Crows to hold election for two Board vacancies

The Adelaide Football Club will hold an election after receiving seven nominations for two vacancies on the Board of Directors.

The online ballot will be independently run by CorpVote and voting will open at 9am (ACDT) on Monday, February 14.

Voting closes at 5pm (ACDT) on Friday, February 25.

To be eligible to vote, you must be a financial Member who has access to not less than three Crows home or away matches in a given season or Gold Member.

CorpVote will send information regarding the election directly to Members later this week.

The candidate with the most votes will be appointed to a two-year term, while the next highest vote getter will join the Board on a 1-year term.

Successful candidates will be announced at the Club’s Annual Members Meeting at Adelaide Oval on Tuesday, March 1.

A statement from each of the candidates can be found below.

Fouad Andrawos

It is with optimism, passion and excitement that I forward you my details seeking a position on the Adelaide Football Club Board of Directors.

My name is Fouad Andrawos, and I have been a proud and passionate member of the Adelaide Crows for 11 years as a Gold Member.

I am a proud South Australian, with Egyptian heritage, a well respected business owner and very active on both local and national Boards across a variety of industries and sectors.

With over forty year's experience in running successful businesses, community involvement and a love for all things football, I believe I can bring the skills, commitment and dedication required to the Adelaide Football Club Board and assist in taking the Club to the next level.

If successful, I see it as an opportunity for me to continue to build on the diversity and inclusivity of different cultures into the AFL and in particular the Adelaide Football Club.

My other involvements include:

Panel member of the 2021 Award winning Ethnic Multicultural Football Show screened on Channel 44 Adelaide, Channel 31 Melbourne and Aurora Foxtel.
Host of Football Plus on 5EBI 103.1FM Mondays 12:30-14:00pm.
Host and President of Egyptian Multicultural programs on 5EBI FM.
Host of the popular International Rendezvous, Saturday evenings on 5EBI FM.

Adrian Swale

In the request for Board nominations the Club has said it's "looking for a skill set that will help the Club enter a significant period in its history".

I want to represent the members on the Board, and I am confident I bring the skills and experience the Club needs.

As a property development lawyer with over 35 years' experience, I can help facilitate the deal to build a new Club. I will use my experience to ensure the new home is built for the players, members, sponsors and all other stakeholders. This is the greatest opportunity to unite the Club and to create a culture reflecting the value 'We Fly as One'.

During my time at Minter Ellison, Lawyers, I have helped build a team and a culture which has that firm regarded as a leader in its industry. My business network in SA is strong and I can help the Club develop relationships which will help grow the membership and provide greater financial support.

I understand the business of sport and have been connected to football clubs all my life as a player, supporter and sponsor. My family is a host family and I am a mentor to various current players. I have benefitted from having former CEO of the AFL Wayne Jackson as my own mentor.

I want to ensure the AFC is regarded as the pre-eminent sporting club in SA and to build success in men's and women's leagues on and off the field.

Oren Klemich

I have been a loyal Crows member/supporter since our exciting inception and have greatly enjoyed my involvement as a Player Sponsor for the last 20 years. I am very connected with the Club, and would be honoured to act as a Member Nominee to the Board.

My working life, primarily involves a 36-year Real Estate career, starting my own business, Klemich Real Estate, in 2002. From the start, our fantastic team quickly established an excellent reputation in Adelaide Real Estate. We have won multiple awards and are a member of the Real Estate lnstitute's Hall of Fame for Best Medium Agency. The cornerstone of our success has been our commitment to excellent customer service and our ability to recruit and retain great people.

As far as my football career goes, my 184th and final game for St Peters Old Collegians ended with a shattered cheekbone. I adored my 12 seasons, and treasured the mateship and occasional premiership.

I love football, and I love the Crows. My happiest sporting memories are being at the MCG in September of 1997 and 1998.

As a member of the Crows Board, I hope to be part of a management team which successfully establishes an outstanding new home, continues a strong presence in the AFLW and SANFL, whilst maintaining our financial strength and competing regularly and successfully into late September as a dominant team in the AFL.

I believe I would bring my property expertise and management/business skills to add value to the board.

