The club said Stephen Silvagni wanted to leave because of a conflict of interest with his boys playing there yet the media reported that there was a difference of opinion between him and Cain Liddle on potential players. What was the real reason SOS left the club? - Ben Motteram
Cain Liddle | Hi Ben, we were completely transparent with the messaging around Stephen's contract not being renewed.
To have the Club’s most senior list management staff member not take part in key discussions and decisions regarding the playing list and the broader operations of the football department became an increasingly challenging issue that was not in the best interests of the Carlton Football Club.
I am appalled by the Board decision to remove Stephen Silvagni from his position. Even more appalling was the decision to use his two son's as justification. The CEO has a lot to answer for as does the rest of the board. Is this how you treat the person who has rebuilt the list?? - Sash Nikolovski
Cain Liddle| Hi Sash, I accept and acknowledge that you are not happy with the decision. No-one is questioning the role that Stephen played in rebuilding the list. I and others at the Club have noted on many occasions the improvements that have been made. The easy decision would have been to let the situation continue which was not seeing the football department running at its optimal level. The much tougher decision is to bring someone else in who can play a part in all relevant decisions and discussions that take place within the football department.
Why has Stephen Silvagani's tenure been terminated early? This has upset our momentum and will impact our club's performance both on & off the field. This will cause an impact on membership also. This is a reflection of bad senior level management decisions which show disharmony within the club. - Morris
Cain Liddle | Hi Morris, Stephen’s tenure was not terminated early. His contract came to an end and the decision was made to not renew it. I accept some members may not be happy. I do however have great faith in our leadership, both on and off the field, within the football department, to ensure there is no on-field impact.
Can the CEO explain the reporting lines associated with all members of the list management team prior to the departure of Stephen Silvagni and if it is common practice for staff below CEO level to address the board. - Andrew
Cain Liddle | Hi Andrew, the Club has established strong governance frameworks whereby sub-committees of the board are aligned to key strategic priorities across the business.
Specifically, with list management, the List Management sub-committee is chaired by Chris Judd (Director) and includes the Head of Football, GM List Management & Strategy, the CEO and the List Manager with the Coach and Head of High Performance also consulted across the season. As is the case with all sub-committees, key strategies and decisions are discussed and agreed upon as a sub-committee. All players who were approached from other clubs as part of our 2019 list management strategy were discussed and rigorously debated over the course of many months at list management.
As per AFL guidelines, the CEO and Board are responsible for signing off on all TPP.
To further ensure good governance in list management, a number of conditions have been introduced by the Board that require the CEO, to seek board approval before some player contracts are agreed to by the club. These conditions relate to length of contracts, quantum of salaries and in some instances, age of players. This further restricts the ability of anyone, at any level, operating in silo and without the collective support of other key stakeholders.
In regards to making presentations to the board, we have various staff members present on a rotational basis to ensure accountability and open communication across the entire football club.
Carlton have failed to recruit a number of established players to support the up and coming talent. While over clubs seem to pay the money and land the big names. Year after year it's the same on field result. Why is this year going to be any different? - Claudio Dippolito
Brad Lloyd | Hi Claudio, for the last five years the Club has set about acquiring elite young talent through the draft. We strongly believe this current group, especially the likes of Jacob Weitering, Harry McKay, Charlie Curnow, David Cuningham and Jack Silvagni who will now be entering their fifth year, are ready to take ownership and on-field responsibility for Carlton.
This is why we have recruited some established and experienced talent around them this off-season. Jack Martin has played nearly 100 games, Jack Newnes more than 150 and Eddie Betts over 300, last year Nic Newman came to the football club and played 20 games last season. I agree free agency is a tool that we could look to use to compliment the talent on our list, but we are really confident we will get some strong, natural growth out of our playing list in 2020 and the players we added will help to add some experience.
Can the CEO explain his involvement in the conversations regarding the recruitment of Brandon Ellis, Eddie Betts, Dan Butler and Tom Papley. - Andrew
Cain Liddle | Hi Andrew, I did not attend any meetings or have any conversations with Dan Butler or Eddie Betts. In regards to Tom Papley and Brandon Ellis, I was in those presentations alongside all others from our List Management team.
I want to be clear on this, all players who were approached from other clubs as part of our 2019 list management strategy were discussed and rigorously debated over the course of many months at list management.
To Cain, did you give Brendan Ellis a tour of Ikon Park without consulting SOS? If yes, why did you do that? - Aaron
Cain Liddle | As has now been widely publicised, Brandon was one of a number of players who our List Management sub-committee identified very early in the season. I was involved in Brandon’s tour of Ikon. Everyone on List Management was very clear of the role I was playing with Brandon.
We had individual plans in place for each of our target players that were regularly discussed at List Management. I was one of Brandon’s coaches both at the Calder Cannons and Vic Metro in the National Championships, and I obviously spent a number of years with him at Richmond, so it was agreed that we would leverage that relationship in our discussions with Brandon, who was set to become a free agent.
Was the GM of List Management and Strategy ever excluded from discussions of the recruitment of any players during the 2019 season? - Nuccio
Brad Lloyd |All discussions relating to players took place at our List Management sub-committee meetings. No members of that sub-committee were excluded from any discussions.
This sounds superficial but what happened to the pins? An email response said they were scrapped for better fulfilment options. After a large response on a big group, members agreed the options were worse and in a poll, 97% of members claim they weren’t consulted about changes. Disappointing - Reggie Evans
Daniel Giese | Thank you for your question. Based on results from our end of year member survey which indicated to us that the pins were no longer valued amongst the greater part of our membership base, the pins have been discontinued.
