Great to see you on here Paul. Was the clear top selection, should get one of everyones votes if you ask me.
Wasn’t going to ask anything but seeing your comments above regarding the social club at Windy Hill (new lay out much better for what it’s worth), just wondering if you can shed any light on the rest of the facility - namely the eyesore abandoned bottom level (former Bombershop) and the office space up stairs? Seems like a lot of good space gone to waste if you ask me.
Thanks Ben
I think that anyone who saw him play in the VFL finals last year would agree he is a ripper. I am not sure where the list management people have got to, but I am sure he is somewhere in their deliberations.
Well done for the completion of the Tullamarine cutting edge facility and coming in on budget.
I say this because i read an article last year where the lions are looking at building a new homebase and want a $60 million handout to do it.
Also i believe STkilda made a huge mistake by investing in Seaford where we got it right in the first place.
Good luck bomber c
Thanks bomber c.
I can’t take any credit for the selection of Tullamarine, as the decision was made before I joined, so I can tell you objectively that I think it is a real competitive advantage. We had a lot of very generous people help us with the funding and a management team that drove it very hard to ensure that we came in on budget, but without sacrificing quality. I am sure we will reap the rewards.
Great to see you on here Paul. Was the clear top selection, should get one of everyones votes if you ask me.
Wasn’t going to ask anything but seeing your comments above regarding the social club at Windy Hill (new lay out much better for what it’s worth), just wondering if you can shed any light on the rest of the facility - namely the eyesore abandoned bottom level (former Bombershop) and the office space up stairs? Seems like a lot of good space gone to waste if you ask me.
Tackling the real hard hitting stuff.
Thanks Riley13
It’s a topical question. We have been looking at a few different alternatives for how we might make best use of the vacant space. We would like to get a good commercial outcome while at the same time respecting the local community and our members. We lease the property from the Council and we are currently in discussions with them about what is possible. I hope we have a resolution early in the new year.
A question purely out of self interest, but I’m sure many are also in the same situation…
Has the club ever thought about packaging games for interstate members…flights, accommodation etc. It costs us on average $1k to attend one game. Then there’s the time booking flights, finding hotels. Would be amazing if we could do this via the club in some way…perhaps value add with some kind of match day experience…also a great opportunity to meet other interstate bombers.
A question purely out of self interest, but I'm sure many are also in the same situation....
Has the club ever thought about packaging games for interstate members…flights, accommodation etc. It costs us on average $1k to attend one game. Then there’s the time booking flights, finding hotels. Would be amazing if we could do this via the club in some way…perhaps value add with some kind of match day experience…also a great opportunity to meet other interstate bombers.
Fantastic idea, I’ve been on about this for awhile.
The Crows have a “Crows Jet” for a few big games a year in Melbourne, members get a breakfast at the Airport and free parking, they fly to Melbourne and get transfers to the game and then afterwards get some food and drinks for the flight home. It has a ex player host the day and includes tickets to the game and it cost about $600 for memory. The planes are smaller and cater for about 120 I think so you get to travel with other supporters and by all accounts it was a big success.
A question purely out of self interest, but I'm sure many are also in the same situation....
Has the club ever thought about packaging games for interstate members…flights, accommodation etc. It costs us on average $1k to attend one game. Then there’s the time booking flights, finding hotels. Would be amazing if we could do this via the club in some way…perhaps value add with some kind of match day experience…also a great opportunity to meet other interstate bombers.
Fantastic idea, I’ve been on about this for awhile.
The Crows have a “Crows Jet” for a few big games a year in Melbourne, members get a breakfast at the Airport and free parking, they fly to Melbourne and get transfers to the game and then afterwards get some food and drinks for the flight home. It has a ex player host the day and includes tickets to the game and it cost about $600 for memory. The planes are smaller and cater for about 120 I think so you get to travel with other supporters and by all accounts it was a big success.
Thanks Darli and Aceman
I think this is worth having a look at. I am not sure if it has ever been raised before. We are working on having much greater involvement for fans when we play interstate but this is obviously the other side of the coin. I have no idea how feasible it is but I will speak to Xavier about it.
Thanks dons23
Your reading of the financial position is fair. Nobody likes to make a loss irrespective of the various factors that have come into play. We are certainly budgeting for, and expect, a profit in 2016 and we are still aiming to pay off our debt ASAP.
Regarding an audit of payments, details of all payments were given to ASADA as part of the investigation and at the same time we reviewed all payments ourselves. Because it is all part of the investigation I can’t say more than that, although we won’t be pursuing them any further. The updated procedures around purchases and the revised medical procedures demand that no bills of the type you are talking about can be paid unless they are matched to a purchase that has been approved in advance by the doctors, and unless it is confirmed that the specified materials have been received.
