked for a while but it also gives members (of the company) the right to call for an extra-ordinary general meeting.

I think its the 5% requirement that was talked about when the Pies members were calling for an early general meeting.
Click to expand...
I had a quick look and theres nothing there about it
 
Pakenhamsaint said:
I had a quick look and theres nothing there about it
Click to expand...
What an exciting way to spend my Saturday evening.

This is the relevant section and without fully reading the constitution, I think it applies..

CORPORATIONS ACT 2001 - SECT 249F
Calling of general meetings by members
(1) Members with at least 5% of the votes that may be cast at a general meeting of the company may call, and arrange to hold, a general meeting. The members calling the meeting must pay the expenses of calling and holding the meeting.

(2) The meeting must be called in the same way--so far as is possible--in which general meetings of the company may be called.

(3) The percentage of votes that members have is to be worked out as at the midnight before the meeting is called.
 
NOVEMBER 2021 UPDATE (this news is from last week but is being added for posterity to the thread)

The Club has proposed the following changes to the board ahead of next month's AGM (held on 16th December 2021 at 6:30pm).

www.saints.com.au

Eyes to the future: Blake nominated by Board to replace retiring director

Former Saints defender and life member Jason Blake has been nominated to join the Club’s Board of Directors at next month’s Annual General Meeting.
www.saints.com.au www.saints.com.au

One director - Danni Roche - will step down at next month's AGM, with her 3x3 year term expiring after joining the board in 2012.

A new director - former player Jason Blake - will be appointed in her place.

Another director - Sarah Lowe - will be appointed. She is currently the EY Managing Partner, FSO Assurance Asia-Pacific and joins the Board in a succession plan for the key role of Chair of the Club’s Audit & Risk Committee.

This will take the current board to 10, the largest possible board we can have in accordance with our Constitution. This means there can be no more arbitrarily-appointed board members; unless a vacancy occurs (such as an early retirement), the only method to join the board will be via an AGM.

Existing Directors Jack Rush QC and Dean Anderson who will submit themselves for re-election in accordance with the rotational requirements under the Club’s rules.

Rush is not eligible to extend his stay on the board under ordinary requirements (having served his maximum of 3x3 year terms) but is eligible to extend his stay on the board if it is unanimously endorsed by all board members that he continues. NB: It is assumed that this will be case as Rush effectively operates as this administration's Senior Counsel.

Anderson's second term is expiring and thus he will be standing for his third and final term of regular eligibility.

NB: Andrew Bassat's first term as President is expiring. The members do not vote on the President however; only the board members determine the President. It is expected he will be endorsed unanimously for his second full term.

===============

NOMINATION PROCESS NOTES

Any additional nominations for election to the Board of Directors must be in writing and must include the names and signatures of the nominee and two Voting Members of the Company (Voting Members are Ordinary Members and Life Members). Nominees may use the form available from the Secretary (accessible from reception@saints.com.au).

To be valid, nominations must comply with these requirements and be delivered with a signed consent to act as director to the Secretary at the Company’s registered office (32-60 Linton Street, Moorabbin, Victoria 3189) prior to 5.00 pm on 18th November 2021.

THE "BENGE BID"

There appears some confusion about the Larry Benge "bid" (for lack of a better word) to join the board in recent weeks. Based on what we understand about the Club's governance structure, Benge was hoping to be invited as an appointed member of the board - most likely as the replacement for Roche.

As it stands, with Rush and Anderson requiring to re-nominate for election, Benge, or any other of our Members, still has the right to submit themselves for for election; however they will have to do so by 5.00 pm on 18th November 2021.

This is purely speculation on our part, but it seemed Benge would only consider joining the board if he was appointed rather than elected - he seemed to resigned to the fact that he would not be joining the Club's board this year https://www.sen.com.au/news/2021/11/09/st-kilda-board-contender-speaks-out-about-club-divide/

OTHER NOTES

The opening post has been edited and updated with more accurate details, as the above announcement enables us to fill in some missing parts of the eligibility puzzle. It's a battle to keep this up to date, so please assist us with any missing details by emailing us saintsgovernance@gmail.com or via PM.
 
Last edited:
Why would any member except Grant Thomas etc vote for Benge?
 

(Log in to remove this ad.)

Can someone explain why Thomas is so excited for Benge? He talks about new ideas being brought to the Baird. All I’ve heard about him is that he’s a dental surgeon, what football or club management experience is he bringing such that he should just be handed a role?
Sounds to me like Thomas just wants his guy in the jnside.
Jason Blake has football and construction background, the latter of which is valuable to
the club at the moment.
 
Probably Thomas wants someone on the inside on the board. If benge wantscant he still nominate and it would then be up to the members to decide?
 
