Peter Gordon Leaving

[WBFC4FFC]

Was not expecting that.

Hope there is nothing untoward.

[bornadog]

At the beginning of the year he said he was going to step down. Then he changed his mind due to COVID, but now he feels the club is ok financially and it’s time.

[bornadog]

Dear members and friends,

I have decided to resign as President of the Western Bulldogs after serving for the last eight years, and for fifteen years now in total since October 1989. My resignation will take effect from the close of the Club’s 2020 AGM on 21 December (https://www.woof.net.au/forum/x-apple-data-detectors://0).

I did say in May this year that I might consider delaying my departure for another year because of the COVID crisis. But I have decided to leave now and I thought I should explain why to you.

First and foremost, I have full confidence in our Vice-President Kylie Watson-Wheeler, our board, our CEO Ameet Bains and our senior management to take the Club forward.

Next, the Club has in 2020 completed a tough but responsible re-structure, complied with its TPP and soft cap reduction obligations and posted a substantial profit (its seventh consecutive annual profit and its fifth consecutive year of total profits over $1,000,000.)

We have in recent months worked hard to put the building blocks in place for continued profitability in 2021, providing our members continue to support the Club.

The Club has completed its exit from the gaming industry.

The Club has substantial cash reserves, far and away the greatest in its history.

Following the recent announcement of support from Daniel Andrews’ Government and State budget allocation, the Club is in a position to commence and to fund a $58 million redevelopment of the Victoria University Whitten Oval.

On account of the strong leadership of Gillon McLachlan and because of the sacrifice and the hard work of the whole industry, I believe the AFL is both eager and able to continue to financially support and grow all 18 Clubs.

In all, I believe that the Western Bulldogs Football Club is in a strong position, and it’s a good time for me to move on and for the Club to move on too.

I’d like to sincerely thank everyone who has supported me and offered me their friendship over the journey. It’s been an honour and a privilege to hold the position with many enjoyable moments for my family and me. I’ve had a few regrets, but then again, as Frank Sinatra once put it…too few to mention.

I wish the Club and all its members all the best for the future.



https://assets.engagement.ticketmaster.com/images/properties/2751/images/5fc885b2ec160.png
Peter Gordon

[WBFC4FFC]

At the beginning of the year he said he was going to step down. Then he changed his mind due to COVID, but now he feels the club is ok financially and it’s time.

OK. Thanks.

Obviously I missed that.

I had the impression he was the type that would fight tooth and nail to be in the role forever. Glad he does not think he is bigger than the Club. (We're all custodians at the end of the day).

[Grantysghost]

Are we expecting Thor jumpers most weeks now :cool:
Gordo is forever etched in history, not much more needs to be said but thanks, the club wouldn't exist without you and, well, the second time round you oversaw the ultimate. KWW has big shoes to fill.

[GVGjr]

His contribution to this club in so many facets has been immeasurable
All the best PG, you can leave us with your head held high and know you have left us in fantastic shape

Just saying thanks isn't even close to acknowledging your contribution

[comrade]

There will never be another Gordo.

[merantau]

Big shout out to Peter Gordon. Heart and soul Bulldog. Made an enormous contribution to the saving of our Club and has overseen sustainable growth and a long awaited Flag. We owe him a big debt of gratitude.

[chef]

Needs a statue at Whitten Oval. Bullgod.

Thank you Gordo, we wouldn't have a club without you.

[angelopetraglia]

Agree. Build a statue. Legend of the club. Thanks for everything Peter.

[bornadog]

Thanks Peter, we are forever indebted to you and the contribution you have made to the Footscray Football Club trading as Western Bulldogs, Footscray Bulldogs, Western Bulldogs Women's teams.

Peter can be proud he is leaving the club in it's strongest position in it's 143 year history and long may it continue.

[josie]

Agree with all the above. Thanks Peter. So grateful for all you’ve done. Big shoes to fill indeed.

[kruder]

Just rapt that people like Peter got to experience 16 after all the blood sweat and tears they put in.

He has given us a platform that will ensure we won't be waiting another 62 years for another...

[whythelongface]

Agree with all the words expressed above. Thank you.

[ledge]

I hope he still goes to games so we the fans can shake his hand and thank him, could we have a thank you Peter Gordon game where he does a lap in a car so we can show our gratitude ?

[Rocket Science]

Noooooooooooo.

[AshMac]

From the dogs website about the expected successor:

Kylie Watson-Wheeler was born in Footscray, is a passionate Bulldogs fan, has been a member of the Club’s Board of Directors since December 2013, and has held the position of Vice-President for the last four years.