We completely understand not all members didn’t value them, so if you are one of them, please email the Membership team membership@carltonfc.com.au and we will have one organised for you.
Why does the Carlton shop never have enough stock of merchandise? I went to purchase a 2020 member top today only to find they are sold out within 2 days of the email to members. A similar thing happened last year. This is not good enough if you want supporters to purchase club attire. - Tricia
Daniel Giese | Thank you for your question. Our member polos have been on sale since September and demand has been high, particularly on a few sizes. Sorry to hear that your size is currently unavailable – you can currently place an order and the stock will arrive early in the new year.
I live in Tasmania and will be flying to Adelaide to attend Round 10 , Adelaide v Carlton. Is there likely to be any local supporters group function on the day ? , is there a contact there that I can have to keep in touch with. - Peter Crosswell
Daniel Giese | Thanks for reaching out Peter, sounds like a great trip you’ve got planned. Our South Australian supporter group’s main function for next season is occurring a few weeks prior when we play Port Adelaide in Round 7 unfortunately. It’s definitely worth reaching out to our SA supporter group to see if they have any plans for Round 10 – contact details and more information can be found at https://www.carltonfc.com
Who is on the "Independent Nomination Committee" how are they elected? Seems members no longer vote for Board positions why how is this Democratic? - Tony
Tom Crookes | Hi Tony, the Independent Nominations Committee (INC) are a governance sub-committee in line with the Club’s Constitution. The Club Constitution dictates that the INC is comprised of the President and two other persons who are neither Directors nor members of Management and are free from any other impediments that may interfere with their independent judgement. The Members do indeed vote for Board positions whereby they are contested, however it is noted that in recent years, there have been no external nominations made to join the Board and therefore incumbent Directors have been appointed unopposed. The Board do have the power under the Constitution to appoint Directors to fill casual vacancies.
We pay a hefty price for long distance membership, and then when we receive offer from Carlton for tickets in our state, we're expected to pay another $70+ per seat for games in South Australia which are on the third level, can you look into improving both cost and where seats are located? - Matthew
Daniel Giese | Thanks for reaching out Matthew. We’re always looking to improve our packages based on feedback from our members and have taken yours onboard. Unfortunately, we don’t have a great deal of control over seating allocation at away games. The home side take priority (as we do when we play at home) and we are left with the best available. If you come to watch the Blues in Melbourne, our Interstate members are guaranteed ground-level seating and access to our Captains Club function rooms.
Why did the interstate membership lose access to away games in Melbourne (this was a few years ago now), and is it possible for future interstate memberships to regain this access? - Ben
Daniel Giese | Hi Ben – appreciate your question. Our Interstate package has only ever included access to Carlton home games in Melbourne, and currently there are no plans to add it. Apologies for any confusion!
Off the back of strong attendance figures this year and the club's desire to push 75,000 members, I imagine it would then be a priority for the club to push for more games at the MCG? - Remy
Cain Liddle | Our current arrangement with the AFL is to play 6 home games a year at Marvel Stadium and 5 at the MCG. That contract is in place until 2024. Whilst we are very happy with our current arrangement at Marvel. As our crowds continue to increase, we certainly see a time in the future that we would look to increase our number of games at the MCG.
Will the club be announcing a strategy for the next 2 - 5 years regarding on & off field ambitions? - Shane Britter
Mark LoGiudice | We launched our strategic plan this year, which takes us through to 2023. Please see link to document, which includes our strategic priorities and our ten key targets.
Can we expect more open training's on weekends when members aren't at work? - Rhys
Brad Lloyd | That’s a fair question Rhys. We want as many fans at training as possible as it really gives the boys a lift, so we always try to make the most convenient training time of the week is available to our members so you can come and watch.
The reality at the moment is that at this stage during pre-season, there are no on-field sessions during weekends which is why we have not had the option of inviting members down during these days. It is a challenge that we are always trying to find a way to work around and certainly appreciate every member who makes the effort to come down and watch us during the week.
Besides Charlie Curnow and Harry McKay, do we have any other players not yet into full preseason training and how are all the players including Charlie and harry progressing and without any unforeseen problems will all players be available for round 1. Thank you and go Blues - Neville Millin
Brad Lloyd | Hi Neville, Sam Docherty has ticked every box so far in his return from injury and is on track to be integrated into full contact training during January– the skipper has been an absolute professional through all his rehab as you’d expect. Caleb Marchbank obviously had that unfortunate neck injury and was able to take off his neck brace last month. We are in the process of getting him in really good shape before Christmas to set him up for ball work in January.
What if any, new business plans are intended for 2020 in support of achieving/maintaining financial viability for the club? - Bruce Campbell
Cain Liddle | We will continue to strive hard to grow our membership, commercial partnerships and crowds. Those revenue streams are the lifeblood of all football clubs and we see great opportunities for continued growth in them. Our non-traditional revenue streams of Carlton IN Business and Carlton College of Sport both continue to grow. We anticipate growing CIB to 140 businesses in 2020 making it the biggest corporate networking program in Australian sport. It is expected that more than $50M of business will be facilitated within the CIB network in 2020. Carlton College of Sport enrollments have already doubled from 2019 and interested students can get more information by following this link.
https://carltoncollegeofsport.com.au/
Who kicks the best torpedo at the club? - Justin
Brad Lloyd | Tayla Harris
Where do you see Carlton making serious inroads on the rest of the competition in 2020, onfield and/or off? - Steve Murray
Brad Lloyd | Our playing group has returned for pre-season in great shape and will continue to build on their running capacity throughout the pre-season under the guidance of Andrew Russell. We have a number of players in our group that have reached 50 games and will mature this year to become regular senior players.