St_Laz said:
Can someone explain why Thomas is so excited for Benge? He talks about new ideas being brought to the Baird. All I’ve heard about him is that he’s a dental surgeon, what football or club management experience is he bringing such that he should just be handed a role?
Sounds to me like Thomas just wants his guy in the jnside.
Jason Blake has football and construction background, the latter of which is valuable to
the club at the moment.
Click to expand...

For me, reason he (Thomas) is up now is because he doesn't have to do any of the actual work and can just waltz on in at end of tenures and "oh hey, new facilities and standards, what luck!" and it's easier to do when you have a patsy in a high chair.

Not for a pico second do I believe he's doing this for any other reason than to blow smoke up his own arse at our expense whilst "no no, I'm here FOR you" like a good snake oil salesman.

sammm said:
Probably Thomas wants someone on the inside on the board. If benge wantscant he still nominate and it would then be up to the members to decide?
Click to expand...

No point running if you know you're not going to get in, Benge probably knows GT is his ticket in so is just in it so long as that exists.
 
sammm said:
If benge wantscant he still nominate and it would then be up to the members to decide?
Click to expand...

For the sake of clarity, yes.

Benge, or any other ordinary Member, can stand for election to the Board. They'll need to hurry though - the nomination form (two other members need to support the nomination) needs to be at the Club HQ by 5pm this Thursday.

If Member X stood, it would mean there are three candidates (Member X, Dean Anderson and Jack Rush) for the two vacant positions. This would bring about a vote (likely a ballot - stand to be corrected) at the AGM next month; the two candidates with the highest number of votes would be elected into the two vacancies.

If no member stands, Dean Anderson and Jack Rush will be considered to be elected unopposed for the next three years. The mechanism that Rush is enacting to stand for a fourth term (constitutionally, he must retire after three terms, as Roche is doing) is explained in the above posts.

Hope this helps.
 
Last edited:
Saints Governance said:
For the sake of clarity, yes.

Benge, or any other ordinary Member, can stand for election to the Board. They'll need to hurry though - the nomination form (two other members need to support the nomination) needs to be at the Club HQ by 5pm this Thursday.

If Member X stood, it would mean there are three candidates (Member X, Dean Anderson and Jack Rush) for the two vacant positions. This would bring about a vote (likely a ballot - stand to be corrected) at the AGM next month; the two candidates with the highest number of votes would be elected into the two vacancies.

If no member stands, Dean Anderson and Jack Rush will be considered to be elected unopposed for the next three years. The mechanism that Rush is enacting to stand for a fourth term (constitutionally, he must retire after three terms, as Roche is doing) is explained in the above posts.

Hope this helps.
Click to expand...
thanks it does.

Sounds to me like Benge or Thomas is only doing this for the publicity. If they were very concerned they should put through a nomination and from and try and persuade the members to vote for a dentist instead of Jason Blake.
 
St Kilda Saints Football Club Limited

A.C.N. 005 174 836

NOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING



Notice is hereby given that the Annual General Meeting of St Kilda Saints Football Club Limited (the “Company”) will be held online on Thursday 16th December 2021 at 6:30pm to conduct the following business:



Ordinary Business



Financial and related reports - To receive and consider the annual financial report of the Company and the reports of the Directors and of the Auditor for the year ended 31 October 2021.



Election of Directors – To elect 3 Directors of the Company – In accordance with Article 10.2A of the Company’s Constitution:



(a) Mr. Dean Anderson will retire by rotation and, being eligible, will offer himself for re-election for a further term; and;



(b) Mr. Jack Rush will retire by rotation and, being eligible, will offer himself for re-election for a further term; and;



(c) Mr. Jason Blake, who was nominated by the Board, being eligible, will offer himself for election.



Please note that there will be 3 vacancies on the Board to be filled and the only nominations received in accordance with the Company’s Constitution were those of Mr. Anderson, Mr. Rush and Mr. Blake. In accordance with Article 12.2(c) of the Company’s Constitution, as the number of candidates nominated does not exceed the number of vacancies, Mr. Anderson, Mr. Rush and Mr. Blake will be deemed to have been duly re-elected or elected, as the case may be, and will be declared duly re-elected or elected at the Annual General Meeting.



By order of the Board.



Yohan Pereira

Secretary

25 November 2021



NOTES



1 Virtual Meeting – The health and wellbeing of the Club’s members and employees is of paramount importance. On 14 August 2021, the Treasury Laws Amendment (2021 Measures No. 1) Act 2021 came in to force, amending the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) to permit companies to hold their annual general meetings using virtual meeting technology, to enable members to participate in these meetings online without having to be physically present. The Club will be holding its 2021 AGM as a virtual meeting. There will not be a physical venue for members to attend. Further information on how to access the meeting will be available at the following web address: www.saints.com.au/agm



Annual Financial Report - The Annual Report (including auditor’s report and directors’ report) will be accessible at www.saints.com.au in the footer: Policies and Reports. In addition, members may choose to receive free-of-charge the report electronically (email or fax) or in hard copy. If you wish to be sent a copy, please email annualreport@saints.com.au or telephone 1300 467 246 during normal business hours.
Click to expand...

