Neil Balme could sit alongside Mark Ricciuto on Adelaide board as Crows circle respected footy boss

After multiple attempts to lure one of footy’s most respected minds to the West Lakes, the future of Mark Ricciuto at the Crows could play a factor in discussions.

Neil Balme could sit alongside club legend Mark Ricciuto on Adelaide’s board for a year as the Crows continue to speak to the highly regarded football administrator.

After multiple attempts to lure Balme to West Lakes to fill an overarching football department role in recent years, the Crows could finally convince the former Collingwood, Geelong and Richmond footy boss to join the club as a director.

The Crows could have up to three new board members in place for their upcoming Annual General Meeting in March.

Members will vote on one position while there are still vacancies after the resignations of former Federal Labor MP Kate Ellis and winemaker Warren Randall.

Neil Balme could soon join the Crows’ board. Picture: AAP Image/Michael Dodge

Despite suggestions that former club captain Ricciuto, who is the football director, would also be departing the board because of introduced 12-year term limits the Brownlow Medallist has an extra 12-months to run.

Olsen said Adelaide was working through its composition of its board for this year and beyond.

“Mark has served 11 years to date so he is entitled to continue on the board for a further 12 months,” he said.

“But after that it is compulsory to retire from the board

“We are working through our composition of the board.

“There will be some changes on the board but we have governance steps to work through and we will be making an announcement in relation to board composition in the near future.”

The Crows don’t have to fill the positions vacated by Ellis and Randall, which would leave them with eight board members for 2025.

But with Ricciuto the only member of the board with football experience, there is a push for Balme and his expertise to join it.

Ricciuto’s time on the board will end after this season. Picture: AAP Image/Kelly Barnes

If he did join the board this year he would be a leading candidate to become the Crows’ football director after Ricciuto’s term ends next year.

At a special ceremony for the construction of the Crows’ new home at Thebarton Oval, Olsen said discussions with Balme would continue.

“We have had discussions with Neil over a number of years around different roles at the club, those discussions are still continuing,” Olsen said.

“Our focus as a club is football first, we exist to play footy and finals. That is our approach and that doesn’t change and it is how we benefit, improve and add greater skills to our football first approach.

“Let’s just see how the discussions emerge over the next few days and week.

“There are opportunities in a number of areas, we have a focus on the composition of the board and the skillset of the board to have a football first focus.

“In the long term given Mark will have to compulsory retire by March next year we have to look down the track for the next three to five years and make sure we have directors on the board that are football focused and bring that to the board.”

Originally published as Neil Balme could sit alongside Mark Ricciuto on Adelaide board as Crows circle respected footy boss