Colless announced at the May board meeting that he would not seek re-election beyond his current term.

Pridham, 46, has served on the Swans Board for the past 12 years.

Andrew McMaster will continue as Deputy Chairman of the Club.

Colless said that he was delighted that the two most senior positions on the board are to be filled by sitting board members.

“We place a high premium on Board members, senior management, and coaching and support staff having a strong understanding of the club’s culture and values. We believe this is best achieved by, if you like, people serving a genuine apprenticeship,” he said.

“I’m sure the handover will occur as smoothly as the Paul Roos/John Longmire transition did.

“Having said that, it is important that our supporters and stakeholders fully understand that there is no complacency within the Board and the club as a whole.  We remain totally committed to continual improvement in all facets of our activities.  To do otherwise is a guarantee for mediocrity,” Colless said.

This announcement marks the first time that the iconic doll has attached itself to a sporting profession.

Netball Australia CEO Kate Palmer stated that “with Barbie’s popularity worldwide, she brings a wealth of international experience and star quality to netball in a partnership that will further entrench netball’s standing as the most popular female team sport in Australia.”

To help launch the Barbie Netball Star doll, Netball Australia will host in-store appearances at leading retailers in NSW, Victoria and Qld, where Australian Netball Diamonds players will be in attendance.

Image: netball.asn.au

The new deal will guarantee that eight All Whites and six Football Ferns matches will be screened live to Kiwi fans between June and November, including qualification matches for the 2014 World Cup as well as key friendlies after the qualification period.

Previously, NZ Football has had to pay big fees for games to be televised, which is a large part of the reason why the current model for football in NZ is proving ineffective.

The major problem with the current system is the lack of ticket sales compared to the cost of home games. As a result there is a reliance on transfers from an “International Teams Activity Reserve”, which was set up in 2010 after a $10 million windfall in 2010 World Cup prizemoney.

The initial reserve of $2.5m is down to $400,000 after $828,000 was moved onto the books in 2011 and $1.2m in the last financial year.

CEo of NZ Football, Grant McKavanagh, is hopeful that with new TV deals, the deficit which is being created in NZ football can be eroded and there will be less reliance on reserve funds.

McKavanagh is also reviewing the organisation’s entire operational structure; “It hurts, there’s no question. Our goal is to minimise the deficit that is created by international teams,” he said.

“I want us to be self-sufficient this year, but it’s not easy.

“The key for us is getting people to the home internationals; we’re only selling about 15-20 per cent of seats for games. That’s what kills us.”

McKavanagh said the deal with Sky should help NZ Football tackle the cost of hosting internationals, creating more advertising and promotional opportunities and alleviating considerable fees.

“I can’t go into details, but the new deal with Sky puts us in a position where we feel there’s respect on each side in terms of payment,” he said.

“Now, it’s turned around so that they pay us. Sky wants subscriptions and one-off games don’t do that. We need to go to them with a package and are selling in six-month lots. Now they can advertise as the home of New Zealand football.

“If we do make it to Brazil our financial health is guaranteed for another four years, but the key is still a sustainable business model.”

Image: stuff.co.nz

A recent chance encounter with a larger-than-life Aussie (and a good friend) in New York City at a 38^th Street tavern ironically named ‘The Australian’, led to conversation on a topic that universally stimulates and brings out our inner passions …. Sport!

In a bar surrounded by Collingwood memorabilia, continual old Grand Final replays and Fosters Lager on tap, John May stood before me …. not a household name but the man who helped engineer, direct and grow one of Australia’s greatest clubs in the dawn of a changing sporting landscape… the Collingwood Football Club (CFC).

In 1996 the CFC appointed John May CEO, and from there, along with Kevin Rose, Tony Shaw and later Eddie McGuire, he helped to transform the team and support crew into the Collingwood Army of today. John has also been CEO of the Australian Baseball Federation and is current North American President of Australian software company Hansen Technologies (ASX: HSN). Our conversation went on to explore his background, his thoughts on the current game, free agency, the link between sport and business (if there is one)… and how US sport operates!

John never sought out a varied career, so a lot of his early background was “pretty much straightforward commercial”.