She is the Senior Vice President & Managing Director of the Walt Disney Company Australia and New Zealand, leading one of the largest media and entertainment companies in ANZ.

[I'm Not Bitter Anymore!]

Noooooooooooo.
I’m sure he will come back if we need him again but I feel insecure without him

[Topdog]

No words i can muster feel right. Thanks Peter Gordon.

[The Underdog]

Deserves a lap of honour in front of a full Marvel Stadium. An absolute hero of the club.

[Rocket Science]

From the dogs website about the expected successor:

Kylie Watson-Wheeler was born in Footscray, is a passionate Bulldogs fan, has been a member of the Club’s Board of Directors since December 2013, and has held the position of Vice-President for the last four years.

She is the Senior Vice President & Managing Director of the Walt Disney Company Australia and New Zealand, leading one of the largest media and entertainment companies in ANZ.

Oh good, more Thor-style dress ups ...

[Prince Imperial]

Peter's place in the history of our club is so immense I am of the view that the new grandstand should be named after him.

With the ground now being called the Whitten Oval and the existing stand to be demolished, I think this would be an appropriate recognition of two greats of our club. Obviously, this idea would have to be raised first with Teddy Junior and the family for their views.

[Happy Days]

This is sucks. We'll never get a more fierce advocate for our club. I know that its a very demanding position with only the success of the club as payment but I really never wanted him to leave.

We have never been in this sort of shape before, or ever really even close, and Peter can take the lion's share of the credit for that. Thanks for everything Peter.

[Eastdog]

Thanks Peter for all you have done. I been a WB member since 2013 for most of Peter’s 2nd tenure at the club and started supporting the Dogs when Smorgo was president.

- Instrumental in our fightback in 89
- Established our own stand alone vfl team
- Establish of the AFLW team
- 2016 premiership
- I believe put $1 million of his own money into the club
- Getting us into the best financial position we have ever been.

[Eastdog]

I hope he still goes to games so we the fans can shake his hand and thank him, could we have a thank you Peter Gordon game where he does a lap in a car so we can show our gratitude ?

Great idea ledge!

[The Bulldogs Bite]

Hope he gets recognised in a special way. Deserves to be immortalised at our footy club.

[SonofScray]

Peter's place in the history of our club is so immense I am of the view that the new grandstand should be named after him.

With the ground now being called the Whitten Oval and the existing stand to be demolished, I think this would be an appropriate recognition of two greats of our club. Obviously, this idea would have to be raised first with Teddy Junior and the family for their views.
Absolutely deserved.

He is the most important leader the Club has ever had.

[jeemak]

I wanted to say harden the *!*!*!*! up and stay for another five hundred years.........but my head got the better of me and I've reduced my demands to four hundred.

Special guy, lucky for us we got him as part of the collective. Not sure anyone's made a mark on us like he has and I think history will view his contribution to the club, country/ society pretty favourably.

[boydogs]

Thanks Peter a proud club stands taller thanks to your efforts

[ReLoad]

If there was ever a template for having the best president we could ask for, we got it! - or rather we had it. we've been so blessed to have him on board.

I cant wait to see what KWW brings to us, and im so glad we have another passionate strong leader waiting to take over.

Thanks Peter, i hope you can enjoy a beer at the footy and watch it without the pomp and ceremony that your role entailed.
I hope I can be that bloke that buys you one, because its the least i can do.

[1eyedog]

I reckon we should build a brass statute at the door to Whitten oval with a smiling PG with his hand outstretched. That we we can all shake it to say thanks.

There's a similar statue on Dawson Street in Brunswick of a community leader with a smiling face and his hand outstretched, it's a ripper.

[Yankee Hotel Foxtrot]

We really have been fortunate to have had Peter at the helm, on two occasions. One to save us from oblivion, and the other to help steer us to onfield success and sustainable off-field security.
The first secured his legacy and his second term fully franked it.

Thank you Peter for your dedication, passion and commitment. You've certainly set a blueprint that clearly challenges those who follow you to live up to.
Enjoy what comes next in your life Peter.

[SquirrelGrip]

KWW answers the tough questions ....

Kylie Watson-Wheeler is managing director of the Walt Disney Company Australia & New Zealand. She talks to AFR BOSS about her morning routine.

What time do you normally get up?

Around quarter to seven, to take my beautiful puppy dog for a walk down to the gorgeous beach here at Black Rock [in Melbourne]. I grab my large skinny latte on the way home. It’s a place that just has a window so I can go past, grab the coffee on the move.

