Full Transcript for INTERVIEW: Christopher Fitridge, George Fiacchi, Rob Snowdon - 28 November 2024

to make sure that your concerns are brought to the board's attention. Being that member sitting in the stands amongst you all, I can hear that discontent that the members have with the board, and I want to make sure that the club is held accountable for its decisions. I'll also have the members at the forefront of my mind when it comes to decision making and be transparent as I can with you our members with board issues. Furthermore, I've not been on the board before, I have no relationship with any other board member. I think that it gives me a point of difference and will therefore be someone fresh on the board with fresh ideas that can hopefully take the club in a positive direction, with that end goal being a premiership. I would appreciate your vote. Members. 00:03:44 Speaker 1: Oh well, don Christopher, fantastic stuff. My end did it in fifty eight seconds. Well done mate. If we're talking efficiencies outstanding. 00:03:52 Speaker 3: There you go Christopher. 00:03:56 Speaker 1: In the election. 00:03:58 Speaker 2: Thank you very much. 00:04:00 Speaker 1: X candidate This a former board member and seven time premiership player of Port Adelaide. George fi Archie joins us. Welcome George. 00:04:08 Speaker 3: Oh great to talk to you. Tim. 00:04:11 Speaker 1: Make sure you tell the truth here, mate, don't tell lies. 00:04:14 Speaker 3: You've just started with one. I'll make sure. I don't think I've ever called you Tim before. 00:04:18 Speaker 4: In my life. 00:04:19 Speaker 1: No, I don't think so either. Right, Yeah, down to business. You are a forward former board member. Why are you renominating? 00:04:28 Speaker 3: Look I've been off the board for five years and look at that time, I think it's changed. But I think the most important thing is that you know when I was there last time, I thought you. After I gave took over, I thought, oh look David get me back on and as just to come me onto the board. But he's made it pretty clear that if you're a past play you have to come through the members vote, so which is yeah, I thought it was a little bit silly, but that's the only way I can get on the board. So I decided you have to dominate to the board. 00:04:54 Speaker 1: In the five years you haven't been on, have you noticed anything that you'd like to get your teeth in. 00:05:00 Speaker 3: There's a few things that I think, yeah, that that needs to be looked at. I suppose the thing is, you know, when we were playing, we always spoke about this and there was always our motto there, but it was, you know, players win the ball, teams win games, clubs win premiership. So I think there's a real focus on the coach or the players are the only ones that can win premierships. That's just not the whole club of things, so whole club affair. So what I've really noticed is having a week makepile the maypole is finishing bottom. I think you've got to realize you can't when it's really hard to win a premiership. When you've got your second side not competitive and not not winning games, and not being able to develop players or have players to step into the into the AFL side. I think that's probably the thing. Number one goal is how can we improve them? Ap piles to make sure their performance is up there. And I'll use Britain as an example. Now, Brisbane's team finished third in the in the VFL, so that's sort of what you need. You need a team that's competitive. They can develop players and players they get dropped back are playing with good players so they can actually develop and keep some form and get back into the senior side. 00:06:05 Speaker 1: Port Adelaide Football Club's board. It's actually only a two member elect. What's the best model? 00:06:14 Speaker 3: Good question? Good question. Look, it depends on where you're at at the moment, but look, I think a two member elect is way too few. I think it probably needs to be at least whether they're not fifty to fifty close to so you know, whether it's five or four members elect. Yeah, because I do think you need to have a diverse board. You need to have certain skill sets, skill sets and a matrix that matches so that you've got not all pass players, not all football experts, but people that not all accounts in particular, but least people with different skill sets. I reckon probably flause the number, but you know, I think the other thing I think i'd like to change on the board at the moment I'll certainly be bringing it up. Is you can't have an in depth, citive period on the board at the moment. There are people on the board that have been there twelve, thirteen, sixteen years. I think you know, once you get to three terms forward rams, that's probably enough. You know you've had your time, You've done your thing, great service for the footy club. Let somebody else get in there and see if they can make a difference to a footy club as well. 00:07:15 Speaker 1: You've got one minute. Everybody's getting sixty seconds to pitch themselves about what they can do for the members. 00:07:20 Speaker 3: Go for it. Okay, well, look, probably what I'd like to do the members that you know, without repeating myself, is is I'd really like to put focused on the board on football. There's been a lot of distractions with the AFLW, which is fantastic by the way, you know, the facilities we've got, which is fantastic. We're actually financial. Now let's get back to footy. Let's make you for winning games. It doesn't just take one person. It's not just the coach's responsible to win premierships. It's all of us, the members, supporters, the board, the staff, everyone, so I'd like to get everyone together, and the one thing I'll do for members is put together a portal where people feel like they get listened to by a board member, so they've been independent. Portal put together where everyone can jump in, have their say, give us some great ideas, and if irrelevant, will actually escalate to management or will even escalate it to the board if

