Our club: the Board, corporate structure and governance

[mcs]

Fox Footy has reported about Melbourne FC Chairman Glen Bartlett speaking in a podcast (Deeluded):

According to Bartlett, Melbourne has the fourth best balance sheet in the competition.“I think 12 clubs are now assisted and there are only six that are unassisted and we know one of those six,” he said.“Whilst we work with the AFL and that‘s part of what we need to do, we are not so keen to have an administrative office situation where all your decisions, financial decisions are kind of out of your hands (so) you have to report.“You have to produce all these reports from these things in the past. We don‘t want to be in that world preferably. And it’s important, I think, for our supporters and mindset to be financially strong, and independent.”


Assuming that's accurate, I wonder what the Swans situation is?

It made sound superficial a litter bit, but given where the dees draw their fanbase and support from, not entirely suprised by that.

[bloodspirit]

Just saw that the Swans website has published a bit more info about our Executive team: Official AFL Website of the Sydney Swans Football Club. It seems that a year ago we got a new Chief Operating Officer, Drew Arthurson, who used to work with Apple Enterprise. Even more recently, in April 2020, we got a new EGM Finance - he came from the AFL: Official AFL Website of the Sydney Swans Football Club. I wonder if he may have been foisted on us by the AFL as part of a bailout package - noting that we lost $6M last year and are very likely among the majority of AFL clubs who have required AFL assistance since the pandemic struck.

At a Board level we got a new Director, Darren Steinberg. Probably not coincidentally he is CEO of one of our sponsors, Dexus. It's not obvious what his point of difference is and I wonder if we didn't miss an opportunity to get some more diversity on our Board. Despite our Diversity Action Plan's four 'key pillars' being:

* Disability Empowerment
* LGBTIQ Pride
* Multicultural Inclusion
* Advancement of Women

our Board:

* does not apparently include anyone with disability
* does not include any openly LGBTIQ members so far as I am aware
* is uniformly white with fairly Anglo names
* 7 out of 9 are blokes, and we missed opportunities to bring another woman with our most recent Board appointments.

There is also no Indigenous representation. Once Buddy retires, and if Bell gets delisted, we may become a club with no Indigenous presence. This would make the club a less appealing destination for Indigenous players which is a regrettable outcome I would hope to avoid, particularly given our strong recent history with Indigenous players like Mickey O, Goodsey and Buddy.

The point about diversity that is sometimes missed is that: it is not about political correctness, it is a source of strength. By missing the diversity we miss out on knowledge and experience that can make us stronger, more adaptable, more resilient. By including people from diverse backgrounds who have historically been excluded, you are expanding the pool of talent that is available. It also creates a safer and more welcoming space for all to feel they belong to.

In times gone by people would say while ideally you would have a some representation of women, the key thing was just to get the best person for the job and it just happened that they were all men. Nobody would say that now (nobody I would take too seriously anyway). Women bring a different perspective to the table and are clearly better placed to understand and connect with the experiences of other women. Women are also a large part of our society. The same arguments apply (with appropriate modification) to other kinds of diversity and that is why it is so important to cultivate diversity.

Turning to people with disability, nearly 20% of Australians live with disability: National Inquiry into Employment and Disability: Issues Paper 1 | Australian Human Rights Commission. Obviously substantially higher numbers apply if you add carers and family members of people with disability. Very often changes that are made to accommodate people with disabilities better benefit many more people than those with disabilities. This is known as the 'curb-cutting' effect i.e. curb cuts (the little ramps on street corners that make it easier for people in wheelchairs to cross the road) are in fact enjoyed and of benefit to many, many more people than just those in wheelchairs e.g. parents with prams, the elderly, people on bikes and scooters etc etc: The Curb-Cut Effect | PolicyLink). Another example are closed captions - originally intended for the deaf but now used by many others. The point is that by getting people that have experience of, and insight into, disability, you can create products and solutions and policies that are of benefit to a wider audience, as well as helping include those with disabilities.