Will there be a 1970 & 1995 Premiership Team Reunion in 2020? Thank you. - Allison
Daniel Giese | Hi Allison, We will celebrate the 1970 Premiership reunion in Round 9 v Collingwood and have an official function in late July, more details to follow in the New Year.
What does the board consider to be an acceptable result for onfield performance in 2020? - Bruce Campbell
Mark LoGiudice | Hi Bruce, we’d like to see continual improvement for all our teams. We have invested heavily this off season in our development programs across both AFL and AFLW.
We won’t put a set number of wins on it across both our programs. What we as a board consider as acceptable in 2020 is what every Carlton person expects, we need significant on-field improvement as we strive to win premierships. We will continue to invest resources around our playing groups to give them all the best opportunity to succeed.
Is this the last year we will be turning over such a high proportion of our list as it must be time to get the playing group used to developing as a team? - Nadia
Brad Lloyd | Hi Nadia, every year there is a minimum requirement from the AFL but we have seen the need to turn over our list at a greater level and make sure we are replenishing the talent levels. We do see this settling down over the coming years with the players we now have on our list. Certainly, with this current group we have, we are excited to see them emerge together and work hard to bring success to Carlton.
We have been sold , Journey, We have been sold Bound By Blue - However it seems that jump at shadows When will we have a clear goal and stick to it. We turn over players , we turn over coaches, we turn over administrators - What does Carlton stand for? - Alfio Magnano
Cain Liddle | Alfio, we have certainly tested the patience of our members, there is no denying that. That is a fair question to ask and is something we knew we had to put down in writing to make sure you, as our members, could hold us accountable. This is why we released our five-year strategic plan earlier this year that clearly outlines what we want to achieve and who we want to be as a football club between now and the end of 2023. I encourage you to read through this document - Thank you for sticking by us and please keep up the support because we are doing everything we can to make you proud to be a Carlton person again.
Why did we move on Dale Thomas who was in career best form since arriving with us, only to bring in another veteran in Eddie Betts? Couldn't we have trialled Thomas as a small forward, something that we so desperately need, being that is where he started his career? - Matthew
Brad Lloyd | Hi Matthew, Eddie is arguably the best small forward of the modern era, so the chance to have him return to Carlton to not only fill an on-field area of need for us on the list but provide supreme leadership for our younger players was a key reason for the decision. Daisy’s best position later in his career was half back and he played some really good football there for Carlton. However that half back position is an area we have some depth now. Players like Daisy deserve to depart the game playing at the highest level and at their best, we were glad he was able to do that.
To Mark LoGiudice Thank you for your letters, though from today’s I am confused and uncertain of our actual profit & loss & how much we still owe. - Bill Leadston
Mark LoGiudice | Thanks Bill, the Club’s Statutory Net Profit for the year is $6,292,164, however, our net underlying profit excluding Government Grants is $2,492,164. As of 31 October 2018, our outstanding historical debt position was $6.4m, throughout the current financial year we successfully repaid $2.4m of this. I can confirm that as at 31 October 2019 our outstanding Historical Debt position is down to $4m. We released our financial statement to members today, with full details available here.
How do you plan to make sure the latest controversy (ie Silvani's exit) does not affect the playing group and their performance? And please don't say "this sort of stuff doesn't affect players." - Donna
Brad Lloyd | Hi Donna, we are completely transparent with our playing group regarding any decisions that relate either directly to them and any staff they have involvement with. We have open dialogue and communication with our players every day on a wide range of topics – we do this so they are fully aware of the truth and reasoning why decisions are made at their football club. As professional athletes, they are exceptional at understanding that the best interests of the Carlton Football Club, regardless of the situation, must come first above all else.
As a member I am quite concerned over reports of intra club factions and disunity. How can the club executive convey to the members, fans and prospective free agents, that it is 100% aligned in it's mission and the ego's of the executive will be left at the door? - Mark
Cain Liddle | Hi Mark, the team we have at Carlton are very unified. I can’t speak more highly of the key leaders we have across all departments of the football club. I also subscribe to your theory of leaving egos at the door. Rest assured, we are perfectly aligned on where we want to take this football club and will make sure we do everything we can to get there.
As I have previously asked twice so far. As our membership is growing at a record pace, when are home and away members get seating for away games at Marvel Stadium on Level one and not in the bleachers? - Terry Sowter
Daniel Giese | Hi Terry, membership is growing across the entire AFL, which means that each club is using more of their reserved seating allocation for their own members. Unfortunately for us, this leaves us with seats on Level 4 at the MCG or Level 3 at Marvel Stadium. We do continue to offer reserved seats for members who have held these as part of their membership previously, but no longer offer this to new members.
Is Robert Walls continuing in a mentoring role at the club next year? ie: 2020? Also, is Greg Williams continuing to help out the midfield? - Ange Howe
Brad Lloyd | Hi Ange, Robert finished his mentoring role at the end of last season. His commitment was incredible, driving down from Daylesford 3-4 times a week to get to training sessions and offer his support, it was a commitment for the 2019 season and we thank Robert for everything that he contributed throughout the year. Yes, Diesel is continuing in an official role in 2020 as our skills coach. He brings great energy and elite experience to the playing group. He has been fantastic for all our players and a great support for the coaches so far this pre-season.