required. 00:08:08 Speaker 1: George, that's your sixty seconds. Thank you very much, appreciate your time. Now really onto the next candidate. Yeah, well it's Rob Snowden. 00:08:15 Speaker 2: He is up for re election a three year member elect Director. Rob. 00:08:21 Speaker 4: Welcome, Thanks Stephen, how are you? 00:08:23 Speaker 3: Yeah? 00:08:24 Speaker 2: Good, my man. 00:08:24 Speaker 3: Well I go again, Hey Rob. 00:08:28 Speaker 2: I go again. Yeah. 00:08:30 Speaker 4: Well, for one, I've actually enjoyed it. That's good, which is not a bad way to do it. I spent a lot of time around the club years ago and in between times. I've been around the club in various forms, helping when whenever needed. So I do enjoy it and I love our club. I'm very wedded to the place, but I also think I value you know, I bring fo fully experience in and operational I'm I'm pretty experienced director. I have been involved in business of all levels. And so I understand risk, finance and so on and so on in governance. But I really enjoyed the last couple of years in particular, whilst I've been across all the issues and all the strategies and everything we're looking at to keep growing the club, but I put some extra time, doubled down on the footy side of things. We spent a lot of time on footage. 00:09:28 Speaker 1: In that three years. Rob What would you like to continue on and what would you like to achieve in the next rate. 00:09:35 Speaker 4: Oh, it's a continuum. The club's getting bigger and bigger, and it's a complex industry. It's very competitive. So I think footing in particular, which is my love forty years of my life, and it's a continue We've just got to keep better and better. It's developing, enhancing the playing was, the coaching group, the off field side of the medical, the fitness, the whole thing. I love the strategy. You of all that and have spent a footy lifetime doing it. So I bring that and we'll continue to do that. But the other side of it is the sustainability. The club I think's in good shape. That's evidenced by the balance shot and the P and L and we are functioning quite well, but there's so much more to do. The other clubs are at us, at the players, that everything, so I think it's a continuum. So as far as my focus, it's broadly across the whole the whole base of managing our risks, generating new revenue, continuously looking at our facilities and finding alternative revenue sources. My lover is the footy and bringing an AFL feel of setting up footed programs which, as you guys know, have been around that in a long time. Swans and Port they tell me some success and. 00:10:56 Speaker 1: Rob, you're a member legged and there's only two of them, what do you think it's the best model. 00:11:02 Speaker 4: It's a good question with the board. I'm not representing the board in this discussion, but we are going to do There is a constitutional review on our agenda to look at things like that, to look at term of directors. It's really important to have the skills metrics in any board. You guys are involved in community and help on taritor boards and other things, so you've got to have the right mix of skills and also representation from the members. So the exact number the two at the moment, I think potentially is a bit thin. Is that for three or to four? I don't know, but but that'll that'll that'll be dealt with and it is on the agenda. I think too thin, I really do. But the overarching, my overarching answer is you've got to have the right skill set around the table. You can't don't have too many of one skill set and therefore be limited in another skill set. I think the gender balance is important. I think cultural balance is important as well as accounting lawyers and so on, and foot is important. And I think the voice of past players is important. They've been there, they've they've they've got the player's view of their footy clubs operate and then my skill set is for the operations operates, I guess the not the top down, but the whole of program. So so in itself the footy spills sets really important from all angles. 00:12:41 Speaker 1: Beautiful, here's your sixty second pitch, might tell the members? Why for Rob Snowden. 00:12:46 Speaker 4: Right, Well, yeah, I'm not sort of into the pitch. 00:12:50 Speaker 3: As I've said, I've been. 00:12:52 Speaker 4: Around footy, a f L footy a big part of my life. Led the development and embedding two pretty successful programs, both of which generated premierships. I do know and still well connected with IFL strategy, how to build, how to build a footy program, sustain a footy program. It is about a player list that's robust and vibrant and continually improved. You need, you need the best of everything else. You need quality coaching group. It's not just one person, it's the group. You need the best fitness, you need the best of everything. Boys. As you guys know, you've been there, and I bring that. To be brutally clear on it, I bring that. I've lived that, and I've I've delivered that to the board in my three years and I'm very comfortable with with with my expertise to improve, continually improve where we're at. 00:13:51 Speaker 1: Beautiful, Rob, Laura and Ron, thanks for your time, mate and Dull the best in the election. 00:13:55 Speaker 4: Thanks very much, boys, and all the best of you guys too, and have a merry Christmas and hope you get a bit of a yeah good back. 00:14:02 Speaker 1: So it was Rob Snowden, George v Archie and Christopher Fitbridge And if you are a member, you have to be a member to vote, of course. Just get onto the Port Adelaide website and you probably would have already got a email sent to you. I think it's called corp voting, and that's how you get on. And I think December fourth is the last day that you can vote, so make sure you get to it and vote