Surrounded and mentored by two particular men with varying interests and commercial prowess John learnt how to impose himself on the commercial world and develop his skill set to ensure longevity in an industry that takes no prisoners. His mentor in his early commercial life was a man by the name of Bob Lapointe. “Bob was a Canadian who introduced a number of successful franchises into Australia and was also a big Horse Racing identity … he was a great person to work for and a great mentor”. Lapointe is probably best known for his commercial nous, bringing franchises KFC, Pizza Hut, Sizzler and the Lone Star Steakhouses to Australia and for the past 40 years has owned and run ‘Musoka Farm’, a horse training centre in NSW, playing mentor to John Hawkes, Brain Mayfield-Smith and Jim Cassidy.

Succeeding Bob in the development of John May, the commercial businessman, was Clive Schlee. This change came about via the sale of some of Bob’s business to Jardine Matherson. “Jardines were a big British conglomerate involved in everything from fast food and supermarkets to property in Hong Kong and pineapple plantations in Hawaii, and Clive helped fine tune me commercially.” Schlee is the current CEO of Prêt à Manger (ready-to-eat), a UK formed company with global success in gourmet ready-to-eat fast food (in 2011 there sales were close to 380million pounds).

An innocuous lunch in Melbourne proved the turning point in John’s pathway into sport. “I was moved around geographically with Jardine’s spending time in Vancouver, British Columbia and parts of Asia. They were just about to move me to Hong Kong when Hong Kong was about to be handed over to China (July 1997). In hindsight it was a very uneventful handover, but there was a great deal of uncertainty surrounding this move particularly for me with a young family of 3 kids. Through an organisation called YPO (Young Presidents Organisation) I was invited to

lunch with some gentlemen who at the time were high powered selections and recruitment agents. Unbeknown to me at the time this conversation about sport, business and the like was somewhat of a blind audition for the CEO position at the Collingwood Football Club, which one of the attendees had the role of finding!!”

Formal conversations followed and John (who never really rated himself a chance) got the call that put him in charge of the best known sporting club in Australia. “Collingwood had a lot of off-field type issues that I felt I could address to provide value to the club, with my commercial background and experience. Upon reflection it was one of those positions that gave me some of the best years of my life … and the worst … all rolled up into one”.

John, himself a keen Collingwood supporter, looked at his new position as his dream job.

“Collingwood was at a very different stage to what it is now. We were at a very much-loved but ageing facility called Victoria Park, we owned a school that owed more money than it was worth, owned houses adjacent to the ground with views of expansion of the ground, while at the same time we had a football department with a need to rejuvenate their squad.

“Walking into an environment that was outdated and stranded in the past, John along with Collingwood legends Kevin Rose and Tony Shaw, and football industry expert Gubby Allen, commenced the process with much enthusiasm … and some trepidation.

“A former CFC board had had a vision of where they were going to expand Victoria Park, so they’d bought up houses directly adjacent, they’d bought up the old school and they wanted to convince anyone who would listen of their plans to redevelop Victoria Park. This however came at a time where plans were in place to build the stadium over at the Dockland, and the AFL had already adopted a strategy of ground rationalisation, which all proved too great a challenge for the CFC team. This led to a number of directors whom had formed a good relationship (the late Peter Hammond, and current CFC VP Jack Kennedy) with the MCC to set up a very good deal for Collingwood at the MCG”.

All of this was prior to arguably the most significant change to the Club this century, the arrival of Eddie McGuire as the Collingwood President, and what followed was the collective power and influence that then took the Club to another level.

Sport and business can be seen to go hand-in-hand but often the contest is lost in the eyes of a Club in its pursuit of financial prowess. Melbourne Football Club president Don McLardy (recently resigned) boasts about the club making a profit 4 years in a row… but what have they achieved in the last 4 years from a ladder point of view? 16^th, 12th, 13th & 16^th and currently sitting in 17^th. I asked John his thoughts on chasing the bottom line at the risk of losing site of the main prize… premierships.

“Very interesting question and I’ve debated this point with people, both in sport and business. Everyone talks about sport as a business which it is, but it is a very unique business. You only need to look at the number of failed presidents and CEO’s that have been very successful business people. Whilst they may have tried to bring the same type of successful approach and discipline that they had adopted in business to sport, it has not worked for a number of reasons. Most businesses have a commercial imperative, so it’s about making margin or growing the business and there is some financial element to it…. in sport the ultimate is to win a championship, a title, a premiership … generating revenue is about supporting that but it’s not in itself the outcome”.