Hi, is there any chance of advance notice of next years Member appreciation round? Living in Perth I try to get over twice a year for a game but would definitely plan one trip around that weekend if I had advance notice of which round it was. - Michele
Daniel Giese | Hi Michele, next year’s Member Appreciation round is the last home game of the season. See you there!
Are you able to provide an update on the redevelopment of Ikon Park. Is there any chance in the future that AFL home and away games may be played at our traditional home against lower drawing clubs? - Justin
Tom Crookes | We are excited by the progress of the redevelopment Justin and we are moving into the final stages of the planning phase for the project. Post final statutory government approvals we look forward to being able to share the proposed plans with our Members. The redeveloped Ikon Park will see fully integrated, state of the art, high-performance facilities being delivered and cement it as the home of AFLW. With regards to playing AFL home and away games, there is no intention for these to return to Ikon Park. During the current year our average home game attendance increased to over 46,700, an increase of close to 15,000 supporters. This is a trend we would like to continue to see and exceed on average 50,000. In order to ensure we can cater for all of our members and supporters this means returning games to Ikon Park is not something we are considering.
The club and its key stakeholders have worked tirelessly in recent years to reduce our debt, whilst generating relationships, leading to further investment in IKON Park. Nore resources must be allocated to our share of the redevelopment, so when in fact can members expect to see the club debt free? - John Allan
Mark LoGiudice | Thanks John, as announced earlier today to Members, the Club has successfully been able to continue its revenue growth in particular from non-traditional sources. This growth and stability in off-field operations has meant that we were able to increase our historical debt reduction target by more than double in the current financial year to over $2.4m. As part of our Strategic Plan we have the express desire to be historical debt free by 2023, however, based on our current projections and endeavours the Club is aiming to accelerate this to by the end of 2021.
Given it been a big year - whats the mood of the club?
Anya Podbury | It has certainly been a big year for the Club and I am pleased to share that the culture of the Club and engagement levels amongst our staff is exceptionally strong. Our Club recorded a record high engagement and wellbeing levels through recent staff surveys, being 11 percent higher than industry average. Our administration is committed to the development of our people and as such we will continue to strive to attract the best talent to achieve Club success both on and off the field.
It's been stated that we would attack 3 drafts prior to then pivoting our focus toward more mature talent via FA or Trade. It's this still the overall list strategy & how does our cap position sit after the Jack Martin Acquisition for future FA & Trade targets? - Giovanni Manserra
Brad Lloyd | Over the past two off-seasons, we have added experienced players through free agency and Trade. These players will complement our drafting over the previous years, which is part of our list strategy. We have added vital games to our playing list in recent seasons. We are still very well placed with our TPP position, despite the recruitment of Jack Martin.
What is our biggest concern or GAP in the current team you believe? I am personally concerned about our rucks. Kruezer is a legend and i love the guy, he only knows how to put in 110%, but he is getting battle weary. What's our plan for this?, and whats our succession planning looking like? - David Stodart
Brad Lloyd | That is a completely fair question, David. Kreuz will again be an important part of our side but we are really starting to build depth in our ruck stocks. We brought in Marc Pittonet from Hawthorn who is 23 and has terrific upside and is really aggressive around the contest. We saw signs of strong development in Tom De Koning in 2019 which we look forward to continuing next year while Levi Casboult has shown he is more than capable to rotate through that part of the ground when called upon. Overall, the next phase of our list development is really to build quality depth in all areas of the ground. We want there to be a fierce competition for spots in the AFL 22 every week and we think with the additions we’ve made in the off-season you will begin to see that.
I have no issue with SOS leaving, it could have been handled better & members could have been informed before it was plastered over the media & social media to ensure the negative backlash maybe would not occur. Do you think members could be informed of situations like this beforehand? - Debby Palti
Mark LoGiudice | Yes Debby, you are correct and we 100% agree that we want to let our members know first, whether this be player signings, new recruits or staff movements. For obvious reasons this situation was incredibly complex. Please know we will always try to let you know first as much as we possibly can.
We got a membership upgrade last year but this year the seats I have are only available with the upgraded Legends Lounge package. Was the upgrade last year just a sly what of getting more revenue per member going forward. - Greig Holley
Daniel Giese | Thanks for your question Greig. Not at all, the Legends Lounge membership was very well received. We’re almost at capacity again for 2020, with only single seats available for purchase and a waiting list of over 500 people. Not only do Legends Lounge members have premium seats – we hope members enjoy the benefits of glass-fronted function rooms at both Marvel and the MCG, access to purchase meals, private bars and access to listen to great guest speakers. From the overall feedback – the majority of members have really enjoyed the new match day coterie membership.
My concern is the club’s seeming reluctance to reduce its reliance on poker machine and gambling revenue.Is there any likelihood of the club following the lead of other clubs in abandoning or at least minimising this avenue of financing given its detrimental outcomes for many people? - Neil Kimpton
Cain Liddle | As has been previously mentioned, it is critically important that we continue to grow our non-traditional revenues of Carton IN Business and Carlton College of Sports, which are both insulated against the variations of on-field performance. Along with our traditional revenues of membership, commercial, game day attendances and retail, our non-traditional revenues have already reduced our reliance on gambling revenue.
