In the first of a series of regular columns, Richmond President Peggy O’Neal talks to members and supporters about the off-season.

Dear Members and Supporters,

It certainly is an exciting and important time of year for football clubs and their fans. The trade period is now completed and with the National Draft looming, it is a period of renewal as we start to build towards season 2017.

It has been a time of significant change for Richmond. In the space of a few weeks, this Club looks very different and it will have changed further by the time all our players return for pre-season later this month.

Dion Prestia, Josh Caddy and Toby Nankervis have joined the Club and on behalf of our members and supporters, I would like to take this opportunity to formally welcome them. We all look forward to these young men being a big part of our future.

Tyrone Vickery and Brett Deledio have departed and we wish them both well at their new Clubs. They will both always be welcome at Richmond Football Club. Those wishes extend to Troy Chaplin, Liam McBean, Andrew Moore and Adam Marcon who have also left the Club during the off-season.

Neil Balme has settled into his new role as General Manager – Football and he quickly became involved in the establishment of our 2017 coaching panel.  Blake Caracella, Justin Leppitsch and Xavier Clarke will all join our coaching group.

These changes – combined with others announced in response to our football review – have been significant and created great energy. Nobody is dwelling on the past – it is about what lies ahead and everyone is approaching that challenge with purpose and optimism.

Beyond the obvious, one of the most exciting initiatives has been the establishment of our Next Generation Academy which Dan Richardson will oversee in his new role as General Manager – Football Talent. Talent outcomes are the primary purpose of the NGA and Dan is exceptionally strong in this area. We have no doubt he will deliver the Club some great outcomes in the years ahead. Beyond this, there are some excellent community engagement opportunities, and we look forward to sharing our progress on both fronts with supporters.

So for Tiger fans living across northern Victoria – from Mildura, Kerang, Robinvale, Swan Hill, Echuca and Bendigo through to Shepparton, Wangaratta and Wodonga – if you see some budding Aboriginal or multicultural talent we should know about, feel free to get in touch.

Off-field, there has been significant change as well. In September we welcomed former premiership player Emmett Dunne to the board. Emmett brings enormous experience with him in the areas of ethics, governance and risk management as a result of his decorated career with the Victoria Police. These skills are of critical importance to the Club and the implications of getting it wrong are enormous. We are delighted to have him join the Board.

In other Board news, the Club’s Governance Committee recently recommended that term limits be introduced into the Club constitution. This has been under consideration for more than 12 months and various models were investigated. The Board accepted the recommendations. A member vote is required to amend the constitution and full information about the proposed changes will be sent to members so they can vote at the Annual General Meeting on 14 December.

The business has also taken on a significantly different look this year with the establishment of Aligned Leisure – a wholly-owned subsidiary of Richmond Football Club – that successfully tendered to run recreation facilities in the Shire of Cardinia. The board and management of Aligned Leisure will now consider what other locations might make strategic sense for this business.

The Board also signed off on the establishment of the Richmond Institute of Sport – a sports leadership course we will deliver in partnership with Swinburne University. This is a unique and innovative program that – along with Aligned Leisure – will further diversify the Club’s revenue base.

All these activities are a result of the Club’s strategic planning. An overview of our strategy can be found under the ‘Club’ menu item on our website.  The same menu item contains the Club’s constitution, election by-laws as well as our Nominations Committee composition and charter.

I would like to close by touching on the recent passing of Club legend Neville Crowe. By way of tribute, our 2017 membership cards will include an image of Neville. He, more than anyone, understood the importance of Club membership and we felt it would be a fitting tribute to make him a part of our 2017 campaign.

If there are any particular issues you would like me to address in future columns, please email me at president@richmondfc.com.au.

Go Tigers

Peggy O’Neal