I write this month to inform you about our progress in some key areas of our strategic plan, the Key Drivers of Success. There are particular areas that I believe are important and will be of interest…

Firstly though, a sincere thank you to all members for being with us in 2015. We had a very heartening response to our recent membership drive, which has bumped up our membership number toward the 50,000 mark. 

We still have much to do in this area because, as all Carlton people know, we have massive support – and there is so much un-tapped potential out there for us to significantly grow that membership over time. I promise that we will grow it! We'll grow membership because we are serious about sticking to our strategic plan. As a reminder, there are two vital parts of that plan:

• 'Putting supporters at the centre of everything we do'
• 'Building a sense of pride and belonging'

Let me give you some examples of things we're doing in this regard.

We are:

• Working hard on improving our systems and processes within the membership department. 
• Working on ways to better communicate with our supporters – especially those who don't have digital media access.
• Working hard on how we better connect with supporters in regional and interstate locations.
• Building the connection with members and supporters on match days.

We are also:

• Putting on a series of 'Carlton Social Club' events (free for members) after several games at the MCG, to bring the tribe together. There will be separate communication on this for members, staff, players and the Board. Our first event will follow the Essendon game this week and will be hosted by Andy Lee and Sam Pang.
• Striving to do something special for Mother's Day. Again there'll be separate communication, but note that our Etihad game against Brisbane is the only game on that day. We intend to make it a day that all mums and families can enjoy, including a kick-to-kick on the ground post match.

I also reiterate a point made in my last report – and that is – we are acutely aware of the issue of cost (of membership) and it will be the number one consideration in our 2016 planning.

In short, members (and supporters attending our games) are the absolute lifeblood of our Club. We can't flourish as a Club and have the success we want without retaining members, growing membership and building attendances.

All of that is absolutely real, but to take that further, it has to be said there is an 'unreal' perception (by some) that 'Carlton doesn’t need members'. A perception (by too many) that 'Carlton has rich benefactors' who will simply rescue us; that a few wealthy families will 'see us through'.  In my first six months I have kept hearing this but to be blunt, while those families have been incredibly supportive in the past, they're not 'saviours'. In short, there are no 'white knights' (on-field or off-field). 

The reality is we are faced with a time in which we are being challenged financially. Our prosperity, in terms of our growth both on and off the field, is in membership and attendance at our home games.

Carlton fans pictured at the Heatley End in Round 1 against Richmond. (Photo: Carlton Football Club)

So, we will keep working on improving those systems and processes, on creating that sense of belonging, on putting our supporters at the centre of everything we do and improving our match-day connection and overall communication. 

We are certainly buoyed by the recent announcement of a Partnership with Virgin Australia. Virgin Australia is a great brand and the company has been a great innovator. We will be working with Virgin on customer service across all areas at Carlton, as well as a number of match-day initiatives, which will be terrific for all of our members and supporters.

The other element of our Plan I want to report on is in Key Driver #4, Elite List Management.

We have committed to 'better resource our list management area' and to 'develop a functional list management database'. We have also committed to a 'closer connection with the Northern Blues' all with a clear plan (for the list).

By way of an update for members we have:

• Secured an experienced GM of List Management and Strategy – Stephen Silvagni.
• Commenced the build of a list management database (the platform for which comes from the Boston Redsox) and an accompanying 'analytics program'. This program will allow us to store better information, benchmark and value players (our own and others), link it all to vision, and generally help us to make better and more informed decisions.
• Established a physical 'hub' within the Club that is to be a centre of list management excellence. Within that, Stephen will lead and work with the recruiting team, our opposition scout (Barry Prendergast) and our coaches. Their focus is on building sustainability for the future and building a premiership-winning list.
• Bolstered our relationship with the Northern Blues whereby they will play some curtain raisers to our AFL games. We are integrating Plans and Values, and we will have a CFC Director (Greg Lee) on the Northern Blues Board.

I want to emphasise to all members just how important all of this work has become.

It's critical work simply because we don't have enough depth or depth of experience. We have some bright young prospects, but we need more. We've often heard the call (from members) for 'no quick fixes', and we are very much aligned with that in our (List) Plans.

We need to build for the future, and have an element of patience along the way. We have to draft superbly, access free agents/trades to supplement our growth, and develop (and coach) as effectively as we can over the coming years.

I believe we communicated that over the off-season. But after just a couple of rounds, let's be very clear about it...

• We have a significant list 're-build' in front of us.
• That re-build is going to take time.

All of the many changes we've made over the off-season and our greater investment into list management is aimed at just that – building our list – and building success. No quick fixes, no white knights. 

In simple terms, we must bring in more talent while intensively developing and supporting our current players.

In the meantime, we will continue to push to develop a winning culture – and keep improving in everything we do, week by week.

I simply ask all supporters and members to have a clear understanding of where we are at, to be patient, and to share with us the journey as we undertake this work.

For all that, we haven't had the start to the season we all had hoped for, but there have been some positives. I'm confident that members know how much work we have in front of us and that we'll have to ‘hold our nerve’ from time to time, as we will most certainly be tested.

Again, to all members, (nearly 50,000 strong) thank you for being with us. Your support is genuinely and greatly appreciated!