Thank you for answering Paul, I appreciate your candour. Its encouraging to hear we have substantially reformed our processes, and I know you played a significant role in designing and implementing those reforms.
As I said, you have my vote and my full support for re-election. I think we are lucky to have candidates of your calibre willing to put their time and effort into the club’s administration.
A question purely out of self interest, but I'm sure many are also in the same situation....
Has the club ever thought about packaging games for interstate members…flights, accommodation etc. It costs us on average $1k to attend one game. Then there’s the time booking flights, finding hotels. Would be amazing if we could do this via the club in some way…perhaps value add with some kind of match day experience…also a great opportunity to meet other interstate bombers.
Fantastic idea, I’ve been on about this for awhile.
The Crows have a “Crows Jet” for a few big games a year in Melbourne, members get a breakfast at the Airport and free parking, they fly to Melbourne and get transfers to the game and then afterwards get some food and drinks for the flight home. It has a ex player host the day and includes tickets to the game and it cost about $600 for memory. The planes are smaller and cater for about 120 I think so you get to travel with other supporters and by all accounts it was a big success.
Essendon should hire a B-52 and drop members into Etihad.
What do you think are the 3 most important things the Club must achieve off field over the next 3 years? (I am presuming a premiership onfield !)
Thanks Kingston 67. You have probably seen our strategic plan on the website, which sets out our vision and our objectives for the next 3 years. I think it is a really good document. Sometimes these things are a bit corporate-speak and don't have a lot of substance. However in this case I think all the objectives and priorities have meaning and are things that everybody at the club will commit to.
Still, there is a lot in that strategy, so if you are asking me to pick out what to me are 3 of the top priorities they would be as follows:
. rebuild the brand so that everybody associated with Essendon is proud to be; so that the whole football world understands what we stand for; so that supporters of other clubs might hate us but they will also respect us; and so that the very best people, both players and other staff, will want to join us.
. develop a culture of excellence and continuous improvement. One really important aspect of this is player leadership development for the younger players. We have some fantastic potential leaders in young players such as Joe Daniher, Zach Merrett, Marty Gleeson and others. We will be putting a lot more resource into their development so they become our leaders for much of the next ten years and role models for other young recruits.
. develop a deeper connection with all our members who have remained so loyal, and leverage off this to grow our membership significantly.
You only asked for three, but I suppose I shouldn't be finance director if I didn't say we will be working to pay off our debt over that period!
Thanks dons23
Your reading of the financial position is fair. Nobody likes to make a loss irrespective of the various factors that have come into play. We are certainly budgeting for, and expect, a profit in 2016 and we are still aiming to pay off our debt ASAP.
Regarding an audit of payments, details of all payments were given to ASADA as part of the investigation and at the same time we reviewed all payments ourselves. Because it is all part of the investigation I can’t say more than that, although we won’t be pursuing them any further. The updated procedures around purchases and the revised medical procedures demand that no bills of the type you are talking about can be paid unless they are matched to a purchase that has been approved in advance by the doctors, and unless it is confirmed that the specified materials have been received.
Thank you for answering Paul, I appreciate your candour. Its encouraging to hear we have substantially reformed our processes, and I know you played a significant role in designing and implementing those reforms.
As I said, you have my vote and my full support for re-election. I think we are lucky to have candidates of your calibre willing to put their time and effort into the club’s administration.
Thanks Bacchusfox
I know a lot of people are sceptical, but we didn't sack James. In fact, James initiated the conversation with Xavier Campbell and Paul Little, along the lines of "things are clearly not working, the external pressures on the club are not going to go away while I am here, should I go to give the club and the players some clear air?"
I do like a beer, but I also enjoy a red wine, so I'm not sure if one negates the other?
Thanks for answer. I am sceptical but do accept what you say. I am critical of the secrecy that the Board has operated under which always means the truth is often blurred.
Beer is best, but red wine is good as long as it comes from Coonawarra or the Hunter, and is old.
I hope he doesn't even attempt to answer this question.
He did answer it, and more power to Paul for that.
Better than the other two who stayed very silent on the matter
I think you’ll find that Paul Cousins said exactly the same thing here…without the direct quote from James, which one can only do if one heard it ummm directly.
FWIW I think Paul Brasher answered this question bravely and definitively.
Sorry to gatecrash this thread, but can someone provide the link to the Board elections on the club’s website? Logged in to vote and I’m buggered if I can find it.
Instructions on the candidate paper say “go to essendonfc.com.au and follow the links”. What links?
Sorry to gatecrash this thread, but can someone provide the link to the Board elections on the club's website? Logged in to vote and I'm buggered if I can find it.
Instructions on the candidate paper say “go to essendonfc.com.au and follow the links”. What links?