The Carlton Football Club can confirm that Michael Voss has stepped away from his role as AFL Senior Coach.
A selfless leader throughout his tenure, the Club came to a mutual agreement with Voss, who addressed players and staff at IKON Park today, expressing a wish to provide the Club with clear air to progress in 2026 and pursue a new coaching direction.
Voss departs IKON Park after nearly five seasons at the helm, during which time he led the Blues to consecutive finals appearances in 2023 and 2024, with 2023 culminating in a preliminary final.
“Michael is a strong leader who has led our football club with great professionalism and a genuine commitment to Carlton,” Carlton President Rob Priestley said in a letter to members this afternoon.
“Across five seasons, he has invested himself fully in the role and handled himself with impressive character throughout. The fact this decision is mutual reflects his selfless mindset and the Club thanks him sincerely for his contribution.
“During the off-season, the Club was very intentional in implementing changes to refresh our football program, including appointing a new and highly credentialed General Manager of Football in Chris Davies, introducing six new coaches, and beginning a significant transformation of our playing list.
“Those changes were made not only with the long-term interests of the football club front of mind, but also with the intent of ensuring Michael had strong support to achieve progress in the areas identified for improvement.
“Ultimately, beyond results alone, we have not seen the intended evolution in our game, and to his credit, Michael acknowledges that now is the right time for the Club to move forward under the leadership of a new senior coach.
“Our club will now commence that process, which will be led by Graham and Chris, two of the most respected football people in this industry, and we will go about this the right way to bring the best AFL Senior Coach we can to Carlton.”
During the interim period, experienced Assistant Coach Josh Fraser will step into the role of Senior Coach for the AFL program.
Blues CEO Graham Wright also addressed Carlton members directly this afternoon, providing an honest and clear direction for the football club moving forward.
“As Rob and I have stated previously, we want to consistently contend and ultimately win premierships - that is why every single one of us is here - but to do that you have to be a realist about the gap we currently need to make up on the competition,” Wright said.
“What you are seeing right now is a football club in genuine transition, and we are not going to shy away from that reality. Since last year, virtually every senior leadership position has changed - President, Chief Executive, General Manager of Football, six new coaches, a playing list undergoing significant regeneration, and now the Senior Coach.
“No Carlton person is content with where we are at right now and we must demand better of ourselves. We will not be taking shortcuts, and we will be moving with real intent and purpose - attacking the draft again this year, marking three consecutive years of accessing elite young talent before Tasmania enters the competition, allowing us to continue building the next wave of talent through our AFL playing group.
“Rest assured we intend to maximise the remainder of the season to explore the possibilities within our playing list, and the desire to improve our on-field performance will absolutely remain.
“Our football department, led by Chris, remains intent on progressing forward and with Josh Fraser taking the reins in the interim, along with our other experienced coaches, we look forward to seeing what this group can now produce with the clarity today’s announcement has now provided.”