Where exactly does David Teague and his coaching team see Jack Martin fitting in the team next season from a position point of view? - Paul Sebastiani
Brad Lloyd | Hi Paul, We see him as a forward that can push into the midfield. He's already shown so far in training his ability to tackle, and his forward pressure will be very important in season 2020.
Thank you for all the work you have done so far to return the club to where it belongs. There is a lot of talk about a ‘‘master plan’ for Princes Park/Icon Park. Given the scale of development we see at Tullamarine and will see at Dingley, is Princes Park a viable long term home for the club. - Brad
Tom Crookes | Hi Brad, Ikon Park is, and continues to be, the traditional home of the Carlton Football Club, one of the few Clubs still in their original location. Its inner-city position, combined with the redevelopment further positions the Carlton Football Club as a destination for players and staff.
Curtain raisers should be timed to conclude 20 minutes before the main game commences (as used to happen when Reserves were played). Otherwise these games can't be considered curtain raisers they conclude too early for supporters to watch how our new players are performing. - Gary Segal
Brad Lloyd | Hi Gary, understand your point. However the reality is that AFL sides need adequate time to complete their on-ground warm-ups, this is often done from 90 minutes to an hour before the bounce which is best practice for high performance. As I’m sure you can appreciate, we do not want to comprise this. We are supportive though of increasing the supporter experience while looking after the players well-being.
Can you share the key areas of improvement the club will focus on in 2020? - Aaron Zamykal
Cain Liddle | We sure can Aaron. Our strategic priorities are mapped out in our 5-year plan. The plan provides a roadmap for the operations of the organisation and also includes 10 key targets that we will use to measure our success. We are very happy with our progress off the field which has allowed us to increase our investment in our football programs by approximately $4.5m between 2018 and 2020.
What Board members have any practicle football knowledge at the highest level eg actually in running a football club prior to their appointments to the Carlton board ??? - Tony
Mark LoGiudice | Hi Tony, under the guidance of the Independent Nominations Committee, the Board has been deliberately constructed to cover all aspects of the Club and to ensure we have the right skill-sets to govern all areas of the football club, understanding that our core business and key priorities are our football teams. In relation to Director support of our football programs, Chris Judd played 279 games at the highest level, including a premiership and was captain of the Carlton Football Club. He has won the Brownlow medal (twice), Norm Smith medal and is a premiership captain. He also does an outstanding job working with our Head of Football Brad Lloyd to have oversight of our AFL and AFLW program to ensure we are striving to perform at the highest level.
Patty Kinnersly also made history by becoming the Blues’ first designated Board member to oversee the AFLW/VFLW programs. Her appointment reflected the Club’s continued commitment to good governance and to building a skills-based Board aligned to the needs of the Club. Alongside an extensive corporate career, Kinnersly has 14 years of playing experience in the VWFL for the Ballarat Lions, Fairfield Falcons and Parkside Magpies, playing in five premierships and representing Victoria on 10 occasions, twice as captain.
Is the Club united despite the media reports? - Matt Edwards
Anya Podbury | Our Club is absolutely united. Our people are committed to the achieving the objectives as established in our strategic plan, The Carlton Way. Our engagement levels across all areas of the Club are at a record high with staff sentiment incredibly positive. We will continue to support our people and the operations of our Club to achieve success.
Do we intend to use this format for future AGM's? - Andrew
Mark LoGiudice | No, we don’t intend to use this format for AGMs Andrew.
Why is the president and board so disappointed with our list? - Robert Stewart
Mark LoGiudice | Hi Robert, we are not disappointed with our lists. In fact, we are genuinely excited about the talent we have across all of our teams. We are looking forward to both our upcoming men’s and women’s seasons.
Hi Brad - you mentioned father/son and mother/daughter, qualification can you ever foresee the possibility of father/daughter and mother/son qualification? - Trevor
Brad Lloyd | Yes, absolutely Trevor. While we are governed by the rules of the AFL, we are passionate about the growth of AFLW and any rules that would fast-track the development and creation of traditions of female football. While there is existing father /daughter and father/son eligibility, we would fully support and welcome the introduction of a parent/child eligibility across the League.
I have been a member for 40+ years. I have had guarenteed GF tickets for 20years. Can you confirm that the membership structure isnt going to change as we enter the next stage of our journey and members at my level get pushed out - Fausto
Daniel Giese | Hi Fausto, our Captains Club membership is one of the only ways to guarantee access to purchase a Grand Final ticket when we participate. We’re getting very close to reaching capacity in this category and encourage you retain this membership to hold onto your guarantee – this won’t be changing. Anyone interested in this benefit is encouraged to call or email the club to discuss their options.
It was great to see the improvement in the second half of the season. My question is, there were a few times we were trailing significantly but still won the game, can you please elaborate how the game plan will evolve in 2020 to ensure we start games well? - Rob
Brad Lloyd | Hi Rob, in regards to our AFL side, Teaguey did make some adjustments during his interim role in the second half of last season. As you mentioned, the players clearly had a great response to his approach, as evidenced by the improved performances. A major philosophy of Teaguey is to let the players be themselves and to play on instinct. Every player on our list has talent, it is about giving them the tools and establishing a game plan that allows them to showcase that talent. While we obviously can’t give away game plan secrets, our focus will be on taking what you saw in the second half of the season and developing it during this pre-season. We want to play a style of football that we hope will make you excited to come to Carlton games next year.
