New Adelaide chief Tim Silvers is a footy tragic, his predecessor Andrew Fagan came from rugby union but that’s not the only difference between them
Adelaide’s new chief Tim Silvers’ AFL-heavy background isn’t the only major difference he has with the man he replaced, Andrew Fagan.
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In Andrew Fagan’s first press conference as Crows chief executive, the ex-rugby union man insisted he was very familiar with Aussie rules, the AFL and its clubs.
To help convince any doubters, the NSW and Canberra-raised administrator pointed out that he was Adelaide-born.
“I’m a fan of the game, fan of the code … and that should come as no surprise,” said Fagan, who spent the first three years of his life in SA, in September 2014.
“I don’t think you’d find too many people working in sport that don’t follow all of the codes.
“It was a great opportunity to come back to the city … and also to a club I’ve followed since their inception. In short time, I’ll be an AFL man through and through.”
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The contrast was stark on Wednesday.
Fagan’s successor, Tim Silvers, ended his initial public presentation by describing himself as a “footy tragic”.
Not only had he been at Hawthorn for the past 17 years, rising from payroll manager to chief operating officer, he had started playing at the age of six, continued until his 30s and later coached juniors.
With Adelaide pushing ahead with a football-first strategic plan, it was clear the club had appointed an AFL person to steer its rebuild.
“I’ve coached my two kids, I love the sport, love the industry and that’s part of the reason that helps me being here today,” Silvers said.
On first impression, Silvers’ footy-heavy background is far from the only difference to his predecessor.
Fagan appeared polished and confident at his introductory press conference.
Having been chief executive of Super Rugby club ACT Brumbies and a general manager of the code’s national teams operations, he was a natural in the spotlight.
It was not long into his tenure before everyone was calling him “Fages”, as he embraced the chummy nature of his dealings with key stakeholders.
Silvers was softly-spoken, nervous and humble on Wednesday.
Any media experience he had was not obvious, likely because there would have been little exposure in his roles at Hawthorn.
Hawthorn president Jeff Kennett describes him as very much a quiet achiever.
Crows chairman John Olsen said Silvers was an “authentic value-based leader.”
Silvers is the latest face of Adelaide’s “reset” since the 2017 grand final loss.
The Crows have made sweeping changes in key posts over the past three years, including the resignations of Fagan, chairman Rob Chapman and coach Don Pyke, and sacking of football manager Brett Burton.
Reaching the grand final was among the highlights of Fagan’s 6 ½-years at the helm, which started by helping appoint another footy obsessive, Phil Walsh, as senior coach.
How Fagan admirably represented the club after the shock of Walsh’s death and overseeing the introduction of the Crows’ AFLW side and their two flags were other high points of his time.
But during its slide from 2017 runner-up to an inaugural wooden spoon last year, Adelaide has copped plenty of criticism.
Over its culture, transparency and for focusing on non-commercial ventures, such as eSports and the Giants baseball team, while it struggled on the field.
Silvers is being asked to re-engage supporters, drive a “high-performance culture”, find a new base, help clear $4.5m debt and lead a football-first strategic plan at a club that is not shying away from a rebuild.
It does not appear to faze him.
During his press conference on Wednesday, he compared where Adelaide was now to the start of his AFL journey – at Hawthorn in 2004.
The Hawks appointed a new coach (Alistair Clarkson), chief executive (Ian Robson) and football manager (Mark Evans), putting them on the path to premiership success by 2008.
“They focused on youth and that youth and those decisions became the nucleus of what were premiership teams down the track,” Silvers said.
“Why I see this as being such a wonderful opportunity for me personally and the club is that there’s a new start.”
Silvers was part of four premierships at the Hawks and won one as a junior coach alongside ex-Crow Ben Rutten at Camberwell Sharks in Melbourne.
Adelaide will be hoping he can add one as chief executive to his list.
Kennett praises Crows for new chief selection
Newly-appointed Adelaide CEO Tim Silvers is about to start hunting for two new homes.
The first – and easiest – option is chasing a new base for his young family as he prepares to move to Adelaide to embark on his new job after 17 years in a variety of roles with the Hawthorn Football Club, most recently as chief operating officer.
The second won’t be as straightforward. But his past expertise in this area played a critical role in his selection as Andrew Fagan’s replacement.
Silvers’ exhaustive work in helping to drive Hawthorn’s quest for a $100 million training and administrative base at Dingley was one of the key reasons behind the Crows’ appointment.
One of his first tasks will be leading Adelaide’s search for a new state-of-the-art base as it looks to depart West Lakes, along with helping to heal some of the club’s recent wounds.
Silvers’ former boss, Hawks president Jeff Kennett, says he is the right man on both fronts.
“Tim is an outstanding example of an individual who has learnt the game from the bootstraps up and along the way accepted more and more responsibilities and discharged them very professionally,” Kennett told the Herald Sun.
“He is very much a quiet achiever. He has never been about blowing his own trumpet.
“He will be a real asset to Adelaide who need a period of peace and calm.”
In his first press conference on Wednesday, Silvers cut a very different figure to his predecessor.
He was quietly-spoken, process-driven and a little nervous as he spoke to the media – a marked contrast to the more confident Fagan.
Kennett vouched for Silvers – who spent almost four months as Hawthorn’s interim CEO in 2017 – to Crows chairman John Olsen, particularly his capacity to deal with internal challenges as well as his relationship building which helped to drive the Dingley project.
“He has had a wonderful role in building up his own leadership skills as a team of men and women, so when we were in trouble with (former CEO) Tracey Gaudry (in 2017), and the club administration and coaches were in uproar, Tim held the place together,” Kennett said.
“He was the one who kept the waters calm.”
Kennett said Silvers was “well qualified” to be the man to help the Crows find a new base.
“He and one other (person) in particular have done all the original work (at Dingley), the relationships with State and Federal Governments and local council.”
Silvers started as payroll manager at Hawthorn in March 2004. He later worked as the club’s financial controller and general manager of finance before becoming the Hawks’ chief operating officer five years ago.
He feared his ambition of becoming an AFL club chief executive may have ended with the COVID financial squeeze until the Crows came calling.
“I spoke to my wife about a potential move … and I saw it as a wonderful opportunity.
“I jumped at it.”
He described himself as “a footy tragic” who has now landed one of the most sought-after roles in the AFL after narrowly missing out on Hawthorn’s chief executive role to Justin Reeves in 2017.
“I’m excited to entrench myself not only in this club but also the (Adelaide) community,” Silvers said as he promised better fan engagement for the Crows.
“I lived in a lot of houses as a youngster across Melbourne and Queensland – I lived in 15 houses by the age of 15 but (not) one of them wasn’t in Adelaide.
“I’ve been involved in (football) since the tender age of six, I played into my 30s, was an amateur footballer (for De La Salle) and loved the game.
“I have coached my two kids.”
Silvers coached the Camberwell Sharks from under-8s to under-12s with former Crows star turned Essendon coach Ben Rutten.
They lived in the same suburb, their children attended school together and they coached the Sharks to an under-11 premiership.
Rutten has since moved to Macedon but he’s kept in touch.
So much so that he has even provided Silvers with some Adelaide real estate advice.
“I understand what it means to be part of a successful culture both on and off the field … I am determined to make this club the best it can possibly be,” Silvers said.
“The Crows are such a significant part of the South Australian community and my family and I can’t wait to officially call Adelaide home.”
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Originally published as New Adelaide chief Tim Silvers is a footy tragic, his predecessor Andrew Fagan came from rugby union but that’s not the only difference between them
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