Essendon

[ledge]

Re: Essendon

It?s sad for the competition that he?s finally been given the arse. Hopefully the rot he allowed to set in is too far gone and the Bombers continue to fail miserably year after year.

I could never figure out how the media and supporters always claimed he was the best manager in the business.
It’s so funny now to watch the supporters go in to meltdown telling us how shit he was, the same ones telling us how good he was for the last 20 years .
He also left them with McKay on 1.5 a year.

[macca]

Re: Essendon

His taken them to Fair work Australia , and apparently settled this week.

https://www.zerohanger.com/essendon-reach-settlement-with-former-list-boss-adrian-dodoro-156782/

Trade week hasnt even started and he has already won !

[Axe Man]

Re: Essendon

I love this bit:

The hearing took place at 9am and by Wednesday afternoon Dodoro and Essendon agreed to a significant six-figure settlement.

?After 27 years Essendon Football Club and Adrian Dodoro have amicably parted ways,? a joint statement said.

Took them to Fair Work and got a significant 6 figure sum but it was amicable!

[GVGjr]

Re: Essendon

I love this bit:



Took them to Fair Work and got a significant 6 figure sum but it was amicable!

Dodoro must have been able to prove that Essendon handled his demotion and removal incorrectly or perhaps they didn't acknowledge a clause in his contract. Either way it's another stuff up by Essendon and it's fortunate that they are a very rich club.
I heard someone speculate that he's received a 2 year payout.

[mjp]

Re: Essendon

Dodoro must have been able to prove that Essendon handled his demotion and removal incorrectly or perhaps they didn't acknowledge a clause in his contract. Either way it's another stuff up by Essendon and it's fortunate that they are a very rich club.
I heard someone speculate that he's received a 2 year payout.

I don't think it's a stuff up as such - it's a question of interpretation...

I do feel like I defend Essendon and Adrian on here a bit - Adrian is a good guy. When you've been at an employer/work place for a long time and everyone around you has changed, the intent of the wording in a contract isn't always what was intended during discussions...

Sometimes the legal way is the best way to keep things friendly.

[Twodogs]

Re: Essendon

I love this bit:



Took them to Fair Work and got a significant 6 figure sum but it was amicable!

I've been thinking about this with my suspicious mind. Are payouts like this taxed in the normal way or are they considered a win in court and not taxed as income?

Maybe Essendon got Dodo to take them to Fair Work and saved themselves a tax liability while also increasing the payment they made to him?

It's what I would have done.

[Axe Man]

Re: Essendon

I've been thinking about this with my suspicious mind. Are payouts like this taxed in the normal way or are they considered a win in court and not taxed as income?

Maybe Essendon got Dodo to take them to Fair Work and saved themselves a tax liability while also increasing the payment they made to him?

It's what I would have done.

AFL clubs don't pay tax. The payment would absolutely be taxable income for Dodo.

[bulldogtragic]

Re: Essendon

AFL clubs don't pay tax. The payment would absolutely be taxable income for Dodo.

Will the AFEL consider it in the soft cap is more the question. If he’s claiming unfair or constructive dismissal (for whatever specific reason) and was paid on that claim. Then it should be fully included. But won’t hold my breath.

[GVGjr]

Re: Essendon

I don't think it's a stuff up as such - it's a question of interpretation...

I do feel like I defend Essendon and Adrian on here a bit - Adrian is a good guy. When you've been at an employer/work place for a long time and everyone around you has changed, the intent of the wording in a contract isn't always what was intended during discussions...

Sometimes the legal way is the best way to keep things friendly.

It's a shame it got into the legal system to get resolved but good luck to him for getting a better outcome.
I don't hold anything against Dodoro, he held his job for a long time so must have done a lot right over the years. I heard him giving footy advice to a youngster and his father and you could see there was a different side to him than what is portrayed in the media.

[azabob]

Re: Essendon

I love this bit:



Took them to Fair Work and got a significant 6 figure sum but it was amicable!

With friends like these…

[GVGjr]

Re: Essendon

Dean Solomon makes his case to become Essendon board member

Days after one of president-elect David Barham's allies questioned the need for football voices on Essendon's board, ex-Bombers hard man Dean Solomon has outlined why he deserves a spot.

Dean Solomon was a heart-on-sleeve player in 158 matches with Essendon from 1998-2006 and, as such, he is hurting as much as anyone given a lack of red-and-black relevance this century.

