It’s been an undeniably dramatic off-season for the Western Bulldogs.
First coach Brendan McCartney went, then captain Ryan Griffen stepped up to the Giants; much-loved Brownlow medallist Adam Cooney traded to Essendon and now chief executive Simon Garlick says it’s time to go.
The Bulldogs have no choice but to turn a new page in 2015.
Simon Garlick, a former player and board member, was set for his fifth year as chief executive before he handed in his resignation.
Bulldogs president Peter Gordon said Garlick had played a vital role, overseeing a tricky transition for the club.
“Simon has played an important role for the club in a pivotal and difficult period of its history,” Gordon said.
“We have rebuilt following three successive preliminary finals appearances and a cyclical downturn. That was coupled with the unfortunately timed loss of key players when GWS and GCS were introduced to the competition, and then key draft choices, which ordinarily would have been available to us, were given to the new clubs.”
Gordon said Garlick was instrumental in increasing club revenue during his time at the top and had reduced debt levels while increasing spending on future player recruitment, development and coaching.
He cited construction of the Edgewater gaming and social venue, a $27 million commercial venture and the biggest in the club’s history, as a hallmark of Garlick’s tenure. The venue will begin operating later this year.
The club also reintroduced a VFL side, which played the bulk of its home games at Whitten Oval and went on to win the flag.
Garlick was also instrumental in securing a major sponsorship deal with Mission Foods and extending it a further three years, making it the longest deal in the club’s history.
A partnership with the City of Ballarat to play games at a revamped Eureka Stadium was put in place and the club added to its community programs in that time, Gordon said.
Garlick, who spent 13 years at the Bulldogs in total, said he felt the time was right to move into the next phase of his career.
“I believe it’s in the best interests of the club, my family and myself at this time given the recent appointment of a new coach, a stable board in place and a new five-year strategic plan for the club ready to be launched,” Garlick said.
“I’m proud of all I have accomplished here at Western Bulldogs during my tenure as the chief executive.”
The Bulldogs will start the search for its next chief executive immediately.
Meanwhile, the Bulldogs have finalised their five-man leadership group for this season. On board are Robert Murphy (captain), Jordan Roughead (vice-captain), Dale Morris, Matthew Boyd and Tom Liberatore.
Our earlier report: Western Bulldogs CEO Simon Garlick resigns
