youve given me your word which I appreciate but I still dont have the 100 likes unfortunately. The tribe has spoken.
Thatâs true. However, Paul Cousins is respected and I think we can trust his views given his association with Tim. In principle though, youâre right⌠We need to know what theyâve achieved etc.
My only concern with all this stuff is that as rank and file fans / members, âweâ usually would vote for an X player because we can associate with their deeds on field. They may be as thick as a brick and have no capacity to make pragmatic decisions about a footy dept create new strategic opportunities to find $70M+ a year or a new non footy strategic business idea, but we likely would see them get elected because they were a name known by all members. That doesnât mean they would make a good Director thoughâŚ
But thatâs a separate conversation.
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I pray we get at least 1 or 2 decent alternatives apply. Sheedyâs selfish, attention grabbing stunts deserve to be punished. Great coach, terrible board member.
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âŚso who applied?
I have had my nomination for the Board election accepted by the club.
I am running on the main issue of asking the Board to immediately start planning for the removal of poker machine ownership. I believe that as a community and membership based organisation we should be aware of where our revenue is coming from. Revenue from poker machines is simply losses on the poker machines and often those that lose that money cannot afford it. My platform is that the club should not be involved in an activity that brings financial and social misery.
The club refuses to discuss the merits (or otherwise) of owning 190 poker machines and should I be elected to the Board, I can at least keep the issue front and centre and not just accepted without acknowledging the issues that poker machine losses create.
I understand there will be another thread opened for candidates to better present themselves and engage with the Blitzers.
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Good luck Graham.
Well done for actually doing something about what you believe in.
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Thank-you @Blummers32 it should be an interesting month ahead of me.
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May I ask what qualifications/experience you have that you can bring to the board?
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I have a Bachelor of Commerce from Melbourne Uni, A Diploma of Finance and Mortgage Broking and Certificate IV in Disability. I started in audit and moved into Business Banking and Commercial Banking. I have run 2 retail bank branches and I now work in the Disability Sector. I am a life member of a local sports club. When I was in Commercial Banking I worked closely with a very large church organisation, a large property developer and a major logistics firm. Apart from all that, I am a life time Essendon supporter and genuinely want the best for the club.
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You have identified a problem that a lot of fans have identified. I commend you for speaking up and trying to change things.
What would be your solution to the problem. What areas do you think the club should invest in?
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Just on thatâŚ
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Well done Graham for having the courage to stand up for what you believe in.
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Any relation to David Evans?
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Good luck, Graham. Well done for throwing your hat in the ring.
So what sport will they play instead.
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Back to esports?
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Poker machines are best located at gambling destinations such as casinos and horse race tracks. Iâd like to see if the club could transfer the entitlements to such organisations. In our case we hold community entitlements for the machines so we would need to work with the state government and racing clubs for this to happen. Of course a state government buy back would be great but unlikely.
In terms of other investments the club has employed Mark Bolton to investigate new areas of revenue so I would be interested to see how that venture is playing out.
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No, I can be 100% confident that he is not a relation unless you trace the Evans name back to The Wales / English border in approximately 1600 AD.
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That receives a tick. Good luck Graham.
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All the best, Graham. Itâs a privileged position to be on the Board of this Club.z
Whilst I support the removal of Pokies in principle, itâs very important the Club is positioned financially before Pokies are removed.
As of now, the Club isnât strategically well placed to remove them. It current returns modest profits largely on its football operations, it achieves a small return on its Venues (non footy revenue). Whilst itâs debt free, it has limited cash reserves, limited non football revenue streams and no future fund. Until the Club is sustainable financially such a move would put at risk the continued capacity of the Club to resource the football department and remain financially secure.
Therefore, any move to remove Pokies must come with a requirement to build a broader strategic base from which the Club can replace the revenues and profits generated by Pokies. This needs to be a central focus of any campaign on Pokies. My understanding is the Club has now invested in a resource to focus on the development of the strategic aspects of the Club, no doubt a forerunner for removal of pokies in due course.
Good luck, I hope your campaign is well received and respected, even if Iâm not convinced we need a Director purely focussed on this area of the Clubs operationsâŚ
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