During this season Solomon, 44, began thinking of ways to help his beloved Bombers from his northern NSW home where he is the founder/managing director of Salt Movement & Recovery and owner of a childcare centre.

He declared his intent to stand for the club’s board, with voting currently underway before closing on Tuesday, December 17. Results will be announced at Essendon’s annual general meeting on December 18.

JonAnderson: Why did you decide to put your hand up?

Dean Solomon: I'm like all Essendon supporters, I love this club and it owes me nothing, but it's time I gave back, and initially that wasn’t necessarily at board level. But I think from my playing and coaching experiences I have a skill set that can help. I will be forever be in debt to the Essendon Football Club.

JA: Does the board require another ex-footballer, a point made by current board member Melissa Verner Green who is up for re-election after eight years in the job?

DS: I don't want members to vote for me because I'm a past player. I want them to vote for me for what I can bring. The current board boasts a wealth of commercial experience and part of that has delivered us a profit of $400k plus for 2024! Sensational! But vice-president Andrew Welsh is the only member who has spent a considerable amount of time in a football department. Football is our core business so I feel diversity on the board is critically important.

THE BOMBERS BOARD CONTENDERS

Dave Barham (incumbent) – Essendon president since August, 2022. Long term media executive, including as boss of Chanel 10’s AFL programming.

Melissa Verner Green (incumbent) – Board member since 2017. National Agency Lead at Meta, former Sales Director at Fairfax Media.

Paul Weston – Essendon premiership player 1984-85, 60 VFL games for Bombers.

Dean Solomon – Essendon premiership player 2000, 158 AFL games for Bombers. Founder of Salt Movement and Recovery, former longtime assistant coach at Gold Coast.

Luke Maxfield – Lifelong Essendon fan, member for past seven years (after letting membership lapse while living overseas), works in business development with a water company.

JA: Is the club on the right path?

DS: I like some of the language that is coming out of the club regarding alignment and stability. Let's be really transparent, let's share our vision with the Essendon people. We have won the equal most premierships in the competition, let’s embrace that, be proud of who we are, where we are going and most importantly let’s ensure we are doing it together!

JA: I look at the Bombers and see a lack of genuine match-winners, making the departure of Jake Stringer surprising to my eyes?

DS: I don’t know the ins and outs of Jake's situation but it was reported his standards dropped a little bit, something I can relate to, a lived experience for me as I got traded from Essendon (to Fremantle) when my standards fell. Great clubs set the bar high — you either meet the expectation or you don't.

JA: Is living interstate a problem for a board member?

DS: People could perceive it as a problem but I'm down a lot through my business so the short answer is no.

JA: A couple of Essendon legends bemoan the lack of obvious leaders in the playing list?

DS: Leadership is massive in any organisation. It's an area I believe I could support and help in. I loved the fact that coach Brad Scott plus Zach Merrett and Andy McGrath went overseas to enhance their leadership.

JA: Are you a supporter of current president David Barham?


DS: I'm not here to challenge Dave for his position. I’ve enjoyed listening to Dave’s language about making decisions purely based around "what is best for the club" only! I admire the suggestion of him entering into a succession plan with Andrew Welsh. And if Andrew did succeed Dave then someone would need to take over football governance at board level, something the members need to consider when voting.

JA: Do you look at the models employed by other clubs?

DS: I always analyse sporting clubs and businesses from a far. I have a huge amount of respect and admiration for two Aussie clubs in the Sydney Swans and Melbourne Storm. Both organisations for decades now have made calculated, thorough decisions based on leaving the club in a better place than they found it.

[ledge]

Re: Essendon

How many can you have apply for the board is there a limit ?
The way the club has run recently I’m surprised it’s only 3 new ones attempting to get on the board.
One lives interstate, one is just a retired player and one is a supporter who has only been a member the last 7 years.
No big name of any sort , does that mean that 99% are happy with the board at the moment ?

[Axe Man]

Imagine if they had to play at Geelong. Every. Single. Year.

Essendon pushes for more MCG games amid fan anger at Geelong road trip

Essendon has played in Geelong twice in the past 31 seasons — outside of the Covid years. But that didn’t stop fan anger boiling over about being sent down the highway in 2025 at the club’s AGM.

Essendon is confident it will cut down its home games at Marvel Stadium and secure at least one more MCG match from 2026 as it closes in on a new deal with the AFL.

