Alberti-Gordon feud inflamed by gate ‘humiliation’
FEMALE footy trailblazer Susan Alberti was denied entry to Friday night’s AFLW match, in a bizarre incident that’s understood to have inflamed long-running tensions between the Western Bulldogs patron and president Peter Gordon.
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A BITTER fight has split the Western Bulldogs, with president Peter Gordon and patron Susan Alberti at war.
The female footy trailblazer said she was left “sad and humiliated” after being denied entry to Whitten Oval through the main entrance at Friday night’s AFLW match.
It was the second time this season she has been turned away from that entrance at the club which has benefited from $4 million of her money.
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The Whitten Oval main gate is used for entry by players, club officials, league officials and the media, but not the general public.
“I’m sad, extremely disappointed, but most of all humiliated,” Ms Alberti told the Sunday Herald Sun.
“I can’t believe it’s happened at my home of 66 years — that place is a part of my life. But I will continue to love and support the Western Bulldogs.”
The bizarre incident is understood to have inflamed long-running tensions between Ms Alberti and Mr Gordon, which began around the time she left the Dogs board after the drought-breaking 2016 flag win.
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“She is bewildered by what is behind this series of events,” a friend said. “What happened on Friday night was the final straw.”
On Saturday, Mr Gordon shot back, releasing a statement after the Sunday Herald Sun broke the story online.
He said the board and senior management were aware “of a number of issues at our first AFLW home game related to Sue and her support staff and her film crew”.
“Because of our relationship and her history, I had reached out to her to meet to discuss these matters privately over a coffee,” Mr Gordon said.
“Sue was unavailable to meet until after this weekend.
“When I became aware of last night’s incidents, I reached out to her again to meet to discuss the position. I stand by the policies and actions of our staff and management.
“No one was excluded from the Whitten Oval.
“It is still my hope and judgment that the matter is best resolved by a frank discussion between me and Sue, and the club will make no further comment until after that meeting has taken place.”
The premiership-winning duo will sit down for talks to try and resolve their issues. But it could be a long meeting, with Ms Alberti saying last night: “I’m disappointed in the comments made by Peter Gordon, they don’t address the issue that I was denied access to an entrance I’ve always used.”
Ms Alberti said security at the entrance told her she was not on the list of those permitted to enter there.
“I asked him (security) to get on the radio and check,” Ms Alberti said. “He came back and said the answer was no.”
The incident with the film crew took place at another Bulldogs game two weeks ago.
She said she understood from her film crew they had permission to enter the ground on that occasion.
Ms Alberti’s husband, Colin North, defended the actions of security staff. “The guard wasn’t at fault. He was simply doing the job he was asked to do,” he said.
Ms Alberti made it into the ground on Friday when a senior club figure stepped in to resolve the situation.
AFLW boss Nicole Livingstone and AFL staff were made aware of the incident.
Ms Alberti, 70, was a Bulldogs director for 12 years and vice-president for three years.
She was named 2017 Melburnian of the Year and has a Companion of the Order of Australia in 2016.
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ASK anybody hanging over the fence at the Whitten Oval who helped bring the Bulldogs back from the brink and they’ll only issue two names.
Peter Gordon and Susan Alberti are as synonymous among fans as the club’s biggest stars. And for good reason. Growing up in West Footscray, Mr Gordon is best known for his role as a two-time president who worked furiously to stop an enforced merger with Fitzroy.
And over more than a dozen years as club director and vice president, Ms Alberti has been hailed for her enormous generosity, donating more than $4 million to help bring the club back from financial ruin. Together the pair played equally defining roles in the club’s enormous fightback that culminated in a 2016 premiership win.
Sources suggest Mr Gordon, who was recognised this year with an Order of Australia, has become increasingly frustrated with the beloved benefactor’s “access-all-areas attitude” when she no longer serves in any official capacity. In the past two years, Ms Alberti has gone on to earn credit for driving the new era of women’s footy. Yet, on Friday night, it was at a women’s game at Whitten Oval at which she was refused entry.
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