President’s Message

President’s Message to Members and Supporters – June 2019

This is my third message to you since taking on the role as club President. It is interesting to note that we are approaching the first 100 day mark since the formation of your new board of directors, and we are now starting to get a regular routine established. It is my intention to publish a President’s Message as soon as possible after each formal board meeting is held. This will provide you with certainty about the timing of when you can expect updates on the activities of the board. Formal board meetings are held on the last Monday of every month, with the most recent one having occurred on Monday 27^th May.

Your directors are currently formulating plans and strategies for each of these key areas of the club:

Members and Sponsors.

Finance Management.

The Oval Precinct.

The Clubrooms and Venue Precinct.

Governance, People and Culture.

Football.

These areas are discussed at length in our board meetings, and it is noteworthy that some of the achievements already made during our first 100 days include:

• More than $60,000 committed to the club as new sponsorship income.
• A consolidated profit of more than $79,000 (excluding new sponsorship income) for the month of March – the best trading result in any month this financial year.
• The establishment of a sub-committee to examine and plan to improve every aspect of the oval precinct, with the first meeting of this committee being held on Monday 3^rd
• Examination of the venue (bar, restaurant, gaming and function areas) so that a sustainable plan can be developed for improvement.
• Successful renegotiation and extension of the employment contract with our CEO. We are very pleased that Ben has agreed to remain in his role as he continues to provide stability and drive the results of our club.
• Completion of planning for actions required to implement the recommendations of an independent report done by KPMG. This report was commissioned by SANFL in late 2018 to identify where our club was at risk, and to find areas of opportunity. We are now in the process of forming a subcommittee so the recommended actions can be taken.
• Analysis of the results of the member and supporter on-line survey that was commissioned by the previous board, and a decision to hold a forum at which members and supporters can come to the club and discuss those results face to face with the board. This forum will occur in June on a date to be announced soon, and I hope that you all will attend and take this opportunity to hear the results of your feedback and to air your views.

Of course, there remains much more to be done, including in the area of our on-field results. Coach Gavin Colville took time out on Monday night to present a report to the directors about the season so far, and we made it abundantly clear to Gavin that he has the full support and backing of the board during this difficult time. The impact of the mid-season draft cannot be ignored, but this is something about which we and the SANFL are equally frustrated and appear to have little influence over. This will not stop us from voicing our concerns and trying to modify it for the future. But for the time being we have to live with it, and we need to work extra hard to minimise its influence on our results. Now, more so than ever, all members and supporters need to continue to get behind Gavin and the team as they work towards turning the season around.

Murray Forbes

President