Melbourne president Glen Bartlett said the club's move to secure chief executive Peter Jackson would insure the Demons against any hint of instability as Paul Roos' coaching tenure neared its end.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Jackson, who came to the club as an interim AFL appointment in April 2013, told staff on Thursday he had sought the contract extension because he believed Melbourne was "on the right path." Having joined the club initially for six months he has now committed until the end of 2017, taking his tenure to a minimum five seasons.
However, both Demons bosses conceded the club had significant work ahead before they could claim to be successful. Deeply divided and broke, Melbourne was in debt to the tune of more than $5 million and lost more than $3 million at the end of Jackson's first season.
That debt will soon fall below $3 million with Melbourne to record a second successive profit for 2015, estimated to exceed &500,000. Bartlett said the debt reduction plan should be complete between the next three to five years.
"Our No. 1 priority remains on-field success," he said. "We are all committed to that, but it cannot be achieved without stability and with Peter that's been his position from day one.
"We wanted to continue with someone of his competence and experience and we wanted to get on the front foot and not have any speculation next year with Peter and Roosy coming out of contract together."
In the past two years, Melbourne's board has been virtually transformed, 30 of 45 players gone from its senior list and only two department heads — Josh Mahony (football) and Jen Watt (marketing) — retained.
Bartlett said the club's agenda over the next two years included forming a women's team, debt reduction along with working to widen Melbourne's multicultural relationships and its partnership with the Northern Territory. Another unspoken priority remains the reconstructing of NAB Rising Star Jesse Hogan.
"We were a pioneer of Australian Rules football and it's fitting we have been a pioneer of the women's game," said Bartlett.
* The Brisbane Lions are expected to announce a $700,000 loss for its dismal 2015, an improvement on last year's loss of more than $3 million. The club has received $2.6 million in AFL assistance this year and is servicing a $12 million debt.
