Essendon has appointed its first-ever Indigenous board member, former player Dean Rioli.
Rioli – who played 100 games for the Bombers – joins the board and will also chair the club’s National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Council.
The council, the club wrote, aims to “enhance Essendon’s connections with Indigenous Australians across the country.”
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Rioli was recruited from South Fremantle in the 1998 Rookie Draft and played 100 games between 1999 and 2006.
The classy goalkicker fills the vacant position left by former president Paul Brasher.
“I’m very much about community and people,” Rioli said.
“We’ve got so many diverse people with wide experiences on the Board and I want to focus on the people at the club – members, supporters, players, coaches and staff.
“It’s about making sure Essendon is front of mind for footy fans in the community and for them to be proud to be Essendon fans and members.’’
There has been immense off-field change at the club this off-season, including the departure of former coach Ben Rutten and former CEO Xavier Campbell.
Despite this, Rioli said the board was now “so aligned”.
“It’s been a challenging period for the club and after meeting all board members individually I’m really excited for the direction of the club.
“The review completed provides a roadmap for Essendon to return to the top and implementing the recommendations will be exciting for the whole club.
“I’m very excited to see where the club can head and get stuck into the review and the areas we can improve the club as a whole.”
Rioli is the current senior coach of the Moonee Valley Women’s team and had sway in the Bombers’ AFLW side selecting mid-forward Amelia Radford with pick 62 in the 2022 draft.
Essendon president David Barham said a key recommendation of the club’s external review was the appointment of an Indigenous director.
Barham said Rioli’s appointment would help “reset our club so that we again become a destination for all young Indigenous talent around the county.”