He added “The reality is you can see evidence everywhere of clubs that are very successful financially and I’m not just talking AFL. Baseball is a very interesting example, as there are a number of teams in MLB that are very profitable teams particularly as one of the things that makes them profitable is they really do have strong disciplines with what they do with player payments, support staff or other key expenditure. While this approach can make them financially strong, it doesn’t make them particularly competitive. This is why big sporting club issues such as equalisation of TV rights, equalisation of merchandise, disbursement of profits through the league etc. are always such hot topics. So I think the first thing to recognise when you set out in a sport is to start with a very clear objective …. And making money is really about supporting the objective. Nobody wants to support a club that is wealthy but has a poor record, hasn’t won a premiership or a trophy for many years… but by the same token everyone understands that to remain in the competition and be competitive you’ve got to have the revenue that supports your goals”.

John’s foray into sport didn’t end with football. He was courted by the Australian Baseball Federation (ABF) and offered the position of CEO in 2007. Baseball in Australia is hardly a headline act and has only recently seen airtime on various television networks.

“When my time at Collingwood was done, I was very keen to put sport behind me and get back in to a commercial business, how I came to work for Hansen, and to get back into some overseas assignments. After returning back to Australia some years later, I got involved with Baseball which was almost the other extremity to AFL. Baseball is a huge sport worldwide, in fact behind soccer I think it is the most participated sport in the world in terms of number of countries involved (Top 10). Working with the ABF we managed to secure the support of the MLB (Major League Baseball) which is the equivalent of what the AFL is to Australia. With the support of the Australian Sports Commission, we endeavoured to take baseball, probably a second or third tier sport in Australia, and grow and develop it further, as well as giving opportunity to talented kids to take their game overseas”.

John didn’t set out with a goal to make baseball our nation’s top sport but he envisaged a system that could support athletes in making baseball a career and an achievable dream for potential aspirants. Baseball is a unique sport to devote time to, especially in Australia where it doesn’t rank all that highly as a supporter based sport, and I asked John what the major challenges were and what he wanted from Baseball in Australia.

“Our ambition was never to take over from AFL, Rugby, Netball, Soccer etc… it’s quite remarkable the number of athletes that sign an AFL contract for instance but at some point have also been extremely talented basketballers, cricketers and even baseballers. Recent Gold Coast recruit Sam Day had to pick between two sports (AFL & Baseball), Ian Chappell was a great baseball player as were his brothers. There is a lot of competition for these elite junior athletes, and in Australia all of the major sports are competing for the same athletes. That is always a challenge for second tier sports, just how you continue to feed these major competitions and how you can open avenues for a professional or international sports career.

“The key aspect is really about participation! That’s probably an area where baseball as a participation sport can really play a role. These high endurance, high impact sports have a time limit on how long you can play them for… whereas baseball (and softball) you can play to any age, and so therefore can have a lifelong active involvement with the sport.  Additionally, it involves all the facets of fitness, motor skills for development with kids, easy to manage in schools… all those sort of things that can make the difference between local or national support that are key decision points… so from a participation perspective and the linkage between participation and development of national and international competitions, it’s probably well positioned but there is a lot of competition for participation and for the elite athletes.

“It is also important to remember, that while MLB has been great, we also have a lot of kids in American universities on scholarships and as well as players throughout Asia and Japan playing the sport. With the MLB pumping a reasonable amount of money not only in to the ABF and the national league (ABL) but into our National Academies promoting further growth and development, its helping to generate a bit more exposure and awareness for kids that want to take up the game and see where it takes them”.

Corporate governance and the structure of a sporting organisation are crucial for the planning, implementation and support of sustainable development. Before the current AFL commission (est. 1993) there was a commission made up of representatives from each club in the league. These members voted and were the controlling body in charge of progression. This commission dominated largely by Victorian based clubs had strong bias that perhaps impeded development, expansion, rules and direction. The handing over by this board of directors to the AFL commission we have today led by Ross Oakley changed the face and established a neutral, unbiased team with the Games, not the individual’s best interest at heart. John talks about the success of the AFL commission and the chances of AFL being accepted as a world game.