Why did you do away with the meeting at the club and go online. Surly you could have done both - Ricky Stewart
Daniel Giese | Hi Ricky, by having the one platform for the member forum it ensures every single Carlton member has an equal voice – this removes the unfairness against those who are unable to come to the club and physically have their voice heard. To put this into context, we received over 150 questions within the first two hours of the registration email going out on Friday. That is more questions than members have been able to ask in the last two members forums combined. The AGM will still be run at the Club as per usual early next year for all members to come along.
What was the reasoning behind the club not appointing a senior assistant for senior coach David Teague and what will be a pass mark for season 2020? - Mark Younes
Brad Lloyd | Hi Mark, we have a really experienced group of Assistant Coaches, highly competent in their roles. We made a decision to support David with a Head of Coaching Performance – Henry Playfair. Henry’s role is to support David and to grow and manage the coaching performance and development, of all of our coaches.
Will there be funds allocated to the Restoration of the "Ald Gardner" stand? I understand that it's protected under a heritage order as per the City of Melbourne Council regulations. The present condition is extremely poor and it would be sad to lose it permanently. - Suren Aponso
Tom Crookes | Hi Suren, thanks for your question. It is heritage listed and will remain part of the fabric of Ikon Park. Whether the restoration is included in the current planning for the redevelopment, or a future stage, is still to be determined.
Firstly congratulations on this years financial results a truly outstanding effort. The club feels like it’s heading in the right direction & set up for success. I have a question around fan engagement and what your plans are to improve for 2020? Marvel & the G? This years was pretty ordinary - Simon Hicks
Daniel Giese| Evening Simon – thanks for your question and feedback. The Club certainly is heading in the right direction, and we’re well on our way to 75,000 members for 2020. We’ll definitely be investing further effort next year to better engage our members and fans. We currently have plans to trial new activations at AFL and AFLW home games, both in-bowl and on the concourse, and are always looking for opportunities to improve our matchday experience.
Congratulations to the club in paying off $2.4M of historical debt. What does that leave the balance at? - Phil
Mark LoGiudice | Hi Phil, thanks for your question. It leaves the balance at $4m, whilst our strategic plan has us eliminating our historical debt by 2023, we are confident that we will be able to eliminate this by 2021. That will be the first time since 1996 that the Club has been free of historical debt.
With all this recent negative press around SOS leaving my question still stands, how do we plan to celebrate our 17th Premiership? - Adrian Salerno
Brad Lloyd | Hi Adrian, we are certainly not planning any celebrations yet. There's a really positive feel around the playing group and football staff at the moment - as good as I've seen in my time at the Club. We are aware we have a lot of hard work ahead but everyone at the football club is striving to make sure you and every other Carlton member gets to enjoy future success.
Mark and Cain congratulations on the fantastic financial results announced today. Can you share any other plans for additional revenue streams the club is considering in the future such as Carlton College more recently? - Pat Bianchi
Cain Liddle | Thanks Pat – Congratulations should actually be directed towards our members who have been instrumental in the fantastic financial results that were released today. Carlton IN Business and Carlton College of Sport are definitely our focus areas of non-traditional revenue and we have built capacity in each of those areas which now provide the platform from which they can grow. At this stage, we don’t have other new revenue streams in our sights. Further growth of our non-traditional revenues, whilst continuing to improve our performance in areas such as membership and commercial operations is our focus in the short term.
First I would like to start by saying what a great job the Football department has done in season 2019...Congratulations...What is the clubs long term plan with its VFL team will we have our own stand alone team in the future? - Jim Axais
Brad Lloyd | Thanks Jim, looking forward to season 2020. We have a strong relationship with the Northern Blues and look forward to building on that. All of the Carlton development coaches are line coaches in the VFL and we employ Senior Coach Josh Fraser. We have strong support from the Northern Blues playing group and President Stephen Papal. We will continue to improve the current model to give us the best chance for success at both VFL and AFL level. We feel the current set up gives us every opportunity to get the best out of our younger playing group at VFL level.
Hi all. I am an MCC member with Carlton support. I also purchase a seperate Carlton Silver membership to games at Marvel. Those seats are not reserved. I asked about upgrading those games to a reserved seat in the members area, but was told there is no such option. Extra money missed - Rita
Daniel Giese | Thanks for your question and your long-standing support, Rita! We do have reserved seating options for MCC members. Please see the following link for more information https://am.ticketmaster.com/carlton/mcc#/ and feel free to contact the Membership team on 1300 227 586 to have a chat about your options
Mark how did the sponsorship from puma come about and how long is this partnership going to last?? - Nathan
Morten Webb | Thanks Nathan, we have signed with Puma until the end of 2029 (10 years), the partnership came about through the work of our commercial team over the course of 2019.
It was refreshing to see our AFL and AFLW players together on the camp for 1st year players. We don't seem to unify our teams together as a club like a Richmond, who lead the AFL in this area. Do we have a strategy in place to better unify all components of our club, and can you outline this - Bamboo
Brad Lloyd | Hi, it was terrific to get all of our AFL and AFLW first-year players together last week. We feel we have gone to a new level with our AFL and AFLW integration and receive regular feedback from our players on how much they enjoy this. A challenging reality is that majority of the girls work during the day so it can be difficult to integrate training, but we are finding many other ways we can integrate the programs. As part of the Master Plan and redevelopment of Ikon Park, we will position the locker rooms alongside each other and will build a gym big enough for both programs to train alongside each other.
