As we head into the home stretch of 2024 - a season already full of highlights that will hopefully see all three teams go deep into the finals - I thought it appropriate that I formally notify our members and stakeholders that this will be my fifth and final year as President of Mulgrave Football Club.

My journey at Mulgrave started with my son coming across from Caulfield Grammar as a 17-year-old in 2016. I engaged formally in 2017 as Head of Football under the presidency of Ron Gladman, supporting Peter Greenstreet and the rest of the coaching staff. In 2018 and 2019 I continued in the football department and supported Ian Coleman as Vice President.

My presidency started in 2020 and was immediately challenged by COVID and the rebuild of our pavilion. Over the years there have been challenges, but as a club we have met them and continued to move forward.

What I am most proud of over the journey is supporting the birth of the Mully Grubs - a group of past players and supporters who raise hell and money for the club, without any agenda other than helping the club continue to thrive. I thank Boomer, Daniel and Peter for all the hard work and I look forward to playing a more active role moving forward.

Our new playing surface and pavilion rebuild was the results of years of lobbying by past administrations. Working through the execution alongside the Mulgrave Cricket Club and the Eastern Devils Football Club was extremely rewarding, as individual agendas were parked for the greater good of the collective.

As we head into our 100th year in 2025, the Mulgrave Football Club is healthy. It is full of good people that are here for the right reasons: to create and share success while fostering and supporting common values within our community. We all work hard and then play hard on and off the field.

I will be endorsing Rachael Barlow as President for 2025. Rachael has been a member of my committee for two years and is the current Vice President. She is the mother of one of our up-and-coming players, so she will be invested for years to come. She is a professional administrator and has a long history working within football clubs.

With Mark Haywood standing again as Secretary, and Julie Richards as Treasurer, we have real quality and consistency in the engine room of the club. Personally I hope to stay on the committee and continue to work with our sponsors and stakeholders, looking to re-focus how we commercially underpin our existence and add value back to all of our supporters.

It is time for a transition and the injection of new energy and perspective into the club. Announcing my intentions now will allow Rachael to start to work on building her new committee and election ticket for the AGM, as well as working through the existing strategy documents and business plan and making adjustments to ensure we are prepared for the future.

Thank you to all for your support over the past eight years. Don’t stop now! I want our remaining 2024 off-field program to be a massive success, supporting our on-field success.

We have wind in our sails. Come and enjoy the ride!

Scott Davidson
President
sdavidson@tgisport.com.au