The Bombers were one of multiple clubs to lodge a fixture request for a home match to be switched from Marvel Stadium to the MCG in 2025 but that was denied when the season draw was released last month.

The Dons will host Adelaide (round 2), Richmond (round 11), Geelong (round 14) and Carlton (round 24) at the home of football next year and maintain seven home games under the roof at Docklands.

Essendon has begun renegotiations with the AFL — which owns Marvel Stadium — on a deal to play under the roof from 2026 onwards and CEO Craig Vozzo believes that will lead to more MCG matches.

“Our club takes it quite seriously that we would love to play more games at the MCG,” he told the Bombers AGM.

“In fact, we are in the process of finalising an arrangement with the AFL at the moment with regards to the Marvel deal and we are quite confident that an ability to pick up an extra game at the MCG will come.”

Carlton and St Kilda have pushed to shift games out of Marvel Stadium and over to the MCG.

North Melbourne is likely to add more games there from 2026 when it no longer plays in Tasmania after agreeing to play two home matches in West Australia.

The two western games would leave two extra matches formerly played on the Apple Isle that could now be staged in Melbourne.

Essendon is a club that has become synonymous with the Docklands stadium as an original tenant and hosted the very first AFL game there, against Port Adelaide in March, 2000.

An extra MCG game could help ease some concern growing among Essendon fans that reserve seat memberships are soon to be exhausted, given the greater capacity at the ‘G.

Vozzo told members that one of the beauties of Essendon’s regular fixture is that the Dons usually play 16 matches in Melbourne.

That has remained in 2025, plus a rare game in Geelong, in round 22.

But not all Bombers fans are happy to head down the highway, with one long-time member issuing a complaint at the AGM — which drew some applause — about having to play at GMHBA Stadium for just the second time since 1993 outside of Covid years.

“I don’t want to go to Geelong either,” Bombers president David Barham jovially replied.

[Grantysghost]

Fkn entitled twats.

Everyone wants to play at the G.

We could use that to our advantage by being the main tenant at Marvel and get a better deal then bugger off Windy Hell.

[Bulldogs201616]

Imagine if they had to play at Geelong. Every. Single. Year.

Essendon pushes for more MCG games amid fan anger at Geelong road trip

Essendon has played in Geelong twice in the past 31 seasons — outside of the Covid years. But that didn’t stop fan anger boiling over about being sent down the highway in 2025 at the club’s AGM.

Essendon is confident it will cut down its home games at Marvel Stadium and secure at least one more MCG match from 2026 as it closes in on a new deal with the AFL.

The Bombers were one of multiple clubs to lodge a fixture request for a home match to be switched from Marvel Stadium to the MCG in 2025 but that was denied when the season draw was released last month.

The Dons will host Adelaide (round 2), Richmond (round 11), Geelong (round 14) and Carlton (round 24) at the home of football next year and maintain seven home games under the roof at Docklands.

Essendon has begun renegotiations with the AFL — which owns Marvel Stadium — on a deal to play under the roof from 2026 onwards and CEO Craig Vozzo believes that will lead to more MCG matches.

“Our club takes it quite seriously that we would love to play more games at the MCG,” he told the Bombers AGM.

“In fact, we are in the process of finalising an arrangement with the AFL at the moment with regards to the Marvel deal and we are quite confident that an ability to pick up an extra game at the MCG will come.”

Carlton and St Kilda have pushed to shift games out of Marvel Stadium and over to the MCG.

North Melbourne is likely to add more games there from 2026 when it no longer plays in Tasmania after agreeing to play two home matches in West Australia.

The two western games would leave two extra matches formerly played on the Apple Isle that could now be staged in Melbourne.

Essendon is a club that has become synonymous with the Docklands stadium as an original tenant and hosted the very first AFL game there, against Port Adelaide in March, 2000.

An extra MCG game could help ease some concern growing among Essendon fans that reserve seat memberships are soon to be exhausted, given the greater capacity at the ‘G.

Vozzo told members that one of the beauties of Essendon’s regular fixture is that the Dons usually play 16 matches in Melbourne.

That has remained in 2025, plus a rare game in Geelong, in round 22.

But not all Bombers fans are happy to head down the highway, with one long-time member issuing a complaint at the AGM — which drew some applause — about having to play at GMHBA Stadium for just the second time since 1993 outside of Covid years.

“I don’t want to go to Geelong either,” Bombers president David Barham jovially replied.

What sooks we do a trip down the highway every year.