St Kilda seek new president to signal the end of Summers

Andrew Bassat.

Andrew Bassat.

Wealthy Seek co-founder Andrew Bassat is seen to have the edge in the battle to take over the helm of the St Kilda football club, with president Peter Summers set to depart at the end of the season.

Bassat is understood to have stronger internal support than the rival candidate, former chief executive Jim Watts, who has promised a shake-up and a more hands-on style of presidency.

The St Kilda board has accepted the need for change at the top, as does Summers, who is expected to confirm his departure soon. The club board wants to avoid a confrontation between camps. ‘‘There won’t be a bloodbath,’’ said one club insider.

St Kilda’s major backer, Jayco owner Gerry Ryan, easily the club’s most generous and constant donor and a widely respected figure at Moorabbin, told The Age that Bassat would be a good choice.

‘‘I think he would be a good choice,’’ said Ryan, who said he had not spoken with Watts about the presidency. Ryan said it was widely accepted that there needed to be change at the club.

AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan is said to be staying out of St Kilda’s presidency contest, although the AFL has been concerned for some time about St Kilda and its on and off-field position. The Saints’ debt exceeds $10 million, owed jointly to the bank and the AFL.

It is unclear, at this stage, what – if any – impact the change at the top will have on the football department and on the position of coach Alan Richardson, who is contracted for 2019 and has been strongly backed by the administration; to date, the view within has been that the team has not performed to its capabilities but the playing list is the greater issue for the club than the coaching.

St Kilda’s football boss, Simon Lethlean, has initiated changes to the coaching panel and appointed a new list manager, former Crow James Gallagher, who replaces Tony Elshaug. Under Lethlean, St Kilda have become highly active in the player marketplace.

Watts has spoken to a number of board members and also sought AFL support and that of Ryan.
Watts, one of the founders of the Bastion Collective, a business with strong AFL connections (former AFL boss Andrew Demetriou is a director), was both a board member and chief executive at the Saints during the Rod Butterss (president) and Grant Thomas (coach) era in the mid-2000s, when the Saints regularly made headlines and surged up the ladder with unorthodox leadership.

Watts’ pitch has been that the club lacks flair and needs be bolder.

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