Why aren't elections held anymore? It seems appointments are simply made by the Board. ie. a dictatorship is controlling the Club. - Gary Segal
Mark LoGiudice | Hi Gary, any Board appointments are made in line with the Club’s Constitution. Elections are held where they are required, noting that in recent years there have been no external nominations made to join the Board, which is a reflection of the confidence in the Board’s performance and governance of the Club. Incumbent Directors have been appointed unopposed. The Board are able under the Constitution to appoint Directors to fill casual vacancies, if and when different skill sets are required to effectively govern the football club. Over the last two years, we have appointed three new Directors to the board who have all fulfilled the specific skillsets deemed required by the Independent Nominations Committee.
Firstly, congratulations on a magnificent outcome financially over the past few years, but especially last year. It is a reflection on the off field governance at the Club and that should be applauded. Can you please outline the Clubs discussion with the AFL for some more marketable marquee games? - Scott Clark
Cain Liddle | Thanks Scott – Appreciate your feedback, its been a great financial turnaround that has been driven by our members. We would certainly like to add another marquee game to our fixture and have worked with the AFL on what that might look like. I see the Thursday night Essendon game through the April school holidays as a huge opportunity for the Club and a game that we could work on growing in the future.
What is happening with the membership pins (the ones we got every year that had the number of consecutive years you've been a member on them)? Have they been discontinued and if so, why?
Daniel Giese | Hi Steve, thanks for your question. We made the decision to discontinue our member pins based on the results from our end of year member survey, which indicated that the pins weren’t highly valued by the majority of our membership base. We do understand that these results don’t reflect the views of all members, so please feel free to email the Membership team membership@carltonfc.com.au and we’d be happy to arrange something for you.
Can the president please clarify his tenure and any plans for a succession plan for the position of president and other board members. - Andrew
Mark LoGiudice | Happy to Andrew. In line with our constitution, board members are able to serve four consecutive terms. One of the responsibilities of the Independent Nominations Committee (INC) is to continually review the skills competencies of the Board and the future direction of the Club to ensure its governance is at the highest level. The INC considers the relevant director tenures, vacancies and always with a view of succession across the Board.
Is it true that due to the increase in membership numbers, Carlton is planning to abandon all reserved members seating in preference to 'first come, first served' access to block seating allocation, similar to the MCC members at the 'G'?
Daniel Giese | Thanks for your question. No, that’s not the current plan. Our Member Zone package (reserved bays, rather than reserved seats) has been a really popular membership and worked well in 2019. Moving forward, any new categories introduced will have reserved bays instead of seats, but there isn’t a plan to change current reserved seat membership packages.
Interstate member interaction is improving. Would the club consider resourcing a few of the home game open training of Friday to enable Interstate members (particularly families) the ability to book/register to access a player and coaching staff group for say brief tour/chat - Chris
Daniel Giese | Thanks for the feedback and suggestion, Chris. We’re always willing to accommodate our Interstate members when they come to Melbourne to watch the Blues. Unfortunately, we can’t promise player access in the lead-up to a game however we’d certainly love to have you down at the Club. Make sure you keep an eye on the open training section of our website so you can plan your trip – https://www.carltonfc.com.au/fans/open-training
Carlton Football Club has become involved in and taken public positions on numerous social causes in recent years. Does the club intend on championing any new ones in 2020 ? If so, will members be involved in selecting them? - Bruce Campbell
Vanessa Gigliotti | Hi Bruce, I am sure you are aware of our Carlton Respects program – which is our community initiative centred around promoting gender equality for the prevention of violence against women. Our members have been so supportive of the program and the work our community team is doing in this space – reaching 4,000 students in Victoria, 13 workplaces and recording 1.5 million impressions across social media. One in three Australian women have experienced physical abuse since age 15 – this has to stop, which is why we will be continuing the Carlton Respects program into 2020 and beyond, as we strive to continue our commitment to make Carlton Respects the most influential gender equality program in Australian sport.
We’re are your Mr president no where to be seen ? - Theo
Mark LoGiudice | Hello Theo, thank you for reaching out. If you wish to ever see me and want to chat, I am at the vast majority of AFL, VFL and AFLW games and always approachable and available to talk Carlton. Hope to see you at the footy soon.
Good evening, will the Club’s 2020 Puma playing guernsey feature our trademark raised/embossed monogram as it has done since 1927 or will it be sublimated? The raised CFC is what makes our guernsey unique. It is literally our symbol and must be retained without compromise. Thanks, - Sean
Cain Liddle | Hi Sean, thanks for your question. In the first year of our partnership with PUMA, we wanted to clean all of the silver out of the monogram and return it back to the iconic white monogram. It goes without saying that the high performance requirements of our playing guernsey have increased since 1927. The monogram has not been raised for sometime now due to the lightweight playing guernsey that AFL players now wear. We have however instructed PUMA that we want them to remain focussed on providing a solution that allows our iconic raised monogram to be returned to the navy guernsey.
Do you think it’s run by a boys club? - Theo
Mark LoGiudice | Definitely not. Considering the high calibre of established and credentialled female members on our board and executive team and right through our administration staff, as well as a terrific AFLW program, I think you are way off the mark to even think it.
