Collingwood board drama: Jeff Browne says challenge to Mark Korda board still on
Jeff Browne says Collingwood’s salary cap mess, disastrous 2020 trade period and falling crowds are among the reasons he should become the club’s new president.
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A litany of mistakes by the Mark Korda-led board have “devalued” the Collingwood brand, according to would-be Magpies president Jeff Browne.
In an explosive statement, Browne, 66, has reaffirmed his commitment to take over the embattled club.
The former Channel 9 boss says a series of missteps and actions have “collectively contributed to the growing lack of confidence in the leadership of our club”.
A push for a spill of the Collingwood board hit a hurdle on Thursday when ringleader and long-time Magpies member David Hatley withdrew from the campaign for an extraordinary general meeting. But a group of fellow supporters have now taken over the petition.
Browne said Collingwood members deserved “their democratic right to vote” on all seven board positions at an EGM.
“As Collingwood members continue to collect the signatures required for an extraordinary general meeting for the election of seven directors to the Collingwood board, I reiterate that once that meeting is called, an alternative ticket of highly qualified, motivated and deeply caring Collingwood members will offer themselves for election,” Browne said.
“All of this takes place against a backdrop of mistakes and actions by the current board, including:
“A botched miscalculation of the salary cap, overseen by the current president as chairman of the finance committee;
“An undignified ejection of four very good players (Adam Treloar, Jaidyn Stephenson, Tom Phillips, Atu Bosenavulagi) forced out because of the salary cap blunders;
“The botched appointment of a so-called director (Bridie O’Donnell), with no past passion for, or engagement with Collingwood;
“The inherent instability that surrounds replacing a coach mid-season, an episode only saved significantly by the class and dignity of the coach himself;
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“Apparent meetings with some supporters pledging long overdue improvement to members benefits and facilities, offered amidst a plea not to give the members their right to elect a new board to represent them;
“Unprecedented low attendances at Collingwood home games at the MCG; and
“A devaluation of the Collingwood brand that has seen the broadcast of non-feature matches, relegated to graveyard television broadcasting slots.
“These things collectively contribute to the growing lack of confidence in the leadership of our club, which can only presently be addressed by giving the members their democratic right to vote on all seven positions at a general meeting and only thereby, give them direct input into helping restore Collingwood to the great club it should be.”
Browne, a former AFL legal adviser, is finalising a seven-person ticket to challenge the Korda board at the EGM.
He says it is time for a “revitalised” direction at Australia’s most famous sporting club.
FULL STATEMENT FROM JEFF BROWNE:
As Collingwood Members continue to collect the signatures required for an Extraordinary General Meeting for the election of 7 Directors to the Collingwood Board, I reiterate that once that meeting is called, an alternative ticket of highly qualified, motivated and deeply caring Collingwood Members will offer themselves for election.
All of this takes place against a backdrop of mistakes and actions by the current Board, including:
1. A botched miscalculation of the salary cap, overseen by the current President as Chairman of the Finance Committee;
2. An undignified ejection of four very good players, forced out because of the salary cap blunders;
3. The botched appointment of a so-called Director, with no past passion for, or engagement with Collingwood;
4. The inherent instability that surrounds replacing a coach mid-season, an episode only saved significantly by the class and dignity of the coach himself;
5. Apparent meetings with some supporters pledging long overdue improvement to Members benefits and facilities, offered amidst a plea not to give the Members their right to elect a new Board to represent them;
6. Unprecedented low attendances at Collingwood home games at the MCG; and
7. A devaluation of the Collingwood brand that has seen the broadcast of non-feature matches, relegated to graveyard television broadcasting slots.
These things collectively contribute to the growing lack of confidence in the leadership of our Club, which can only presently be addressed by giving the Members their democratic right to vote on all 7 positions at a General Meeting and only thereby, give them direct input into helping restore Collingwood to the great Club it should be.
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A group of dissatisfied Collingwood members has vowed to push ahead with their campaign to force an extraordinary general meeting and the club’s first election in more than 20 years.
Long-time passionate Magpies member David Hatley withdrew from publicly running the push on Thursday, saying he “didn’t want to burn Collingwood down”.
There was also frustration that details of a meeting he and another member of the push had with two current directors last Friday were leaked to the media.
It comes as Collingwood has revealed it has agreed to move its annual general meeting forward to December, which had originally been scheduled for February next year.
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The club’s release said a meeting with Hatley last Friday brought about: “a number of member-focused initiatives … the first of which is an agreement to hold the 2021 annual general meeting in December at which time members will have an opportunity to participate in the election of three directors.”
But Melbourne real estate director Vic Nicholas told News Corp he and the group would still push for an EGM and a spill of all board positions, saying it would still lodge the petition of more than 1700 members with the club.
“We will definitely lodge it (the petition) with the club,” said Nicholas, a lifelong Collingwood supporter and almost 25-year member.
“At the end of the day, as David has repeated, we don’t want to burn the club down or make it appear to be a laughing stock.
“But the basic premise with what we started is that Collingwood members should always have the right to ratify board appointments via a vote remains the same.
“Twenty three years without any election doesn’t sit right …
“We want a full spill of all board positions, but ideally in October after the season has finished.
“That would give the (current) board an opportunity to present a vision. We want to be fair to them. We don’t want blood letting; we just want an orderly election so the club can proceed forward and so the members feel a part of what is happening.”
Nicholas said he had never met wannabe president Jeff Browne, who is forming a ticket to take on president Mark Korda and his board, but said the club members who had signed the petition wanted the right to vote in an election.
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Hatley posted a message to Magpie fans, saying he had decided to step away publicly from the push for an EGM.
“All along I have said I didn’t want to burn Collingwood down, but have open dialogue with the club to get the best for all at Collingwood,” Hatley said.
“I’ll state this here for the record, I trust Paul Licuria and Peter Murphy implicitly.
“There’s no way these two extremely fine gentlemen would’ve leaked this meeting … and jeopardise the very good plans we had worked on to drive better fan engagement, better connection between members and players/coaches, and provide more election terms more often to give the members more of a vote.
“Well congratulations to the rat, I’m walking away from all this. All I ever wanted (was) a better environment and a successful club.”
The club said on Thursday: “Recent discussions with members, including lifelong fan and Legends member David Hatley, have been constructive and fruitful.
“A number of member-focused initiatives have emerged from these discussions, the first of which is an agreement to hold the 2021 annual general meeting in December at which time members will have the opportunity to participate in the election of three directors.
“Further proposals continue to be discussed, including the establishment of a representative body drawn from a range of Collingwood membership groups that will speak regularly and directly with the board and executive.
“The club thanks David Hatley and other members for their passion for Collingwood and desire to help the club be the best it can be.
“Collingwood commits to continuing discussions with the people it represents – the members – and working with the likes of David.
“We share a love of Collingwood and are nothing without each other. We will continue to ask: How do we stay strong together?”
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