“From a distance, I’ll tell you something that I find quite amusing…. there are a whole range of issues where I think people and journos are pretty critical of the AFL and in particular the commission, including Andrew Demetriou and all those people involved. The reality is, whilst I’ve been out of the country for 2 and half years and out of sport for 5 or 6 years, I would argue that by any measure you want to use, including television deals, attendances, and standards of facilities… the sport of AFL has just continued to go from strength-to-strength… and I know people want to criticise it, because that’s just the nature of our country.

“The commission was set up to make independent decisions about the sport and take the parochialism out of the sport.  I mean you really only have to look at the Sydney Swans and the Brisbane Lions, as well as both the Adelaide and Perth teams to see the success of the National Competition.  Those expansions would never have happened under an old style of ownership model. What’s interesting about this point, is when you look at the MLB, MLB almost mimics the old style of the VFL (Teams where individually represented).  All of the MLB teams are owned by individual people and each of those individuals collectively owns the competition (MLB).  I believe that’s often why there are such challenges in getting things done, because you need the agreement of the majority on every issue.  Whereas AFL in particular has been able to really improve the structure of the sport, and of course there have been times when you don’t agree with a specific decision that the commission has made or the direction they are wanting to take, they are just people like everyone else and they are not perfect, but my word it’s been a successful sport and that hasn’t happened by accident.

“In terms of AFL being a world sport…I think the AFL has got the same issues that the NFL does, where they are both extremely popular within their own country but struggle to export the sport. NFL is arguably the most popular sport in America but if you look elsewhere they have had limited success. NFL tried to kick off a league in Europe, the CFL in Canada is running with moderate success, there have been Exhibition Games and Brand activities for spectacles in the UK, Japan and Australia, but it’s really hard to make those numbers work, commercially or growth wise. The AFL has the same issue. Yes there has been some activity in various locations around the world, but ultimately developing anything that is going to generate revenue or be a spectacle is a great challenge for both sports. For the AFL, the most successful thing that’s probably happened is the hybrid game between the AFL and the Gaelic Football as it has opened up the door for recruitment out of Ireland, probably its biggest achievement, but identifying it as successful much past that … would be a stretch.

“Living in New York City, the parochial crowd and its one-eyed support has a similar feel to how we support our teams in Australia. A heavy push towards television and a more media driven spectacle with a strong advertising preference has made professional sport in America an elitist and corporate driven event. It’s shutting out the dyed-in-the-wool fans and promoting inequality among the spectators”.

John talks about the type of support, the emphasis on television and the cost of attendance.

“Living in New York, I am fortunate in that I attend a lot of sporting events, and my thoughts on where they differ to Australia are that sport in the USA is largely a Television event.  While people still attend, it is really driven by television, while sport in Australia, particularly the AFL is still heavily positioned towards the spectator. The other very different factor, and particularly here in New York City, is that attendance is largely a corporate event. The average punter out in the suburbs really can’t afford to go to a game let alone take his family and kids to it.  In my opinion one of the things the AFL has done particularly well is to keep families engaged by keeping it affordable for Mum, Dad and the 2 kids to go along at a game. The AFL has continued to discount the kid’s tickets, realising that the connection to the sport is made at that young age. Here in the States, you go to Madison Square Garden and ask for a Child’s seat and they will just laugh at you… the concept doesn’t exist.

“The other observation when comparing the sport experience here in the USA, with Australia and in particular the AFL where you have 8 teams in the one state, is the difference of division between supporters.  If you go to Madison Square Garden to a New York Rangers game vs. the Boston Bruins you won’t see too many Boston fans there and those that are there are very brave people! I think that makes for a very different dynamic. Typically the home stadium is very much that and therefore probably carries a bigger advantage to what it does in AFL, and the crowd experience is very differently.  Personally I love attending Collingwood V Essendon games with my Essendon friends …particularly of late!”

Rich club vs. Poor Club, Free agency, trading and salary cap are all contentious issues and talking points in Australian sport. Everyone thinks they are getting a raw deal and there seems to be no single system that will make everyone happy.  John talks about the gap between success and failure in AFL and sport in general.

“There is a well known guy in Australian sport called Andrew Plympton. Andrew is a former president of the St Kilda football club, as well as a member of the Australian Olympic Committee, and he is (or was) the President of Sailing Australia. He is one of those rare individuals who has been involved in sport in a number of different levels for many years. I’ll never forget his speech one day at a Sports Commission think-tank workshop… everyone had an opportunity to get up and give their view on sport and ways to stay competitive” … he walked to the microphone and said “It’s all about the money” and then sat down.