Josh Deluca has come out today and given a scathing review of how he was treated by the club, basically told he would have a list spot in 2020 and used more in his natural midfield role. What’s you’re comment on his treatment, which seems to be pretty harsh given he’s put his life on hold in Perth? - Kevin
Brad Lloyd | Hi Kevin, When we draft a player we always look at it as a long term decision hoping they will be at the club as a long term player. Josh was no different to this and we drafted him with this in mind. In saying this, we would never commit to a player beyond their contracted period. Josh made the trip across from Perth with the opportunity to continue his AFL career, he did a good job but unfortunately was not able to secure a more permanent position on our playing list. We are thankful for the efforts Josh put in wish him all the best with his next steps.
Why is the Carlton Shop at Ikon Park not open 7 days a week? - Anthony Linton
Daniel Giese | Thanks for your question. The majority of sales over the last few years have been on our online platform – where orders and posted within 48 hours. The retail team have the store open during business hours and on gameday. Over Christmas we also have extended operating hours https://shop.carltonfc.com.au/shophours
Do you think you have proper dialogue and communication with your supporters? I think it’s pathetic - Theo
Daniel Giese | Hi Theo, we are currently conducting a three-hour session right now where we are answering our member questions directly. We provide regular communication with our members regarding breaking news relating to player signings, new recruits, injuries, behind the scenes etc. We can always get better, absolutely, and if you have any specific suggestions, I would encourage you to email our membership team on membership@carltonfc.com.au or call 1300 227 586 to discuss further.
Are we planning to nominate One Captain for 2020 rather than the joint captain model in the past few year? - Suren Aponso
Brad Lloyd | We will be continuing with joint captains Suren. Doc and Crippa are doing an outstanding job together and we have been thrilled.
Would it be possible to set up an automated group message to send to captains club members, to let them know if the guest speaker is running ahead or behind scheduled time? I travelled 600+km last year, got to the room 15mins early to be told I missed the guest speaker. - Alex Pallot
Daniel Giese | Hi Alex, thank you for your question. Unfortunately we don’t currently have access to a platform that will allow us to send mass communication via text with limited lead up time. However, adhering to the times promoted in our emails is definitely something we’re looking to improve in the 2020 season as we certainly don’t want our members missing out.
Last season and this season I have bought 2 legends memberships with wing seating but am stuck behind the goals at the MCG and on the 50m arc at Docklands yet I still have to pay full wing seating price. This is unfair what will you do about inflexible seating/ pricing arrangements? - Michael Johnstone
Daniel Giese | Thanks for your question, Michael. Our Legends Lounge Wing membership has defined bays. If you believe you’re paying for the wrong product, the Membership team would be more than happy to help sort this out for you – please feel free to give them a call during business hours on 1300 227 186.
"Match day experience" was a buzz word circa 2015. Clubs went all out with greater levels of investment in this space, and for us Captain Carlton's hovercraft made a welcome return. This investment seems to have reduced in recent years... What can we expect from our "match day experience" in 2020?
Daniel Giese | Thanks so much for your question, Jeremy. We’re definitely looking into ways we can improve our match day experience. We have planned a variety of different activations, both in-bowl and on the concourse, which we’ve very excited to trial at AFL and AFLW home games in 2020. Stay tuned!
How is the master plan coming along for Ikon Park will there be better facilities for the average fan? - Riki Domogalski
Tom Crookes | Hi Riki, we are currently in the final stages of planning approvals and until such time as these relevant approvals are received, it is difficult for us to share any further information with regards to commencement, final scope and the like with confidence. What the project will deliver is a fully integrated, state of the art high-performance facility which will be utilised by our AFL, AFLW, VFL and VFLW athletes. The development will also incorporate upgraded match day facilities for supporters and opposing teams, an education hub, and updated ground amenities.
Viewing live games has become increasingly difficult and expensive in recent years due to free tv limits, restrictions on Live Pass and the cost of Fox etc. What is CFC doing to enhance its members ability to view games and is CFC prepared to lobby the AFL for better public access to games? - Jeremy Whitfield
Daniel Giese | Ultimately, we are trying to improve on-field performance, which will provide us with more free to air games, allowing more of our fans to watch Carlton live. We believe we have great access at both Marvel and the MCG. As is always the case we would welcome any feedback you might have Jeremy that would make public access easier. Feedback can be sent to membership@carltonfc.com.au as we are just about to finish up with the online forum.
When will the audited financial reports be available for member review. Im particularly interested in understanding the rate of return/profit margin on our non football activities. Will this metric be published in the annual report? - Tony C
Tom Crookes | Hi Tony, as released to our members earlier in the day we were pleased to announce our financial results for the year, recording a net profit for the third consecutive year. A copy of the annual report which includes the relevant accompanying notes can be found here.
Question for The President of the Carlton Football Club, Mark LoGiudice. As The President, and board member, you have delivered 2 wooden spoons and numerous missed finals campaigns. What do you see as your greatest achievement in bringing success and stability to the Club - Simon J
Mark LoGiudice | Thanks Simon, During my presidency we have delivered a reduced and re-shaped Board that is now skill-set based. Record revenue, record profit, and significant reduction of historical debt. Record membership, record home game attendances, record sponsorship, introduction of non-traditional revenue streams including Carlton IN Business and Carlton College of Sport, and a rebuild of the AFL list (the first in the Club's history). The establishment of an AFLW team which played in the Grand Final last season, along with authentic and genuine community programs including Carlton Respects, and re-shaped the organisation to achieve an AFL leading engagement score amongst our staff. Our supporters are closer to the Club than ever before and we now rank first in the league for Digital content consumption. The largest infrastructure project for Ikon Park in history with $40 million committed. But more importantly we're now extremely excited and positioned for future success.
