The eighteenth Annual General Meeting (AGM) of 西瓜影视 was held via video conference on Tuesday afternoon (AEDT), in line with the release of 西瓜影视鈥檚 2021 Annual Review.
At the AGM, 西瓜影视鈥檚 Members voted to re-elect Amy Duggan and Joseph Carrozzi as Directors. The 西瓜影视 Board now comprises nine (9) members of which five (5) are female and four (4) are male 鈥 a first of the major sporting bodies in Australia with a gender split of 55% female and 45% male.
The AGM also saw 西瓜影视鈥檚 Members ratify Leigh Russell as a member of 西瓜影视 and Chair of the Women鈥檚 Football Council in accordance with the constitution.
Leigh is an accomplished leader with a reputation built equally on excellence as it is on diversity. Leigh is an experienced CEO and board director having held leadership roles in boardrooms and across the fields and courts of Australia鈥檚 sporting industry, from grassroots to elite.
Leigh鈥檚 experiences as the first woman to hold a senior executive position within an AFL Club (working across football & administration), the first woman to become the CEO of Swimming Australia, and previously CEO of Netball Victoria, have shaped her ability to navigate & lead in different situations and environments.
西瓜影视鈥檚 Members also ratified changing the financial year of 西瓜影视 from a financial year (1 July to 30 June) to a calendar year (1 January to 31 December). In respect to the period from 1 July 2021 to 31 December 2022, 西瓜影视鈥檚 financial year will be an 18-month financial period and in respect to the financial period commencing 1 January 2023 to 31 December 2023, the financial year will revert to being a 12-month financial period.
This step is made in the spirit of the 鈥極ne Football鈥 concept outlined in the XI Principles for the future of Australian football and increases alignment of financial years across the entire game as 西瓜影视 seeks to create greater operating efficiencies.
Following the AGM, Mr Chris Nikou was installed unanimously by his fellow Directors to the position of 西瓜影视 Chair 鈥 a role he has fulfilled since November 2018, and Carla Wilshire was elected as Deputy Chair.
Mr Nikou said that he was pleased that 2021 was a year of implementation and action.
鈥淚t is with great satisfaction that the Board of 西瓜影视 can report that 2021 has indeed been a landmark year for our sport. We are taking transformative steps for the future, driven by our 15-year vision outlined in our XI Principles for the future of Australian football and by our commitment to a strategic growth agenda,鈥 Mr Nikou said.
鈥淚n recent times, we have embarked on crucial and at times, difficult structural changes. Reforms that will see the continued evolution and growth of our great game. I am proud to say that we have completed making many of those changes.
鈥淥ver the last year, I have been pleased with the increased level of collaboration among the game鈥檚 stakeholders. Their strong appetite for working hand-in-hand will ensure that the game will continue to evolve and grow in ways not seen before.
鈥淚n December 2020, we reached agreement with the newly formed Australian Professional Leagues (APL) to unbundle the A-League Men, A-League Women, A-League Youth and E-League from 西瓜影视. This milestone was made possible by the unprecedented unity among football鈥檚 key stakeholders, with 西瓜影视, clubs and Members of 西瓜影视 making up the New Leagues Working Group (NLWG), which paved the way for unbundling the Professional Leagues from 西瓜影视.
鈥溛鞴嫌笆 can now focus its energies and resources on regulation of the professional game, national teams, and grassroots organisations, and on the overall strategic direction for the sport.
鈥溛鞴嫌笆 and its nine (9) Member Federations have also spent considerable time during the year discussing our priorities and governance framework at length. In these discussions we are deliberating on the respective roles and responsibilities of each stakeholder group, and on ways to be more aligned, efficient, and effective. The spirit and level of cooperation with which these discussions are being held is pleasing as is the genuine desire to contribute to our common goals.
鈥淥ne of the outcomes from this collaboration was the agreement to begin investigating structural transformation for Australian football with the objective of identifying an optimal structure, as well as an implementation plan.
鈥淛ames Johnson and his team should be commended on the commercial turnaround of the organisation, headlined by the new naming rights sponsorship for the Commonwealth Bank Matildas. We welcome Commonwealth Bank to the football family and look forward to a long and mutually prosperous and beneficial relationship.
鈥淲e are also delighted with the landmark media rights agreement with 10 ViacomCBS. The agreement will see our sport exposed on free-to-air television like never before as we begin a new and exciting journey with Network 10, including 10, 10 Play, 10 Bold, and streaming service Paramount+.
鈥淧leasingly, with all the work undertaken in developing a new 15-year vision for the sport and our clear strategic growth agenda, and in re-creating and re-imagining our value proposition commercially, we entered FY 2021/22 with a budgeted revenue double what we achieved in FY 2020/21. In a COVID-19 affected world, this is a remarkable turnaround,鈥 he said.
In the second year of his tenure, Chief Executive Officer, Mr James Johnson, said that 西瓜影视 has used initiatives such as the XI Principles for the future of Australian football, to drive its strategic agenda throughout the year.
鈥淒espite the challenges of the year, 2021 has been a year of action and implementation for 西瓜影视. We have taken huge strides this year as we brought to life many elements of our bold vision for the sport,鈥 Johnson said.
鈥淲e saw Australian football lead in the reopening of Australia鈥檚 international borders as we welcomed the Socceroos and Commonwealth Bank Matildas back to our shores in the October and November international match windows.
鈥淲e launched the 2021/22 Domestic Match Calendar which ensures the alignment of our football competitions both domestically and to the International Match Calendar.
鈥淲e successfully implemented the unbundling of the professional leagues from 西瓜影视 to bring the structure of the professional game into alignment with global best practice and create opportunities for further investment. These are but a few examples of how we are taking Australian football into the next chapter of its journey of transformation.
鈥淎ustralian football is in a vastly different position today than what it was 18 months ago, with noticeable and significant change taking place across the game this year.
鈥2022 will provide the opportunity to focus our agenda strategic agenda on key initiatives, such as digital transformation and the establishment of more exciting football products, which we believe will enhance our connection to our broad and diverse football community.
鈥淲e have set the foundations for positive transformation of Australian football in 2021 and we are optimistic and excited about the future of the game,鈥 he said.
西瓜影视鈥檚 2021 Annual Review, which includes financial and strategic updates, as well as reviews of performances and events from Australia鈥檚 national teams and competitions throughout FY2021, can be accessed here.
