Collingwood’s next president Barry Carp: The Do Better report, his Magpie passion and being all-in on premierships
The man set to be charged with leading Collingwood’s next era has declared Craig McRae to be the best coach in the AFL and backed the club’s mantra of being all-in on immediate premiership success.
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Collingwood’s likely next president Barry Carp says the club is “poised for more success” as he vowed the Magpies would maintain their mantle as the AFL’s “No.1 club.”
Outgoing president Jeff Browne will step down from the presidency at next month’s annual general meeting after three years.
Carp and Renee Roberts are both seeking re-election after being key members of Browne’s board since late 2021.
The Magpies’ board has endorsed Carp and Roberts along with senior human resources professional Gaye Morris and Warner Music Australasia president Dan Rosen, who were put forward by the club’s nominations committee.
Accountant John Couroyannis and Casey Nunn, a board member and deputy chair of Vision Super and Victorian State Emergency Centre, have nominated as independents.
Carp said: “When Jeff, Renee and I started, we actually came to the members and asked them to trust us as we sought to make significant changes.”
“We wanted to return the club to No. 1 on the field and No. 1 off the field and under Jeff’s leadership, we have done that.
“Our membership is at record levels, we obviously won our 16th premiership (in 2023) which we are delighted about, and financially and from a governance perspective we are in really good shape going forward.
“We want to enhance that, we want to grow that.”
He wanted to help build on the club’s recent achievements as well as its future strategic vision.
“We have an amazing diversity of skills and talent on the board,” Carp said.
“It really is important to get that right.”
“They (the nominations committee) went through a really thorough process and came out with two great candidates in Gaye and Dan.
“Entertainment and managing and developing talent is Dan’s business. What an incredible skill set for us to capture. Gaye is one of the country’s leading people-and-culture leaders.
“Now it is all about appointing our board’s recommended ticket to continue the great work that Jeff has led from 2021, and that sort of continuity and stability is so important.”
In his first interview since being put forward as Collingwood’s likely 15th president, Carp also told the Herald Sun:
● The club’s core business was chasing premierships, insisting the Magpies had no intention of bottoming out
● The Do Better Report had “no finishing line” as he said respect, integrity and cultural safety had to be at the forefront of everything the club does
● Chief executive Craig Kelly, who had been at the centre of a wrongful dismissal claim which the club has now settled, had the board’s full support
● Improving the membership experience and further boosting facilities at the AIA Centre and Victoria Park were part of the future plans.
WHAT SORT OF PRESIDENT WOULD HE BE?
“You can only be yourself; you have to be authentic,” said Carp, who founded venture capital firm River Capital, when asked what sort of president he would make.
“When you think about what Eddie (McGuire) accomplished back in 1999 when we were really in dire straits … he stood up when no one else would or could.
“And clearly we had some challenges when Jeff (Browne) came on board, but he has righted the ship in a very selfless way. We are standing on the shoulders of giants, yet we are all different. You have to be yourself. And bring your own skills and authenticity to the table.”
JOINING THE BLACK AND WHITE ARMY
A flash of white boots worn by Phil Carman helped to indoctrinate Carp into the Magpie Army almost 40 years ago.
“As a nine-year-old, I remember the white boots,” he said of Carman’s 1975 VFL debut year, where he played 15 games but finished only three votes away from winning the Brownlow Medal.
“I hadn’t seen anyone dominate a sporting contest like he did that year. That is something forever etched in the soul.”
On a visit back to Victoria Park this week with board candidate Gaye Morris, he said he felt the power of being a part of the Magpie Army.
“I grew up here, starting in the Ryder (Stand) and moving to the Sherrin (Stand), the Daicos pocket,” he said.
“It didn’t matter where you came from, what your background was, or what your personal circumstances were, on a Saturday afternoon, everyone was the same.
“The one thing that united us was our passion for Collingwood. And even sitting in the Ponsford Stand at the ‘G now … it is the same now.”
Morris said of her Magpies’ passion: “My dad grew up in an orphanage … and if you didn’t barrack for Collingwood, you were in a bit of trouble.”
“So, despite my grandfather playing for Richmond, my brother and I ended up barracking for Collingwood. My own daughter had little chance to be anything but black and white!”
She now wants to give back to the club as a board member.
“I have spent my life and my career working with people in high performance teams, helping to create culture and build leadership in organisations. To hopefully bring that expertise to Collingwood would be fantastic.
“I am really proud of the club … the membership growth, 16 premierships and the culture that we are building.”
CHASING PREMIERSHIP NO.17
Carp backed coach Craig McRae’s ‘all-in’ philosophy to chase flags more so than coveting draft picks.
“More success, that’s what we want,” Carp said. “We have the best coach in the AFL, we have a great group of people within the organisation.
“(Winning games) is our core business. We are not looking to bottom out, we are looking to be successful in a sustainable way.”
He added: “When you think about the 132 years (of the club’s history), we have played in 45 grand finals or one every three years. We have not necessarily always converted, winning 16 of 45. But we are getting better at that.
“As a Collingwood supporter, there is an expectation that we should always be really competitive. We are committed to continuing that.”
A new football boss appointment to replace Graham Wright was close to being finalised.
“Wrighty is now on a new journey. He is going to be CEO at Carlton and we wish him absolutely all the best in the world, other than when they play against Collingwood.”
‘DO BETTER’, CLUB VALUES
Carp will next week head to Tennant Creek on a four-night trip to Central Australia along with McRae, Darcy Moore and the Magpies’ first year players as well as other staff members.
It will become an annual event for new players and staff members.
Carp said there was “no finishing line” on the club’s Do Better programs.
“It is a journey of learning and we have had so much help from great humans like Leon Davis, who came back to the club and he has lit a light for all of us and shown us the way,” he said.
“We can always do more and be more progressive. We are off to Tennant Creek next week for a cultural immersion program. I’m personally so excited to be going on this and we have a large contingent, including our coach and captain.
“We are committed to this.”
Carp said he was unable to comment on the recent settlement of a wrongful dismissal claim brought by a former staff member, centred on Kelly, with both parties agreeing to make no further statements.
But he said everyone at the club had to live the values that have been added in recent years to the constitution.
“When we redrafted our constitution we actually made sure our values were clearly articulated. They are documented … and we need to live them,” he said.
“We have a mantra as a club – win, connect, grow … winning is clearly important but so too is connecting and growing and making sure everyone feels welcome at our club.
“Ultimately, organisations and clubs are about their people, with all of their different personalities, experiences and backgrounds. We will keep getting better at making sure we are always living the values that we talk about.”
MEMBERSHIP/FACILITIES
“We can never take our members for granted,” he said.
“They invest a lot into the club and we need to make sure we are continuing to give back.
“We have got some work to do there … the membership experience can be improved. It has improved under Craig (Kelly) and his team and it is something we will continue to work on with the AFL and the MCC.”
He flagged further improvements at the AIA Centre and Victoria Park.
“We have done significant work at the AIA Centre, but there is more to come,” he said.
“Even here at Victoria Park, we want to make this an even better place to come and visit and experience. There are some plans in place.
“If we stand still, others will go past us. We cannot allow that.”
Originally published as Collingwood’s next president Barry Carp: The Do Better report, his Magpie passion and being all-in on premierships
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