As communicated to you earlier this year, this season is to be my last as President of the Carlton Football Club, with my tenure officially concluding this week, whereby I will formally complete my extensive handover to incoming President, Luke Sayers.

I have full trust and confidence that Luke as President, and the Board of Directors, will continue the work of growing the entire football club, delivering on-field success for all our teams and importantly serving you, and all our members. Stability and managed succession are still the keys to the future success of this football club. 

I’d like to take this opportunity to personally thank you for the support and patience you have afforded me and the Board during my tenure.

With your support, and with a total unified club effort, by our Board, our players, our staff, our members and our commercial partners and sponsors, we have delivered:

• Record membership (81,302 members in 2021).
• Record sponsorship with multiple long-term, mutually beneficial partnerships that demonstrate a significant show of faith in the direction of our club. We are incredibly grateful for their support.
• A skills-based board with strong governance, strategy, succession and accountability.
• The establishment of a Reconciliation Action Plan.
• A flagship community program in Carlton Respects that raises awareness of gender equality for the prevention of violence against women.
• The establishment of a women’s team in the inaugural AFLW competition, an historic achievement for our Club.
• A club that for the first time since 1996 is debt free and no longer a financially assisted club of the AFL.
• A strong financial position that will enable us to continue to increase our investment in all our football programs.
• Record revenue including new, non-traditional revenue streams through Carlton IN Business and Carlton College of Sport, and;
• The largest infrastructure project for IKON Park, which will provide fully integrated, elite facilities for all our teams, better conditions for our members to watch games, and provide an interactive museum displaying our rich history. Ikon Park will continue to be the home of the Carlton Football club long into the future.

Despite these many achievements, the key objective and responsibility remains to deliver improvement in our on-field performances each year. To this point, the Club has undertaken a review of the football department with the key focus on our AFL team.

The independent, external panel last week provided an update to incoming President Luke Sayers and the Board. This update was part of the review process which remains ongoing and any further updates will be communicated to members in due course.

It’s been an honour and privilege to serve you and the Club over the past 12 years as a Director, and as President over the past eight years.

My focus has always been to do what is in the best interests of the Carlton Football Club.

Thank you for entrusting me with the role of President, it is a responsibility I have never taken for granted and I thank each and every member for their support.

Mark LoGiudice

President