Essendon CEO Xavier Campbell resigns from his position amid chaos at the Bombers

Xavier Campbell was 34 when he became Essendon CEO. He dealt with the drugs saga, fixed a financial mess and made plenty of tough calls. So why did he walk away now?

Essendon boss Xavier Campbell fronted the TV cameras alongside new president David Barham at 2.45pm on Sunday to announce coach Ben Rutten had been sacked.

Campbell then drove from Tullamarine to Rutten’s Mount Macedon farm to spend a few hours with the man he had unsuccessfully backed to remain at the helm of the Bombers.

Then, Campbell drove from Rutten’s house to Barham’s on Sunday evening to quit as chief executive.

“I’d thought about this (resigning) at points recently, and last week was challenging for all the reasons that are obvious,” Campbell told the Herald Sun on Wednesday.

“You become emotional. Ultimately we might disagree about certain decisions, but we align on the decisions of the club.

“I just feel like it’s a good time for Dave, as a new president, to have really, strong, aligned support.

“And also someone that’s got the energy to help him realise the vision, and I don’t have that now.

“It’s been a difficult nine years and I think the time is right to hand it over to someone else.”

A difficult nine years is an understatement.

Essendon Football Club CEO, Xavier Campbell and Essendon president David Barham

A LEGACY

Campbell’s son, Freddie, was three days old when he was appointed chief executive in 2014.

The SANFL premiership player was just 34, becoming Essendon’s youngest chief executive and at the height of the drugs saga.

Player retention was one major issue as the Bombers overpaid their stars to stay, known internally as the ‘ASADA tax’.

“It’s obviously bitter-sweet in that it was a really challenging time and players were going through things they shouldn’t have had to go through,” Campbell said.

“But you became so close with those players, and I actually sent a text message to a big group of those players that I was closest to because I’ll always feel connected to them.

“I was proud we were able to keep everyone connected to the football club.

“I was proud the club didn’t fracture during that three or four-year period when it quite easily could’ve, and many other clubs probably would’ve.

“God knows where we’d be if we’d fractured as a football club back then.

“It was the bond of the players that was far and away the strongest aspect of that period.”

FIXING A FINANCIAL MESS

Lifelong supporter Heath Hocking’s three-year recommitment in 2016 was the first sign of forgiveness and slowly the banned Bombers followed suit.

Only Michael Hibberd departed that year. Financially it was also a mess.

The club’s debt – which peaked at $12.5 million in 2017 – has been wiped and it’s understood the bill from the drugs saga topped $20 million in unforeseen costs and loss of revenue.

“There were some pretty dark days. We were staring at significant cost exposure,” Campbell said.

“It has never happened before, and I hope it never happens again where a material group of players are suing the club for negligence.

“That’s essentially what happened, and that was an ongoing process and a very delicate process.

“It could’ve been a hell of a lot worse, and then you had the challenge of a season that had essentially been completely pushed off course.

“That’s when the members stepped up. They were so proud of their football club, so connected to their football club.

“They might’ve been frustrated by aspects of it, absolutely, and that was totally understandable.”

Under Campbell, membership swelled from 53,000 in 2013 to 88,000 this year.

In 2016 the Bombers were tipped to not win a game.

But 10,000 supporters marched in solidarity from Federation Square to the MCG for the club’s first home game and watched their team of washed-up top-ups and youngsters upset the Demons by 13 points.

That moment resonates with Campbell, along with the day the AFL anti-doping tribunal cleared the players and then the WADA appeal overruled that decision.

“Those players never deserved that moment, and never deserved any moment in that four-year period,” he said.

The board unanimously voted to extend Campbell’s contract by two years mid-season.

But that was under Paul Brasher’s leadership and since Brasher stood down last week the Bombers have lost Rutten, Campbell and director Simon Madden.

Xavier Campbell facing the meeting last week. Picture: Getty Images

WHAT ROLE HAS CAMPBELL PLAYED IN THE TURMOIL?

Football bosses Rob Kerr and Dan Richardson didn’t last while the John Worsfold-Rutten succession plan failed.

“In 2019 when we devised that plan it was very well-intentioned and we had a very different list profile,” Campbell said.

“Obviously 2020 was a very difficult year (due to Covid) and it’s probably lucky Ben wasn’t in charge then, because what a year to be a first-year coach.

“It was lucky he did have the support of John.”

Campbell teared up when, flanked by his wife and two children, he told staff at 9am on Wednesday he was leaving.

But he promised long-suffering and disillusioned supporters that the future was bright.

“It’s easy to get caught up in the negativity now, but I guarantee you this club has a great future in the short term,” Campbell said.

“I’ve been in this industry for a long time and things move very quickly.

“We’re four or five weeks away from having good, positive news again, a new coach, we’ve got a really talented young playing group, we’ve got good (salary) cap flexibility, we’ve got great facilities, we’ve got financial strength and independence.

“The foundations are exceptionally strong, so I feel very comfortable that although the last week has been challenging I feel comfortable that the club is in a really strong position to grow.

“I genuinely mean that.”

BOMBERS IN TURMOIL: CEO QUITS AMID CHAOS

Essendon chief executive Xavier Campbell has resigned from his role as the Bombers’ tumultuous season continues.

Campbell’s resignation follows the departure of president Paul Brasher and coach Ben Rutten in the past week and a half after a season where the club did not meet expectations.

The 42-year-old informed Essendon staff of his resignation at 9am on Wednesday.

Campbell told Essendon officials he was considering walking away on Friday and made the move official on Sunday.

The Bombers chief had been a key orchestrator of the succession plan involving former coaches John Worsfold and Rutten.Campbell’s position was untenable after new president David Barham made the call to offer the senior coaching position to Alastair Clarkson.

Campbell was heavily-aligned to senior coach Ben Rutten and recommended the club stick with Rutten for the final year of his contract next season.

Long-time list boss Adrian Dodoro’s position is safe as he prepares to guide the club in the upcoming trade and draft period.

Dodoro has headed up recruiting since 1998 and recently had success with Nic Martin, Will Snelling and Sam Durham.

Football manager Josh Mahoney is safe in his position.

Chief commercial officer Nick Ryan is considered the front runner to become interim chief executive officer.

Campbell became the youngest chief executive in Essendon history, taking over at the beginning of 2014 during the supplements saga.

The Bombers celebrated their 150th year anniversary this season.

The club’s membership swelled from 53,000 in 2013 to 88,000 in 2022 during Campbell’s tenure.

The Bombers also qualified for finals in four out of his first eight seasons and established an AFLW team in that time.

In 2014 Campbell was shortlisted in the leadership category for the inaugural under 40 Global Leaders in Sport.

Xavier Campbell has quit his position at the club. Picture: NCA NewsWire

It’s understood the club endured unforeseen costs or loss of revenue north of $20 million during the supplements saga.

But Campbell’s commercial excellence helped navigate the turmoil by locking in key sponsors and helping drive player retention as other clubs attempted to pick off players involved in the drugs saga.

The board, led by former chairman Paul Brasher, unanimously voted to extend Campbell’s contract by two years midseason.

However when new president David Barham took power last week it left Campbell aligned to the former regime, including sacked coach Ben Rutten.

The Bombers will move forward armed with space in the salary cap to attack this year’s free agency market.

Originally published as Essendon CEO Xavier Campbell resigns from his position amid chaos at the Bombers