Melbourne president Kate Roffey has announced her immediate resignation from her role and the club’s board, with former Demon Brad Green stepping in as her replacement. This change in leadership comes as the club initiates a review following several years of off-field controversies.
Roffey is the first major figure at the Demons to step down after star player Christian Petracca essentially put the club on alert by voicing his concerns to senior officials and indicating his interest in being traded.
The announcement of Kate Roffey’s departure and the board review on Friday afternoon follows her recent admission that she had not yet spoken with Christian Petracca—referred to as “Trac”—about his dissatisfaction with the club. This admission came during a widely criticized interview on SEN.
Amid speculation about his future, Petracca confirmed his commitment to the Demons last Saturday, despite being under contract until the end of 2029.
The Demons, who broke a long premiership drought in 2021, have struggled since, failing to qualify for this year’s finals and finishing 14th after losing 10 of their last 15 games.
The club stated that the review of the board is intended to “reset and refresh its performance.”
Since joining the Melbourne Football Club board in 2013, when the team finished 17th with only two wins, Kate Roffey has experienced a rollercoaster of highs and lows. Over her 12 seasons, the past four years alone have seen significant achievements, including the men’s premiership in 2021 and the first AFLW premiership in 2022. However, these successes have been marred by numerous off-field controversies that have hindered the club’s pursuit of a sustained dynasty.
The Dees’ 2024 campaign faced challenges from the outset, with star midfielder Clayton Oliver grappling with issues on and off the field. Additionally, the team’s culture came under scrutiny following the Joel Smith drug investigation. Angus Brayshaw was forced to retire due to medical reasons, and Petracca’s life-threatening internal injury compounded his dissatisfaction with the club.
Roffey’s departure comes a year before she was set to be re-elected in 2025. In a statement, she expressed her gratitude to those who supported her during her tenure, including fellow directors, CEO Gary Pert, the staff, football department, head coaches Simon Goodwin and Mick Stinear, footy boss Alan Richardson, and the club’s passionate members. She also thanked the families of the players and highlighted the rewarding nature of her role by acknowledging the players she had the privilege of working with.
“As always, I will be sitting in the stands cheering you on. My best goes to everyone for the ongoing success of the mighty Dees!” Roffey said in her farewell message.
Brad Green, a best-and-fairest winner who played 254 games for Melbourne from 2000 to 2012, will lead the review of the board. The presidency position will be open for re-election following this review.
“I am honored to have been chosen as president by my colleagues and proud to continue to serve this great club, which has given me so many opportunities in life,” Green remarked.
He added, “I have informed my colleagues that I will lead the review process and, once it is completed, I would like to offer the board the chance to vote again on the presidency. This will be a collaborative reset of the board, and it’s crucial that we are honest about our successes and areas for improvement.”
Green emphasized the need to convert the faith and belief of members and fans into tangible results and performance. “We are united by a love for this footy club, and I want to bring us all together as one red-and-blue force,” he said.
He also paid tribute to Roffey, the Demons’ first female president, stating, “Kate’s legacy as president is outstanding, and we owe her a debt of gratitude. She took over at a tumultuous time, brought great stability to the board, and supported our management team and football department in delivering premierships.”
Leave a Reply