Good to see that we are trying to make some positive changes off field but it seems to me like a lot of that is just changing peoples job title, for similar jobs. Guess we will have to see if it worksEssendon restructure looks to the future
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Essendon Football Club recently completed a comprehensive study titled Football 2010. The study was commissioned by chief executive Peter Jackson in February this year, with the support of the Essendon board.
The brief was to analyse trends in national and international sport as well as the AFL to identify the most appropriate structure for the Essendon football department into the future.
"AFL football has changed dramatically over the past decade and by and large the structure of our football department has not changed with it. The time was right to carefully consider what our football department needs to look like moving forward so it reflects key areas of focus and the changing nature of the game," Essendon chief executive Peter Jackson said.
"We started this study back in February. This was about looking forward and ensuring this football team is as well prepared as it can be in 2007 and beyond. This study has identified what skills we have, what is the best use of them and where any gaps existed.
"By and large this is about a re-alignment of our existing skill set – it has not been a case of pouring money into additional resources. The recommended changes can be made at the completion of this season."
The study was undertaken by General Manager of Football Operations Dominic Cato and General Manager of Business Operations Travis Auld and overseen by chief executive Peter Jackson.
Key learnings and recommendations from this report have resulted in some changes to the structure of the football department. These changes have been made to address some gaps in the football department skill set and to also make better use of existing skills in the department.
The key changes are outlined below:
John Quinn will assume the role of High Performance and Training Services Manager and will be responsible for coordinating all elements of the playing list’s physical preparation.
Sports Science resources will be employed and report directly to John Quinn. The role of these resources will be to monitor and assist with the implementation of technological advancements that can assist in better preparation and development of the players.
Adrian Dodoro will be appointed List Manager and will also have a full-time recruiting resource reporting to him. Given the increasing number of draft picks coming from outside Victoria and the AFL’s development priorities in Queensland and NSW, it was decided additional resources were required to adequately source talent across all markets.
Matthew Knights has been appointed to the role of on-field Development Coach and will run a comprehensive program designed to assist with the development of players from year one to year three. He will not have a match day role with Essendon but will remain match day coach of the Bendigo Bombers.
A senior executive specialising in learning and development - reporting directly to the CEO - will be appointed in the near future. This role will sit across the entire club but will mainly focus on the developmental needs of players and coaches.
Essendon presently has 19 players under the age of 21 and that number will grow following the upcoming draft. It is the fourth youngest list in the AFL. There are also 23 players on the list of 44 that were born outside Melbourne and this trend is likely to continue at the upcoming draft. On the back of these numbers the Club felt it was important to provide more support to the playing group, and in particular these players.
Travis Auld will be appointed as Chief Operating Officer. This role will see him oversee management of the club’s related entities, salary cap management and player contract negotiations. He will also oversee football department processes.
David Calthorpe will assume the role of Team Manager. This role will see him look after all the day-to-day administrative matters related to football operations.
Dominic Cato, who previously filled the role as General Manager of Football Operations, will move into a senior commercial-based role that reflects his skill set.
Jackson, who along with John Quinn will accompany of group of seven young Essendon players on a leadership tour of Japan next month, says the appointment of a learning and development executive could have the biggest implications for the club moving forward.
"We have a responsibility to develop our players as people and we think that also has implications in terms of what they produce on match day. We have a very young list and it will only get younger after the upcoming draft," he said. "It is an innovative appointment that we think will have important ramifications."
Off field changes
Off field changes
From Official site.
Apparently this has been in the works since the start of the year. It's just basically creating a few new positions, and giving those at the club a very fancy job title. Let's hope it helps, especially removing some of the extra responsibility off people so that they can focus on their key area.
Last edited by danstar84 on Fri Sep 01, 2006 1:41 pm, edited 1 time in total.