Essendon will go over the soft cap on football spending and pay the AFL’s luxury tax to make sure the payout to sacked coach Ben Rutten does not prevent them from hiring more people and increasing their investment in the football department.
The findings of the Ernst & Young review of the club, commissioned after Rutten was sacked, paint a picture of a fractured football department acting in silos with the report unearthing “a lack of unity” and no “shared vision”.
On the way up: The Bombers have committed to spending on their football department despite having to carry a $600,000 payout to Ben Rutten.Credit:AFL Photos
It found the club had also been too commercially focused and needed to get back to putting people, members, players and football first.
Reflecting this shift, the club will commit to hiring extra staff in football, including a new general manager of high performance and head of development and move its VFL coach from a part-time to full-time position.
The club’s payout to Rutten of about $600,000, which is included in the football department soft cap, will not prevent them adopting the recommendations of the report and increasing the investment in football.
EY utilised former Bulldogs coach and long-term assistant Brendan McCartney, as well as respected former premiership player Jordan Lewis, to analyse the football department.
They found the Bombers’ training and fitness standards needed to be raised and new coach Brad Scott had “committed to a demanding pre-season designed at improving the consistency of our training standards across the entire playing group”.
New Essendon coach Brad Scott and club president David Barham.Credit:Getty
“The review is also clear in its recommendation for a stronger alignment of the core functions within the football department,” president David Barham said in a letter to members outlining the findings of the review.
“The areas of coaching, physical performance, player development plus list management and recruitment have lacked unity and a shared vision that is embraced by all.
“Creating a strong and unified football department is a key priority for general manager of football Josh Mahoney and Brad Scott during this off-season period.”
Essendon football boss Josh Mahoney.Credit:AFL Photos
The new appointments in football will mean the club will go from “2.5 coaches in 2022 to 5.5 coaches in 2023”.
“We will also revamp our leadership program in 2023 to focus on growing the leadership capabilities of our players now, and for the long term,” Barham said.
The report found the club, which had once been a pioneer and leader in fostering Indigenous players and creating a culturally safe and welcoming environment for Indigenous players and staff, had fallen away in this area.
The club plans to appoint a First Nations person to the board. Michael Long had been in discussions about the role, but work with the AFL meant he lacked the time for the position. Another Indigenous former player is likely to be appointed.
Indigenous former Bombers Michael Long and Gavin Wanganeen.Credit:AFL Photos
“The club is committed to restoring our leadership position in the Indigenous community and nurturing Indigenous talent – both players and staff. We all know about the rich history Essendon has in identifying, attracting, and developing Indigenous talent and we need to build on this into the future,” Barham said.
“We need to do more to embed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge and expertise at all levels of the club, including at board level. To that end, we will soon be appointing the club’s inaugural First Nations board director. This is an important step for Essendon and, quite frankly, long overdue.”
The club plans to make other board announcements in coming weeks and said it expects to have a new CEO within weeks.
“We understand that the club will be judged on actions, and we look forward to following through in delivering the recommendations and on our promise for sustained success into the future.
“Our long and successful history is second to none. Now is the time for our club to get to work on creating a stronger and more unified Essendon football club that we can all be proud of.”
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