He was absolutely right, if you really boil it down…

“Why did England win so many more medals at the Olympic Games than they had in the past? Because they spent more money on programs, coaching, athlete retention and a range of other activities than ever before. Why do the New York Yankees win championships? Because they spend more money on players than most other teams! That’s not to suggest you have to spend the most money to win, but it certainly makes your chances much much greater and over a longer term it will impact success. While the AFL has tried to equalise the competition by introducing salary caps (baseball does not have a cap) what they don’t cap is what the clubs spend on all the other support mechanisms around it. The coaches, facilities, pre-season training camps in Arizona, specialists in particular fields… they are all things that create an advantage and we are talking about sport where 0.2 seconds can be the difference between winning a gold medal and not placing at all! A ball that hits the post can be the difference between a premiership and nothing. Sport is a game of inches/cms, all the little things count, so I think there is a strong link between the amount of money a club spends and the success that comes from it. No doubt”

We moved on to talking about supporting a club and members being pivotal in future success, John gave his views on longevity and the reality that lack of success has more of an impact in the future than it does at the time. You see in the EPL teams like Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool always up the top, but we never hear of the fans from lesser teams like Everton, West Ham, Aston Villa and the like, complaining that will never compete for the title… so what creates a supporter?

“In terms of longevity, I don’t think it is the supporters of today that are the issue… the reality is that you support a team like Geelong (AFL), who had a few lean years… they teased their supporters a bit when they thought they were going to get one (89, 92, 94, 95 Grand Finals), and then nothing… then lately they’ve had a good run (07, 09, 11 Premierships … 2013?). So that part of when you pick a team, it becomes part of your personality and if you’re fair dinkum about it you ride the waves and the good and bad that comes with it. For some people there can be long periods without much joy… for example if you follow St Kilda, premiers in 1966 (when they robbed one from the Pies), there are a lot of supporters today that weren’t around to see that, but that doesn’t mean you abandon ship and change clubs.

I think the bigger impact, and the more interesting topic, is on the new generation of supporters … kids. Kids growing up certainly do focus more on those clubs that are successful… and you only have to remember how you chose to follow a Football club. You are either brought up with your parents telling you which club you need to support (all my kids are Collingwood supporters of course!!) or through the influence of kids at school or all those other influences (success) you choose a team, and it’s typically one that is successful at the time”.

“I would suspect that you can almost group (if we are talking about Australia) all of the age groups that are Hawthorn supporters and see that they were born around the success the club had during the period of the 80’s, all the Essendon supporters during their success, all the Melbourne supporters around their success and you know the Brisbane Lions and Geelong Cats nowadays. There is little doubt that the biggest influence is on kids and clubs making themselves attractive to them. That’s where the lesser clubs are going to have significant issues later on”.

This article raises more questions than it does answers with views from the outside rails from a man who once had the inside running.

John May has a tremendous passion for AFL, Baseball and sport in Australia and his views and insight gave a different perspective on Sport and Business and the compatibility of them both. His views on the struggle for equality in off-field expenditure and insight into the ability of the AFL to take steps toward a neutral unbiased governing body, emphasise the fact that the structure and discipline we need in Business is also essential in sport.

As he says, kids are the lifeblood of all clubs, they are the future and the ones that will build on the culture established by members and supporters before them.  Harnessing their support and building an organisational environment that is transparent in its operation and hell bent on the betterment of the team, is crucial if clubs are to be viable and prosperous for generations to come.

Cash remains king in professional sport but the importance of victory still reigns supreme. The money spent by a club is merely the means by which they strive to make themselves competitive on the field. Ultimately we want our teams to be winning and to be in a position where they are building towards or are in the window of success. Professional sporting organisations will always be competing with one another to secure the best athlete available, the real challenge they face is making their organisation appealing to that athlete in an effort to turn inches into miles.

Will the cost of attendance drive away the spectator?

Ticket prices are slowly increasing, will it get to a point where the price of being a spectator freezes out the average punter from watching the contest in its purest format (Live at the venue), or will we succumb to the Americanised system where Corporates dominate attendance and the majority watch from the lounge room or help finance the publican’s kids education?

