Collingwood Football Club appoints Mark Korda as 13th President

Two months after Eddie McGuire resigned as President of the Collingwood Football Club, a replacement has finally been announced.

The Collingwood Football Club has revealed Eddie McGuire’s replacement, announcing that Mark Korda will serve as its 13th president.

After serving as Collingwood’s president for nearly 23 years, McGuire resigned from the position in February in the aftermath of the damning “Do It Better” report.

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Korda has served as co-president alongside Peter Murphy since McGuire stepped down, and was ratified as president on Wednesday. He has also served on the club’s board since 2007.

The Magpies also named Victoria Racing Club chairman Neil Wilson as a new director, filling a vacancy at the board table created by McGuire’s departure.

Mark Korda, the new Collingwood president.

“Collingwood has long held a place in my life and I take on this role with the strong belief that we have in our possession a wonderful legacy, a strength and spirit with which we must seek to do and be better. We have challenges but great people and passion to meet them,” Korda said in a statement.

“Collingwood has been made by many and it will take many to drive it forward. I thank Peter Murphy for his support, particularly over recent months, and his determination to see Collingwood continue to flourish. We have worked closely and talked daily over the past months and will continue to do so. I welcome Neil to the board.

“I also thank and pay tribute to Eddie for a contribution that may be the equal of any in the club’s 129 year history. His time was a transformational one that we must honour by creating a new age of prosperity and growth for Collingwood.

“There is a collaborative commitment from the board to serve our club and create real progress that will live on through those who follow.”

Mark Korda @KordaMentha saved Network 10 from complete ruin a few years ago when he pulled off the @CBS takeover under the cloak of darkness. Now can he get things back on track for @CollingwoodFC as their new president.

— Tim Gossage 🤓 (@TimGossage) April 21, 2021

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Earlier on Wednesday, Nathan Buckley’s manager Craig Kelly endorsed former Channel 9 boss Jeff Browne to take over as Collingwood president.

Speaking on Fox Footy’s AFL 360, Herald Sun reporter Mark Robinson claimed there was “absolutely no chance” McGuire wanted Korda to be chosen as his successor.

“There’s some forces gathering around him and he knows about it. He knows who they are, there is a big push for Jeff Browne. This is really intriguing,” Robinson said on Wednesday evening.

“For those who don’t know… one of Jeff Browne’s best mate is Eddie McGuire. Eddie McGuire was tiptoed in a lot of ways by the board which included Mark Korda and Peter Murphy.

“You reckon Eddie McGuire wants Mark Korda or Peter Murphy? There is no chance. Eddie McGuire wants one of his best, best mates. Absolutely.

“It hasn’t been announced publicly, but Eddie McGuire is in the Jeff Browne camp.”

AFL 360 co-host Gerard Whateley elaborated: “There should be an election.

“Football clubs are now set-up to avoid the disruption of elections. It has cleverly been done, it is all hand picked, it is very in-house. If you challenge you are painted as a dissident.”

Originally published as Collingwood Football Club appoints Mark Korda as 13th President