Notably no GT or the dentist.
 
For all those who missed last week's 2021 Annual General Meeting, it is still accessible to view via www.saints.com.au/agm

You will need to have Microsoft Teams installed to view the video. It is unclear how long the video will be accessible for on this platform.

Board member and CEO Matt Finnis formally opens the meeting at 25:40, when the audio kicks in.
 

Lowe promoted to Saints’ Board of Directors
Lowe promoted to Saints’ Board of Directors

St Kilda Football Club has formalised the promotion of Sarah Lowe to the club’s Board.​


A chartered accountant by background, Lowe has worked for almost two decades at global conglomerate EY (Ernst & Young Global Limited) and currently serves as Managing Partner, FSO Assurance, Asia-Pacific.

Along with her commitments as a club Director, Lowe will form part of a succession plan which will see her take on the full portfolio as Chair of the club’s Audit & Risk Committee by 2023.

“We’re very pleased to officially welcome Sarah to St Kilda Football Club’s Board,” President Andrew Bassat said.

“Sarah is an accomplished professional with a wealth of experience in the finance sector. She has already demonstrated her value and importance to the club as an independent member of our Audit & Risk Committee whilst the club has navigated the challenges of COVID-19 over the past two years.

“Her appointment will not only futureproof the integrity of our Board, but ensure continuity in financial governance through a transition period of Directors over coming years.”

Sarah said she was proud to be welcomed to the club’s Board with the full backing of its Directors.

“I’m humbled to join St Kilda Football Club’s Board and am eager to make an impact during my tenure,” Lowe said.

“I remember coming to Moorabbin as a young girl in very wet and windy conditions to watch the Saints play from the concrete bleachers. My dad was an avid St Kilda supporter and he’d be as proud as punch having me involved with the club.

“I’ve been on the Saints’ Audit & Risk Committee now for two years working with Paul Kirk, and I will continue to work closely with him to ‘understudy’ the Chair aspect and get closer to the finer points of that role.

“Through my experience, I hope to bring skills that are helpful to the Board, particularly through the risk, finance and compliance aspect.

“I’m looking forward to learning a lot more about the other aspects of St Kilda – in particular, the community and broader part of what the club is all about beyond just football – and how I can be a part of that.”

Lowe is one of two additions to the Board alongside former Saint Jason Blake, with the latter replacing the outgoing Danni Roche OAM.
 
bergholt said:
Some random accountant from EY and a former player, not exactly grabbing from the top of the gene pool.
Click to expand...

Because our lawyers have been doing a sterling job with finances and acquisitions.

I'll take a random accountant and a former player over people who lose to the hand of god for 200 thanks Alek.
 
October 2022 Update

  • With the exit of Matt Finnis from the role of Chief Executive Officer, Finnis will have to retire from his position on the St Kilda board at the upcoming AGM.
  • In accordance with Article 11.1 of the Club Constitution, the incoming CEO Simon Lethlean will be eligible for appointment to the board. However, it is not certain that this will happen. This will be at the discretion of the existing board members. We will post on this matter when a decision is made.
  • There are no vacancies on the board at present, as we have the maximum number allowed by the Constitution (9).
  • The terms of Adam Hilton and Jennifer Douglas are about to expire. They are eligible for re-election.
  • This means that if any Member of the Club wishes to stand for election to the board, there will be an opportunity to do at this year's AGM. They will be required to secure the nomination of two fellow members and submit their application to the club by the cut-off date (TBA).
 

Remove this Banner Ad

Saints News St Kilda FC: Governance Thread - Board and Committee

Similar threads

boydie
Sponsored Player Sponsorship - St Kilda BigFooty Board 2025
2
Replies
32
Views
944
kosifantutti
kosifantutti
sammm
News 2025 St. Kilda Media Thread
Replies
14
Views
1K
Ads734
A
boydie
St Kilda Board Player Sponsors - BnF tix
Replies
12
Views
1K
sammm
sammm
Hubnester
Welcome Welcome to St Kilda - Patrick Said!
Replies
24
Views
3K
Saintscomemarchingin
S
Hubnester
Welcome Welcome to St Kilda - Alex Dodson!
2
Replies
36
Views
4K
L_W_P
L_W_P
Hubnester
Welcome Welcome to St Kilda - Hugh Boxshall!
2
Replies
37
Views
4K
Ads734
A
Hubnester
Welcome Welcome to St Kilda - James Barrat!
2 3
Replies
53
Views
4K
mad-saint-guy
mad-saint-guy

Remove this Banner Ad

Back
Top