Richmond Press Conference at 11

[one-eyed]

Here's the official reports.......

Ill-health forces CEO Wright to step down
richmondfc.com.au
Mon 10 August, 2009

RICHMOND chief executive Steven Wright has informed the club that he will stand down at the end of the year for health and personal reasons.

Wright, who suffered from the debilitating Guillain-Barre Syndrome in early 2007, has been in the top job for five years.

"At the time the specialist told me that following my illness I would need to work in a low hours, low stress environment," Wright said.

"Unfortunately, the 24-hour, seven day pressure cooker football environment is the exact opposite and in my time at Richmond I have put every ounce of my energy into rebuilding this wonderful club from the ground up.

"Over the past 12 months, in particular, my body has been telling me to slow down.

"Sadly I won't be able to continue as CEO of Richmond, the club that I love, and as a consequence, I advised president Gary March recently of my intention to stand down from the role at the end of the year, allowing the club time to find a suitable replacement.

"Pleasingly, I will continue to remain involved with the club in the coming year as a consultant working on both the $20 million redevelopment at Punt Road and the creation of the Australian Institute of Indigenous Learning and Skills Development.

"Over the past five years we have worked hard as a club to bring in long-term sustainable improvements.

"Whilst on-field success has eluded us during that time, the board and staff have created the building blocks that will ensure that the success each Tiger supporter craves is not too far away and when it comes it will be for a sustained period.

"I thank president Gary March, the board and our staff, sponsors and members for the fantastic support and loyalty they have shown to me over the past five years."

Richmond president Gary March said he was surprised and disappointed when Wright advised him of his decision to stand down but fully understood the issues he was having with his health.

"Both personally and as club president, I would like to recognise and thank Steven for his outstanding contribution to the club as CEO over the past five years.

"I am pleased that he will be able to continue to work with us to see through the re-development of the Punt Road Oval, a key milestone during his time at the club."

Wright achieved a number of milestones during his tenure as CEO, including:
•    40% increase in football dept expenditure whilst still delivering significant profits
•    record membership each year – over 42,000 total members in 2009
•    $20 million dollar fundraising for the soon to commence PRO redevelopment
•    the creation of a fully funded $10m secondary training venue at Craigieburn
•    a fantastic centenary year in 2008 culminating in the "100 Years of Tiger Treasures" Gala dinner
•    a stable list of bluechip sponsors
•    an outstanding community program overseen by the Tigers In Community Foundation, of which he is a director.

"Importantly, he has also totally restructured and created a professional administration which will serve the club well in years to come," March said.

"On behalf of the board and all Richmond supporters I thank Steven for his significant contribution to Richmond and I wish him and his partner Vicky all the best for the years ahead."

http://www.richmondfc.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/6301/newsid/82384/default.aspx

[one-eyed]

March welcomes Gale with full-force
richmondfc.com.au
Mon 10 August, 2009

RICHMOND  Football Club has announced that former player and AFLPA chief executive Brendon Gale will take over as chief executive at the end of the season, replacing Steven Wright who is stepping down for health reasons.

Gale returns to the club after five years at the AFLPA, where he has achieved many significant milestones and has become a highly respected CEO.

Richmond President Gary March said the board was very fortunate to have secured someone of Gale's calibre.

"He brings a wealth of industry experience to the club for which he once played,” March said.

“The board thought Brendon was the ideal candidate to take over from the strong platform established by outgoing CEO Steven Wright, and continue to restore the club to its rightful position as a powerhouse in the AFL."

March said he was surprised and disappointed by Wright's decision but fully understood the issues he was having with his health.

Wright suffered from the debilitating Guillain-Barre Syndrome in early 2007.

"Clearly his health and well being are paramount above all other matters. Both personally and as club president, I would like to recognise and thank Steven for his outstanding contribution to the club as CEO over the past 5 years," March said.

"I am pleased that he will be able to continue to work with us to see through the re-development of the Punt Road Oval, a key milestone during his time at the club.”

http://www.richmondfc.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/6301/newsid/82385/default.aspx

[one-eyed]

New coach 'extremely important'
richmondfc.com.au
By Ben Broad Mon 10 August, 2009

NEW RICHMOND chief executive Brendon Gale will play a part in appointing the club’s next senior coach.

Gale, who on Monday announced his resignation as CEO of the AFL Players’ Association to take on the main job at Punt Road, said he would finalise in the coming days exactly when he would begin work at his former club.

However, the man who will take over from Steven Wright – who will step down due to health concerns – says he will be kept abreast of any coaching developments.

The first round of interviews have already taken place for Richmond’s next full-time coach, with current caretaker coach Jade Rawlings among a host of candidates.

“I think the club has been very robust in the process it put in place and they’ve stuck to that process, but given the importance of that decision, I’d certainly have an involvement in the appointment of that coach,” Gale said upon his announcement on Monday morning.

“I think it’s extremely important for me and the coach.”

Gale, who has been chief executive of the AFLPA since 2005, said it was “appropriate” that he resigned from his duties at the AFLPA immediately.

Current AFLPA general manager of operations, Matt Finnis, will assume the position of interim chief executive officer. Gale will play a role in the handover process.

“In the meantime, I’ll be getting briefings on the respective [coaching] candidates and where they’re at and I’ll look forward to joining the club towards the end of the season,” Gale said.

Gale, who played 244 matches for the Tigers from 1990-2001, knows the significance of the coaching position.

He admitted Richmond had had “issues” in the past, but he didn’t believe the club possessed a losing culture.

“I think clearly we’ve under-performed, there’s no doubt about that,” he said.

“The club is a very successful club, it’s been a very powerful club – often regarded as a ‘Big Four’ club.

“I think it’s fair to say it’s not a 'Big Four' club right now.

“I think the expectations that our supporters, our community, the Richmond family have of the club are very, very high, and so they should be.

“I think when our club falls short of those expectations, we get marked pretty hard. And that’s okay, we’ll deal with that - but we’ve got to do what we can do, and we’ve got to build for the future and be the best we can be. And I’m sure we will.”

http://www.richmondfc.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/6301/newsid/82397/default.aspx

[Francois Jackson]

i cant help get excited about the addition of Benny Gale.

he is a professional and not affraid of the media and not affraid to speak his mind.

This is excatly what we need at the RFC.

[Jackstar is back]

i cant help get excited about the addition of Benny Gale.

he is a professional and not affraid of the media and not affraid to speak his mind.

This is excatly what we need at the RFC.

 

[Tigermonk]

Yes a step in the right direction. Glad to have Big Benny back at the club.
he was one of my favorite players  & played his heart out