Ricciuto to face fight for Crows board
The Adelaide Football Club board looks set to hold its first democratic election next month.
Under the club’s new constitution, two new directors will be elected by a ballot of members. A walk-up nominee will be former captain and Brownlow medallist Mark Ricciuto, who was last year appointed to a casual vacancy with the retirement of long-time board member Peter Hurley.
But despite being widely viewed as a driving force behind the Crows’ off-field machinations post-season – which saw coach Brenton Sanderson sacked and replaced by Power assistant Phil Walsh – Ricciuto’s ongoing tenure on the board won’t be rubber-stamped.
InDaily understands at least three further serious contenders have expressed their intent to stand for election, a process which requires nominees to be current club members and to garner the signatures of at least 10 other financial members.
Two of these have been described as “well-known” figures, the third a long-time club supporter.
Those satisfying the criteria will be elected by a ballot of the membership and appointed at the club’s long-delayed Annual General Meeting, which will be held at West Lakes on Wednesday, February 25.
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There was no AGM last year; it will be the first since December 2013.
Crows CEO Andrew Fagan told InDaily the February fixture “will become the norm”.
The winner of the ballot will be elected for a two-year term, the runner-up for one year, with one new director to be elected every subsequent year, in addition to the seven members (including chair Rob Chapman and Fagan himself) who make up the current board.
“It’s just reflective of the fact we’ve gained independence,” Fagan said.
“With the acquisition of our (own) AFL licence we no longer require those links with the SANFL. We don’t require SANFL approval or endorsement in any way, and nor do we require AFL endorsement (of) the two (elected directors).”
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Under the Crows’ new constitution, the AFL will ratify board appointments recommended by a “nominations committee” comprised of current directors.
Fagan says it’s “not inconsistent with (governance) models elsewhere in the AFL or other sporting clubs”, which suggests a club deliberately moving away from a board selection process long defined by the whims of powerbrokers and increasingly viewed by the membership as in need of overhaul.
“It’s symbolic of the fact we’re a membership-based organisation,” Fagan said.
“Members are such an important part of our operation (and) this is an opportunity to get quality people on the board, who are also supporters of our club … and ensure the skill sets of the board are necessary to deliver against our strategic objectives.”
One key objective, of course, is to maximise potential profit, with both local AFL clubs still locked in fevered negotiations with the Stadium Management Authority over a funding deal they consider lacklustre given the record attendances of 2014.
According to Fagan: “We’re seeking a commercial model that returns an appropriate amount of funds to each of the respective stakeholders.”
InDaily reported in November that Jay Weatherill himself had stepped in to help broker agreement, but one is still yet to be reached.
“It’s a long and complex process (but) we’ve made plenty of ground,” Fagan said.
“It’s not finalised yet but we’re a lot closer now than we’ve been. I’d like to think it will be resolved in the not too distant future.”
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