What I am seeking to highlight is that, apart from moral grounds, there are important utilitarian reasons for seeking to be more diverse and this is why I am mentioning it.

[iigrover]

The point about diversity that is sometimes missed is that: it is not about political correctness, it is a source of strength. By missing the diversity we miss out on knowledge and experience that can make us stronger, more adaptable, more resilient. By including people from diverse backgrounds who have historically been excluded, you are expanding the pool of talent that is available. It also creates a safer and more welcoming space for all to feel they belong to.

In times gone by people would say while ideally you would have a some representation of women, the key thing was just to get the best person for the job and it just happened that they were all men. Nobody would say that now (nobody I would take too seriously anyway). Women bring a different perspective to the table and are clearly better placed to understand and connect with the experiences of other women. Women are also a large part of our society. The same arguments apply (with appropriate modification) to other kinds of diversity and that is why it is so important to cultivate diversity.

This! A thousand million trillion times this!

[bloodspirit]

Mickey O wants to join the club board: AFL 2021: Sydney Swans legend Michael O’Loughlin to run for club board (smh.com.au). Seems like a no brainer, and a great opportunity to diversify our board, even though O'Loughlin himself is at pains to stress that is not the main reason he should be appointed. I love how he declares his "one-eyed" passion for the club. That will make 3/10 football people on the board, if you include Andrew Ireland. (The third is Leo Barry, who joined the board last year.)

[liz]

It’s hard to think of better credentials for a board member - understands game a a player, coach and from a player development perspective. Business experience. Community and charity work.

[Ruck'n'Roll]

The article mentions a business, any idea what that business is?

[erica]

The article mentions a business, any idea what that business is?

You can read about his business here: ARA Indigenous Services - ARA Property Services

[mcs]

Even if Micky O didn't have links to the club as a former player, he'd be a solid nomination for the board. That is just the icing on the cake - hope he gets on the board.

[bloodspirit]

Even if Micky O didn't have links to the club as a former player, he'd be a solid nomination for the board. That is just the icing on the cake - hope he gets on the board.

I suspect he's a shoo in. It's a cosy club on the board and the elections seem always to be unopposed. In fact, it seems the Board is approving an increase in the number of directors, from nine to ten, to accommodate him. It wouldn't surprise me if it were their idea and they tapped him on the shoulder. Possibly it was even a reaction to Collingwood's Do Better report, which is relevant for all clubs. Possibly they hit up Goodsey first and he suggested Mickey O.

[barry]

No offence to Mickey O, I would have thought a candidate with strong ties into the AFL Commission, NSW government and business community wouldn't be a better fit.

[dejavoodoo44]

No offence to Mickey O, I would have thought a candidate with strong ties into the AFL Commission, NSW government and business community wouldn't be a better fit.

Andrew Demetriou might have some spare time now?

[Mr Magoo]

No offence to Mickey O, I would have thought a candidate with strong ties into the AFL Commission, NSW government and business community wouldn't be a better fit.

What you mean the person has to actually have qualitites that make them suitable for the job, thats a novel idea

[bloodspirit]

Sam Mostyn is a former AFL Commissioner. And, by now, Andrew Pridham must have close ties with the AFL too. Ditto Andrew Ireland. That is ample ties to the AFL. Our other directors come (apart from Leo Barry) come from the business community and at least some of them most have good connections with government (including, again, Mostyn - we are lucky to have her, she offers so much and different things to the others).

[Ruck'n'Roll]

Agree with bloodspirit, there is a lot to be gained with a broader range of experience amongst the board, and we seem to have the AFL and business connections well covered.

[Nico]

Sam Mostyn is a former AFL Commissioner. And, by now, Andrew Pridham must have close ties with the AFL too. Ditto Andrew Ireland. That is ample ties to the AFL. Our other directors come (apart from Leo Barry) come from the business community and at least some of them most have good connections with government (including, again, Mostyn - we are lucky to have her, she offers so much and different things to the others).

Last time I heard Leo was in the finance industry.