Essendon Football Club is pleased to announce General Manager of The Long Walk, Leanne Brooke, and List and Recruiting Manager, Adrian Dodoro, have been elevated to the Club’s Executive Team.
Leanne is a proud Gunditjmara/Kirrae Wurrung woman and her expanded role will oversee the responsibility of General Manager The Long Walk and Indigenous Affairs for the Executive and broader Club.
CEO, Xavier Campbell, said Brooke’s elevation reinforces Essendon’s commitment to reconciliation and promoting, developing and empowering Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
“Leanne is a wonderful addition to the Club’s Executive, she brings great passion and experience in delivering positive outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people,” Campbell said.
“Leanne’s elevation is an acknowledgement of her expertise, as well as a reflection of her hard work and success with The Long Walk and its many powerful community education programs.”
“Leanne will provide direction and advice on indigenous affairs, player welfare, community programs and support across our Next Generation Academies, as well as leading the Executive team to successfully deliver the Club’s forth Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP).”
“Our Club has a long and proud history of using the power of football to promote reconciliation and improve Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander wellbeing, employment and education, and Leanne’s elevation will help us continue to influence meaningful outcomes for our nation’s first people.”
Brooke will report into General Manager Community, Academies and Women’s Football Development, Darren Harris.
As part of Adrian Dodoro’s elevation to the Executive Team, he has been promoted to the position of General Manager List and Recruiting.
Campbell said Dodoro is a welcome addition to the Executive team.
“Adrian is an incredibly passionate Essendon person who is an expert in the field of recruiting, but also has a strong business growth mindset and we feel he can add real value when it comes to growing new revenue streams outside of our traditional frameworks,” Campbell said.
“Adrian’s key focus will remain retaining and recruiting elite football talent, and building and managing our list strategy, but we believe he can play a crucial role in helping the Club achieve its objectives in respect to growing women’s football pathways, Next Generation Academies and the growth of our commercial assets.”
Dodoro will report into General Manager of Football, Dan Richardson.
Essendon Football Club Executive Team:
Chief Executive Officer – Xavier Campbell
Chief Operating Officer – Kevin Dixon
Chief Marketing Officer – Justin Rodski
General Manager Community, Academies and Women’s Football Development – Darren Harris
General Manager Commercial Operations – Brenton Humphreys
General Manager People and Culture – Lisa Lawry
General Manager Corporate Services – Chris Pehlivanis
General Manager of Football – Dan Richardson
General Manager The Long Walk and Indigenous Affairs – Leanne Brooke
General Manager List and Recruiting – Adrian Dodoro