Tony D'Alessandro

I am currently the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Statewide Super with a background in banking, superannuation and finance and a supporter from inception of the Adelaide Football club with fond memories of our first game against the Hawthorn Football Club. I have had a strong involvement in the SANFL through Statewide Super as a major sponsor of both the men's and women's competition.

My most exciting involvement was helping promote the formation of the SANFL Women's competition, as the inaugural sponsor of the competition. This involvement gave me a greater understanding of the significance of women's football as a pathway to elite levels but also its significance in the community and the varied dimensions it brings to clubs.

I believe my financial acumen and strong understanding of risk management through holding senior leadership positions in large institutions during my career will provide the Adelaide Football Club a strong strategic thinker with relevant experience particularly relating to the "voice of the member".

My knowledge and understanding of the South Australian football landscape will help in the evolution of the AFC as a club of choice for aspiring footballers and members alike. My goal will be to represent the member sentiment in the best way I can.

Graeme Goodings

The AFL is big business but it is made up of clubs who’s most passionate, devoted and long lasting constituents are their supporters.

The Adelaide Football Club has a proud, if relatively short heritage. It has succeeded both on and off the ﬁeld, but each year brings new and very different challenges.

I have been a supporter and member since before our ﬁrst premiership. I, like you, have basked in the premiership years and stuck with the Club through the lean years. However, my love for the Club has never wavered.

While never being an employee of the AFC, I have worked closely with the club for almost 30 years as MC of the Chairman’s lunches. Host of Vice Presidents functions, MC of Club Champion Nights and many AFC Gala events. For years I have been proud to be the number 1 ticket holder for the Crows Supporters Group and I am a Club Ambassador.

As a journalist, former TV presenter and ongoing radio host, I believe I have established a good rapport with grassroots supporters and the public at large, and as a Board Member, I would make it a point to champion the cause of those who feel they need to have a voice in the running of their Club.

I am respectful that an AFL Club can’t be run by supporters but their input should always be considered in every decision making process.

Crows Supporters are our heartbeat and we have the best supporters in the AFL.

Rod Jameson

As a proud past player and Life Member of our club, I am an experienced Board Director with a focus on delivering football success, leadership, strategy guidance, good governance, membership and community engagement. In May 2021, after 6 years l transferred from the Finance & Audit Committee to Football Strategy Committee. Since 2013, I’ve Chaired the AFC Past Players & Officials Board and l am enormously humbled with what we have achieved through connection, engagement, and support in this area.

My broad experience gained through 16 years in Advertising & Marketing, 16 years in Finance, 16 years of Community Service, 21 years of national Media and 2 years in Technology and Business Transformation in the finance sector enables me to add great value to the skill set already on the AFC Board. My acumen will assist the Club to maintain and build our reputation and success through football and all connections of the club partners, members, community and volunteers.

In the last 12 -15 months we have seen significant change in a new CEO, new Chairman, four new Board Directors, some new Senior Management, and multiple new key Football personnel. We are methodically working to acquire a new home with facilities that will cater for our entire club.

I am seeking the trust and support of our members for the stability of another term, continuing to invest my unquestionable passion and drive into achieving success on field and off field for our club.

Thank you

Daniel Byrne

I am a GP in Adelaide working with people every day - sometimes at the happiest times of their lives and sometimes at the saddest. Like you I have experienced the exact same emotions supporting the Crows.

I want to support the Crows to be successful - on and off field. I have the people, governance, and financial skills to help. Currently I am a Board Director of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners - an organisation with 40,000 members, an annual turnover of $90 million and assets of $60 million.

My point of difference, in seeking this position on the Crows Board, is my health expertise. If anything has been learnt from the COVID-19 pandemic it is the importance of health and wellbeing of not only our players but also our supporters. If we put health first the successes will follow. The AFL Crows Men’s and Women’s teams can be successful in this tight competition with the best support we can give them.

My patients and peers trust me and now I am keen to earn your trust to help the Crows. The Board needs to evolve and I feel I am able to be part of that process.

Success will come with premierships but also with improving connectedness with our membership groups. I want all of us to experience that thrill, that enormous high, that amazing feeling that some of us in 1997 and 1998 (I was there!) were so lucky to have. It is time again.