Good evening and a warm welcome to the 140^th Annual General Meeting of the Essendon Football Club.

There is no doubt 2013 has been one of the most challenging and extraordinary years in our Club’s history.

In my short time as Chairman, I have been very impressed by the strength and loyalty of the Essendon family, particularly during the adversity of this year.

Our 2013 season was dominated by intense media speculation and scrutiny of our Club – most of the reporting has been understandably difficult to decipher and required separating fact from fiction. Many members and supporters have rightly asked, why we have not publicly told ‘our side of the story.’

The details surrounding what happened are complex and the sensitivities of the investigation and any legal ramifications, make it problematic to provide much of the information at this stage.

In addition, without a final report from ASADA, there are still specific details that remain unknown to the club. We also must protect our players’ confidentiality and respect the integrity of the investigation, which is still, to some extent, ongoing.

However based on the information we have to date, we remain confident that our players:

• did not ingest anything harmful to their bodies
• did not take anything illegal
• did not take anything that was ‘performance enhancing’.

Destructive remarks from the retiring head of WADA that infraction notices are still likely to be received by players and coaches are unfounded, as he stated this past weekend in the press ‘I have learned nothing in recent weeks to suggest one way or another, that is correct or incorrect’. 

Both the AFL and ASADA have reconfirmed in the past fortnight, that they have no knowledge of any pending issuance of infraction notices to the EFC.

As Fahey stated ‘I have no knowledge, nor do I want it. I steadfastly refuse to accept detail’ – so perhaps it is time for him to either provide some real evidence or desist from making these unfounded and unsettling allegations.

In relation to the mistakes made, we recognize that many of the practices and procedures in place at the Club during 2012/2013 were inappropriate and exposed our players to unacceptable risks.

We accept full responsibility for our failures and the sanctions handed down by the AFL, and sincerely apologise for allowing the club to be put in this position.

Tonight, I would like to address the matter relating to James Hird’s sanction and suspension.

It is acknowledged by the AFL, that any discussion relating to James Hird’s pay was not raised or included in the formal deeds signed by the AFL and the EFC in August of this year.

The EFC Board agreed at the time that if the AFL was to suspend James, as it ultimately did do, the Club would honour its contractual obligations, including his remuneration for the period of the suspension.

Subsequent to these agreements, recent intense media focus has required the Club to re-enter negotiations with the AFL to resolve this complex issue.  

In order to settle this potentially damaging disagreement, the EFC resolved to pay James his base salary for 2014 of $750,000, prior to the end of calendar 2013.  This arrangement complies with the AFL’s most recent requirement that James not be paid during 2014.

The AFL and Essendon are both satisfied, that the matter relating to James’ remuneration has now been resolved.

We look forward to welcoming James back to the Club at the end of his suspension in August next year.

I can also confirm however, that no similar request was made by the AFL for non-payment of salary, during Danny Corcoran’s four month suspension.

I would like to reiterate, that certain policies and procedures have been addressed within the Club to ensure the events of 2012/2013 do not reoccur.

We have implemented substantial reforms to our

• Medical protocols
• Corporate governance structures
• People management procedures across the club, including a new football executive

Lastly but most importantly, we are close to implementing a revised executive structure that will see the elevation of certain existing roles and the creation of new positions, to improve the overall strength of our management.

In particular, positions such as:

- Chief Operating Officer

- General Manager, Human Resources

- Compliance Manager

will give the Club greater management leverage and transparency, in the areas that were inadequately resourced previously.

As you are aware, we are currently in the process of appointing a new CEO. We have recently completed an exhaustive interview process of over 20 high quality candidates, and look forward to making an announcement soon.

In addition we have been actively ‘listening’ to our members and supporters to help shape the future direction of the club.

Naturally, there has been some cynicism about who at the Club has actually been listening, but I can tell you that the Board and the executive are listening to your feedback and taking it on board. 

‘EFC Listens’ is now permanently part of the Essendon website and we hope that you continue to share your thoughts with us.

There will be a number of opportunities in the coming months for members and supporters to visit the club, watch training, meet the players and generally be a part of the Essendon community.

We are all custodians of Essendon and we all have a responsibility and a duty to enrich our great club for future generations.

We will not let the events of this year and last year define our club – we have 140 years of impressive history behind us and we must and will continue to enhance this legacy.

