Dear Member,
Brisbane Lions is a proud football club. All of us share a passion for seeing the Club succeed on and off the field.
But fighting in public over the make-up of the Board is not good for the Club. Until now, I have chosen not to make public comment on these issues at the request of the AFL as they have tried to find a sensible resolution. But it is time to set the record straight. I am sorry that I have not done so sooner and that the Board has not engaged more closely with Members and given you more information on this issue.
I have called a Board meeting for tomorrow to discuss the EGM. More information will shortly be provided to Members.
A group involving two Directors, Mick Power and Paul Williams, are not acting in the best interests of the Club and their actions will not set up the Lions for future success. They were part of the same unanimous Board decisions that they now seek to use to force a Board spill. By publicly criticising decisions they made with the rest of the Board, they are effectively making a hostile takeover bid for your Club.
Here are the facts:
- The difficult decision not to renew Michael Voss’ contract was based on the need for a new approach to take the Club to the next level. Michael is the Lions’ greatest player and favourite son and he made an enormous contribution to the Club. A thorough review was conducted by the Club and on the basis of a recommendation made to the Board, Paul Williams moved the motion not to renew Michael’s contract. The Board vote was unanimous and the process for announcing the decision and recruiting a replacement was agreed.
Despite media speculation, the decision not to renew Michael’s contract was not based on securing Paul Roos as Senior Coach. This was discussed and agreed at the Board meeting before a decision was made on Michael’s future at the Lions. As part of these discussions, the Board considered a shortlist of coaches including Justin Leppitsch, which was provided by the Club’s management and had the endorsement of the AFL Coaches Association.
In my discussions with Paul Roos, he was clear that while he had not decided to return to coaching, he would be unable to move to Brisbane for family reasons. - The Williams/Power group has made public claims that the Board used legal advice to block Leigh Matthews’ nomination to stand as a Director of the Club. This is untrue.
The Board was compelled to seek legal advice after it was pointed out that Life Members have different rights from Full Members. Independent legal opinions were obtained from the Club’s lawyers, Ashurst and one of Australia’s leading corporate lawyers. The Club's Constitution provides, among other things, that for a person to qualify to be elected as a Director by the Club’s Members, that person must be a Full Member. Leigh and Ross Thornton are Life Members. This is enshrined in our Constitution, which can only be changed with the approval of at least 75% of Members to amend the provisions of the Constitution. The Board did not find legal technicalities to prevent Life Members from being Directors, but is rather bound by the provisions of the Club's Constitution which prevent Life Members from being elected as Directors of the Club by its members . As Directors of an organisation with annual revenue of approximately $50 million and over 24,000 Members, we have very clear legal responsibilities.
I made it clear in the Board meeting at which this was discussed that the Constitution needs to be changed as soon as possible to ensure that Life Members are qualified to be appointed as Directors by the Club's Members. This is recorded in the Minutes of a Board meeting at which all Directors were present. A resolution will be put to Members at the EGM, proposing that Life Members are eligible to be appointed as Directors by the Club's Members and the Board will recommend that Members vote in favour. - We all want Leigh Matthews’ expertise to help the Club’s on-field performance.
Last year, Members voted at the recommendation of the Board to change the Constitution to assist Leigh to become a Director. On 24 July 2013, Leigh agreed via Mick Power that he would join the Board and I spoke with him to arrange a time to discuss his role.
However, joining the Board only on the condition of choosing his fellow Directors is not appropriate for any organisation and especially our Club.
The Williams/Power group are publicly criticising decisions they were part of, in order to divide the Board and the Club. It is impossible to argue that this behaviour is in the best interests of the Lions.
As Directors, we all share responsibility for the performance of the Club and our current situation. We have tried to get Leigh Matthews to join the Board but this is not the way to do so. Seeking to divide the Board and the Club will not set the Lions up for success.
These matters need to be resolved to allow the Club to focus on the things that will contribute to our success on and off the field. To allow us to resolve these issues, there are three goals we need to focus on:
- Engaging Members honestly and providing all of the facts. We will shortly send Members formal notice of the EGM to be held on 13 November with more information on the resolutions.
- Creating a unified board that acts at all times in the best interests of the Club on and off the field.
- Maintaining the support of the AFL. The AFL Commission provides an $8 million guarantee, 25% of our revenue and ongoing cashflow assistance to the Club. As a result, the AFL has the right and responsibility to see these issues resolved in the best interests of the game and our Club.
I have been a Member of the Lions for a good part of my life and a Director since 1999. I watched the Bears’ first game against North Melbourne and attended the first home game against Fitzroy at Carrara. My extended family are all Lions Members and the Club is in my blood. As a Director, I am a volunteer like every member of the Board. The only reward I seek is to see the Lions succeed.
I firmly believe these current Board issues can be resolved to allow the Club to focus on returning to on-field success and finals football next season. However, reaching a resolution requires all of the Directors to act in the best interests of the Club and not to seek to divide the Club for their own purposes.
I will update Members on these issues as further progress is made.
Angus Johnson