You only have to read what John is saying to understand that change is inevitable and the nature of the beast. It is imperative to adapt and have one eye on the future in order to maintain a viable direction and attract the support and commitment of all stakeholders, from the kids at the grass roots to the media and marketing departments that fund future development.

The sport of AFL and sport in general will continue to grow and we will all move forward with the changes and watch Australian sport become a powerhouse across all codes and disciplines, and we will always demand the best from our athletes and strive for constant praise from international rivals. Sport has become more professional and as more educated and experienced people become involved within sport, our stocks will rise and ensure Australia punches above its weight and remains at the forefront of success.

The thrill of the contest should always be the spectacle … and not the behind-the-scenes politics and positioning to provide it.

Image: theaustraliannyc.com

Through the tournament’s relationship with the City of Greater Bendigo, the ITTF Oceania Cup will be staged in the city until 2015, while funding from the State Government of Victoria will ensure the event meets international standards.

“Table tennis sponsorships have worked particularly hard for us in the past, with K-Sports having sponsored last year’s Australian Table Tennis Open,” said XiaoDan Cao the Managing Director of K-Sports. “We’re looking forward to seeing the cream of the region play against each other. With Olympians also taking part, the event should be a thriller from start to finish.”

Michael Brown, Oceania Development Officer, added: “We’re proud of the roster of sponsors that have been secured for this year’s event.

“We have been working with each of them prior to the event, and will work with them during the event, to ensure we give them the value they are looking for from the sponsorship.

“There are still sponsorship opportunities available, and we are looking to establish partnerships that will provide good returns on sponsorship over the upcoming three year period.”

The International Table Tennis Federation has also announced agreements with other sponsors, including DHS (official equipment supplier), Tinsue (official sports flooring supplier) and CVGT Australia.

The K-Sports 2013 ITTF Oceania Cup will be staged at Bendigo Stadiumfrom 30 June – 2 July, and will be broadcast on Foxtel. The prize fund for the event stands at $20,000AU, making it the premier event on the table tennis calendar in the region.

The key pillars of the campaign include match-day commentary from Roy and HG, a social media feed and consumer promotions.

Roy and HG will offer alternative commentary on the Wallabies Test games (June 22, 29 and July 6) via an App, ‘Samsung Stadium’, which also provides rugby fans with access to exclusive content and the ability to interact with other rugby fans, especially during the three main fixtures.

Fans will also be able to tap into an exclusive rugby social media feed to keep them connected with what’s being said about the action around the world in real time. The Samsung Stadium social media stream will feature comments and posts from rugby experts, players and fans to ensure everyone is part of the conversation.

“We set out to understand what experiences Samsung could enhance for Rugby fans via our capabilities in technology and innovation. Our research revealed that 65 per cent of Rugby fans who were likely to watch the Lions Tour were in fact interested in an option for an alternative commentary during the game” said Arno Lenior, Marketing Director – Samsung Electronics Australia.

“Roy and HG have become synonymous with major sporting events in this country and we’re thrilled to have them head-up our campaign to support the Wallabies during the British and Irish Lions Tour. I’m looking forward to hearing what Roy and HG have to say about the games and I know fans will want to hear their comedic perspective on the action, the controversies, the big hits and everything else that happens on the field.”

Interim President Peter Spargo said “On behalf of the Board of the Melbourne Football Club, I would like to sincerely thank Don McLardy for his profound contribution to the Club over the past five years.  Don stepped up during a very difficult time for our Club during Jim’s illness. Don has always focused on the Club first in all aspects of our life. As President, Don and his family have fully committed themselves to the Club and Don was the key orchestrator of the Foundation Heroes program, a program which today has over 460 members.”

In addition, Board member Stuart Grimshaw has today tendered his resignation effective immediately.  Grimshaw joined the board in 2008 and has been a key member of the Finance and Audit Committee.

Spargo said on Grimshaw’s resignation; “I’d like to pay tribute to Stuart Grimshaw who today stood down as a Board member.  He made it clear earlier this year he would have to step aside given other commitment as CEO of Bank of Queensland and President of Hockey Australia. Although Stuart is leaving, his passion for Demons will always continue and we thank him for his outstanding service.”