Our loyal and passionate members are currently signing up in record numbers and rallying around the club this year. We are confident that we can exceed our target of 60,000 members in season 2014. 

Already this year, we are 10% up on previous years and will go close to breaking through 40,000 members by Christmas.

There is no better way for anyone to show your support for our Club, than to be an active member.

We all have a role to play - directors, administrators, players, and members – we’re all ambassadors for our Club and our brand.

There is no better example of this than our players - who achieved so much during 2013 and continued to remind us all year, why we love the Bombers and why we love this great game.

It’s very clear to me that the essence of Essendon is alive and well, strong and resilient. And, there are a number of positives about which we should be excited.

We have moved in to the True Value Solar Centre at Melbourne Airport - a best practice training and administration facility, with multi generational growth opportunities.

The True Value Solar Centre will help us attract the best people to our club and provide the players with the quality resources and opportunity to succeed on and off the track.

I would like to take this opportunity to again thank our members and supporters who have donated to our Flight Plan campaign, the funds of which are solely for the construction and fit-out of this new high performance training facility.

Over the last three months, the Club has reduced this related debt by over $1 million dollars. This could not be done without the enormous generosity of our members and ongoing support of our key sponsors.

From a financial perspective the club remains in a sound position, but we still have a lot of hard work ahead of us to reduce the remaining debt as quickly as possible.

We have an invigorated and focused coaching group with Simon Goodwin, Matthew Egan, Nathan Bassett and Neil Craig working alongside senior coach Mark Thompson for the 2014 season.

We have an exciting and quality playing group, led by our inspirational captain Jobe Watson.

Our recruiting team has secured Paul Chapman under free agency and added another exciting batch of Baby Bombers to the Essendon playing list.

We look forward to hearing from Bomber Thompson shortly when he will introduce our new recruits to members.

In 2013 we won 14 games for the season, the most since 2002. The development of the team has provided a wonderful base to improve further again next year.

We believe our game plan and brand of football, combined with our emerging team, is capable of not only competing against the best teams but also beating them.

Currently a large group of our players are taking part in a high altitude training camp in Boulder, Colorado.

We all agree that the Club is bigger and more important than any one individual. In order to prosper within an environment of intense and often critical scrutiny, everyone, without exception, must present a cohesive message of a, strong, capable and well managed football club.

Our young and talented playing group deserve and require this level of professionalism, so that they are able to focus solely on playing their best football for this great club.  

Teamwork, both on and off the field, is required if we are to achieve our ambitious goal of working towards our 17th premiership.

My involvement thus far and throughout 2014 will be to remain very hands-on, in order to ensure a level of rigour and discipline throughout the organisation.  In addition, I believe that building a level of trust, which starts at the Board and permeates down through all staff, including coaches and players, is vital in creating a culture of transparency, belief and hope.

Both on and off the field, our Club has enjoyed very strong support in 2013.

I would like to thank the Board for their time and wisdom over what has been a very demanding year. Shortly, we will welcome our newly elected Board member, former premiership player and equal games record holder, Simon Madden. We will also declare Phil Pryor re-elected to the Board for another term.

Congratulations to Simon and Phil Pryor on their election.

Thank you also to our first 18 – your great support and shared vision for the next generation of Essendon supporters, is a critical investment in the future of our club.

Thank you to our wonderful coterie groups including the Essendonians, Diamond Dons, Red & Blacks, Lawdons, Collins St Dons, Essendon Woman’s Network and Emerging Leaders.

I’d like to pay tribute to our loyal sponsors and commercial partners, who have been unwavering in their support of the club this year.

In particular, to our co-major partners, Kia Motors Australia and Fujitsu General – we look forward to a successful 2014 season together.

In conclusion, the future of our highly successful football club is dependent upon our willingness as a group to work together and trust one another.

We can and will rebuild our culture and brand, but at no stage should we ever forget our extraordinary tradition and our determination for future success.

Many challenges lie ahead, but if we embrace these challenges we can realize our premiership dreams.

Finally, ladies and gentlemen, as Board members we are here at the pleasure of the membership, which is not a position we take for granted.

We thank you for your ongoing support and confidence in us – now more than ever we need your continued loyalty.

I wish you all a safe and happy Christmas and look forward to seeing you at the footy in 2014

Go Bombers.