Dear valued members,

We receive a lot of feedback at Carlton and over the off-season much of that feedback was for the Club to be honest – both in its efforts and its communication.

We knew we'd be challenged, and at times with six to eight players on our injury list, the challenge has been even greater. But for all that, we obviously have to improve on what we've served up so far.

It's clearly understood too, that what all Carlton people want (at least) from their team is effort and hope. To that end, it has been a difficult few weeks on the scoreboard, but there have been a few 'green shoots', including much better performances over the past couple of weeks.

We've also introduced eight new players to the senior team this year, we’ve had a Rising Star nomination and we've been really pleased with the Northern Blues’ ability to prep our listed players.

The emergence of Patrick Cripps as a player and young leader and the assuredness of Sam Docherty (who has renewed his commitment to Carlton) have been highlights. There are positives too in Levi Casboult’s impact, and seeing more of Dylan Buckley and Nick Graham. It was also hugely encouraging to see Matthew Kreuzer back in action before the break.

And despite the challenges it's also worth noting that the captain has stepped up and shown the way, notably last weekend for example, very nearly helping us to a win.

There are also many positive things going on off the field at Carlton.

We are in the process of finalising a Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP), which will outline our commitments to better understand and support Indigenous Australians – including our own (currently) four players.

Carlton great Syd Jackson with Chris Yarran, Andrew Walker, Clem Smith and Liam Jones. (Photo: Carlton Football Club)

To that end, it's a great privilege to have dual premiership player Syd Jackson back at the Club, helping to guide and contribute to that Plan. Syd spoke to all staff and players recently about his upbringing, his separation from family at an early age and his love of Carlton – and the work we are doing in this area.

'Multicultural' Carlton will come together on July 8 (NAIDOC week) to launch the RAP and to celebrate our heritage and ongoing diversity. More details will follow. In other positives, we've had a great response to the pre-match 'rituals' – both from a cultural perspective and as a spectacle. The induction of past players to the Ring of Honour, the reflections back on the days at Princes Park and initiatives such as the Virgin seat upgrade have been well received – especially by those in Row E, Section M 15 of the MCG who are off to LA at some stage for a holiday.

Back to footy and the notion of hope, which has been raised by a number of members.

Let me say up front – I personally have very high hopes for Carlton and am very optimistic about the future. Essentially (with respect to our team) that's based on: knowing clearly where we are, where we are going and how we are going to get there.

In short we've been honest in calling out 'where we are' – in needing to build the depth in our List.

The 'where we are going' may feel distant right now, but we are going to be a dominant football club and a dominant, successful team again. That is clearly the aim. Everyone at Carlton wants that – supporters want it and we're certain it's what the AFL wants.

‘How will we get there'? We will continue to share that detail along the way, but for now, it's broadly:

• Getting the best people into place to make the best recruiting and development decisions (Stephen Silvagni, Andrew McKay and their teams).
• Adhering to a very clear 'road map' (or plan) for building a successful, dominant list in terms of recruitment, development, coaching and culture.
• Pushing hard, but being patient. We aren't setting or being hemmed in by timelines, but in truth it will take time. As almost all Carlton people have urged – there are no (unrealistically) quick fixes. We want to get it right so that Carlton is dominant for years to come.

We have – in recent months – constructed a detailed plan for the build of the list, from a recruitment and player development perspective.

The essence of that is, we will be:

• Targeting young talent
• Keeping our high order selections to acquire elite talent
• Maximising, within the parameters of each draft's depth, the number of early picks we have
• Creating TPP space that allows us to very selectively target free agents (or trades) who can boost our progress and/or our depth of leadership. If the right ones don’t emerge, we'll bank any applicable TPP space to invest strongly and aggressively in 2-3 years time

As you would expect of us, we do intend to continue to be aggressive in pursuing any free agency/trade opportunities – but (by way of policy) we will not publicly talk of any specific player(s) – and we will not take them for the sake of it. They'll need to entirely fit our criteria.

Underpinning all of this is the obvious need to 'select' very well. Again, we reinforce that we have the right people to do that, in addition to a growing database of information on all players in the competition. We also obviously have a need to develop all players on our list and so we will be:

• Creating a Father-Son Academy
• Investing more into our 1-3 year Development Academy
• Investing more into our Leadership Development Program(s)

Coaching, of course, is critical. Not just the role of the senior coach, but all coaching positions.

John Barker has stepped up to the caretaker role very well, and he's received great support from the assistants and all support staff. Their brief is very simple for the remainder of the year and that is to return the team to core competitiveness and strive to win. But it's also to learn and to try some things. That is, to get the most we possibly can out of the last three months of the season – and learn/develop as much as possible.

In the meantime we are preparing to undertake the search for a new coach. It will be an exhaustive and thorough process, as we know that is what our members expect.

We have assembled a group who will be genuinely experienced, informative and helpful in that search (and final assessment).
Notifying members of this first, the Board has established a coaching selection panel. The panel will assess candidates and make recommendations to the Board on Carlton's next senior coach. The panel includes:

Steven Trigg (Chair)

• Carlton Football Club CEO

Ken Sheldon

• 132 games for Carlton, 53 games for St Kilda, premiership player, 4 years St Kilda senior coach and Chief Operating Officer of Utility Asset Management.

Carlton great Ken Sheldon. (Photo: AFL Photos)

David Campbell

• Experienced, professional recruiter with extensive experience in executive searches, selection and assessment. Currently with Egon Zehnder, one of the world's leading recruitment firms.
  
  

Ange Postecoglou

• Socceroos head coach (2015 AFC Asian Cup champions), previously Brisbane Roar (2 championships, 1 premiership), Melbourne Victory, South Melbourne (1 premiership, 2 championships) and an avid Carlton supporter!

Socceroos coach Ange Postecoglou, pictured here with President Mark LoGiudice. (Photo: Carlton Football Club)

Chris Judd

• 145 games for Carlton, 134 games for West Coast, dual Brownlow medallist, premiership player, 5 x Best and Fairest, 6 x All Australian
• Gen Y connection, superior knowledge of game plan/style etc

Retired Carlton champion Chris Judd will help the Blues select their new coach. (Photo: AFL Photos)

The above group is outstanding. We have captured a blend of perspectives from experienced coaches to a younger perspective fresh from the game. The panel has an 'in football' emphasis, with an 'out of football' perspective – and the expertise we need to make deep, clear assessments of all candidates.

In terms of the 'search', Head of Football Andrew McKay will also work closely with the CEO and the panel to ensure we cover every angle.

In terms of timelines – we're not declaring any particular 'target date', preferring to take the approach that 'it'll take as long as it takes' to get the right person.

Finally, for now, please 'stay the course' with us. We're acutely aware of the long wait that it's been for everyone. I'm also acutely aware of the passion out there amongst Carlton people. So we make a plea to all in the Carlton tribe – please stick with us and take heart from those 'green shoots'. Our unity (members included) will be vital as we build our way back to being dominant again.

See you at the footy.

Steven Trigg
CEO, Carlton FC