Furthermore, Spargo noted that “the Board has appointed Board member John Trotter, a former managing partner of Deloitte, to evaluate current board processes and structures, the composition and skill of the board and assess the overall performance.”

“We see this as a critical process in the rejuvenation of the Melbourne Football Club Board. As part of this rejuvenation, the Board will search for the very best people to take our club forward.”

“John Trotter will present key findings and recommendations to the board at the July meeting.”

“Mr Jackson was very forthright in his assessment of the current status of the club and the overall impact on the AFL competition as a whole,” Mr Demetriou said.

“We received an outline of the fundamental reconstruction of the club.

“In principle, the AFL Commission will support the club in its reconstruction and we will use the next few weeks to work through the issues identified by the club including the level of financial support required to turn around its fortunes.

“Any support provided by the AFL will be highly conditional,” Mr Demetriou said.

“We want Melbourne to be a strong, vibrant football club and we are committed to doing all we reasonably can to ensure Melbourne returns to a level of performance which its supporters and members deserve”.

Coupling this important meeting for the Melbourne Football Club was the announcement that President Don McLardy was resigning from the club.

In a statement released by the club, McLardy said; “There are two main reasons for this difficult decision. From a personal perspective, the imminent partial sale of my business, the success of which depends on the next 12 months performance, means I cannot continue to dedicate the time and effort required to what is an extremely challenging role. This was a factor in my standing down as Chairman of the Reach Foundation last week, which most of you would be aware has been my other great passion.

“However, just as important is the recognition that our club as a whole is not performing as we expected, and as explained in my President’s speech on Monday change is required and members deserve to see a clear path forward for our club with new leadership, direction and energy as soon as possible.”

Mr Demetriou acknowledged the contribution to the club of Mr McLardy as President;

“Don became President in very difficult circumstances following the passing of his close friend Jim Stynes and at a time when the club has dealt with a number of challenging issues on and off the field,” Mr Demetriou said.

“Don has started to bring about significant change at Melbourne and we wish to thank him for his contribution to the club during a very difficult period in its history”.

For the first time in the history of Major League Baseball (MLB), the opening games of the season will be played in Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). This  announcement marks the first time that a MLB match has been played in Australia and the sixth time that the opening games of the season has been held outside the USA.

The two teams competing in the the season opener will be National League West rivals the Los Angeles Dodgers and the  Arizona Diamondbacks.

The teams will play two games, scheduled for March 22nd and 23rd at the SCG, and it is hoped that through this event, the MLB brand and organisation can continue to grow and expand into new markets.

MLB commissioner Bud Selig said, “The globalisation of our game continues to be paramount to Major League Baseball, and Australia is an essential part of our long-term efforts to grow the sport. We look forward to writing an exciting new chapter in international baseball history at the historic Sydney Cricket Ground next March.”

Sandra Chipchase, the CEO of Destination New South Wales is adamant that this announcement is great news for “the most beautiful and exciting city in the world.” Chipchase added; “We expect over 10,000 international and interstate visitor nights for Sydney, as fans from across the world come to watch these amazing teams play”

The two games are anticipated, by Destination NSW, to gross around AUS$13 million for the region.

MLB’s international expansion follows the lead of the other two US major leagues. The National Basketball Association has played regular season and exhibition games in Europe for several years and will embark on its most global pre-season tour, taking in China, Brazil, Europe and the Philippines, this autumn. The National Football League (NFL), meanwhile, has played regular season games in London since 2007, with two competitive games will be played at Wembley Stadium this year.

Image: sportschatplace.com

This week’s round 12 clash between the Western Bulldogs and Collingwood Football Clubs will see Melbourne-based law firm Slater & Gordon appear as the naming rights sponsor for the match.

The purpose of this new sponsorship is to pay tribute to and highlight the struggles and importance of people with disabilities.

Both the Bulldogs and Collingwood are seeking to use this weekend’s clash as a stepping stone for an annual event recognising the contribution made by people with disability to the local Melbourne community.

It is not just the Bulldogs who are supporting those with a disability, in fact, all of the Melbourne-based teams are using this weekend’s game to align themselves with this cause and to give recognition and support to both club members and the general public with disabilities.

Bulldogs chief executive Simon Garlick said “we want to see people with a disability included equally everywhere in the community and what better way is there to do this on a Sunday afternoon than at the footy”.