What sort of dog? Is it a COVID-19 dog?

She's a caboodle, or a Bayside special as I like to call her, because we all have the same dogs here. We were very lucky that we got her before COVID happened, so she's one now.


I get home at about quarter to eight. I make sure that the kids are up. Then I get my breakfast sorted. I like to have something that has some protein in it, so either protein cereal or I'll have cottage cheese, tomato, and avocado on toast.

On a Monday, because I’m making sure the kids have a positive outlook on the week ahead, I'll make them waffles.

Then, when everyone is where they need to be, I can come and start my workday in the lounge room on my laptop where I've been sitting for seven months.

Do you have another cup of coffee during the day?

I have another coffee, usually mid-morning, the same coffee, which my husband gets for me. But then in the afternoon, I make a pot of T2 herbal tea. I've got quite a few different flavours and sachets. I drink that all afternoon, as it stays warm in the pot. That’s actually a habit that I've started in COVID. I didn't do that before, but I've really enjoyed adding that to my routine.

Have you found a favourite flavour?

There's one called Jade Mountain. It's a green tea, but then it has a hint of cocoa and hazelnut, so it's just a nice little bit of sweetness to get me through the afternoon.

I was drinking way too much coffee, so I would have another one in the afternoon and maybe even another one, so it's good to break that habit.

What do you do for lunch in lockdown?

I generally have pretty much what I used to eat when I was in the office, either a salad or a wrap. Pre-COVID, there would be lots of lunch meetings, whereas now it's a constant stream of salads and wraps, usually tuna or chicken and salad. It's not very exciting, but it gets me through the day.

Would you normally do a lot of business breakfasts?

Yes, definitely because I've always preferred not to do business dinners. Where I can, I like to be home with the family for dinner. I think that works for a lot of people too, before the day begins.

The company said the continuing high level of restrictions in California were a key reason for its decision.

When you have a breakfast meeting out, do you have a go-to order?

It depends on how much talking I'm going to be doing. If I'm going to be talking a lot, I don't want to be chewing a lot of crunchy toast so I might have oatmeal. But if I'm listening, I can have peanut butter on toast, which is a special treat.

On weekends, what do you have for breakfast?

One of my most favourite rituals on a weekend is to read all of the papers over breakfast. So I love to have all of the papers in front of me and obviously my skinny latte, so that certainly doesn't deviate. It's nice to have a cooked breakfast with the family, so we tend to try to do that at least one of the two days. When my son is playing baseball, which obviously at the moment he's not, I do the same ritual with the papers, but in the car and generally with a naughty egg and bacon roll from the canteen at wherever he's playing.

Do you have tricks or routines when you are super busy?

I think one of the things that has been a real learning experience during COVID is it's really important at the end of the day to get out of the house. And even if it's raining, no matter what, I get up and I go for a walk. I've started listening to podcasts, which I'd never done before, and audio books.

I tend to listen to entertainment podcasts. The audio books are often fiction titles. The most recent one I listened to, which I just found fascinating, was actually non-fiction. It was called Bad Blood. I've been listening to Rob Lowe's podcast. It's called Literally.

So I think definitely leaving the house, engaging your mind in something other than your work for a little while.

About what time would you do your evening walk?

It might be 5.30 or it might be 7.30, just depending on the time. I go for probably about 45 minutes.

Are you itching to get back into the office?

No, I have definitely enjoyed working from home. Going forward, I like the possibility of having the option of not being in the office five days a week.

[SonofScray]

KWW son plays baseball.....

Melbourne Monarchs return to WO confirmed.

[ledge]

KWW son plays baseball.....

Melbourne Monarchs return to WO confirmed.

I would like to see us branch out as a sports club in softball, baseball, basketball , indoor cricket team even a soccer club affiliation.

I hope she takes the presidency would like to know more about her than what she drinks , what’s her past employment what schools she went to , her successes, her passion for the club, her outlook on the club etc.

[Axe Man]

I would like to see us branch out as a sports club in softball, baseball, basketball , indoor cricket team even a soccer club affiliation.

I hope she takes the presidency would like to know more about her than what she drinks , what’s her past employment what schools she went to , her successes, her passion for the club, her outlook on the club etc.

Like most professionals career and education is all listed on LinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/in/kylie-watson-wheeler

[Axe Man]

Peter Gordon to step down as Western Bulldogs president (https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/peter-gordon-to-step-down-as-western-bulldogs-president/news-story/0fac5e3735e9420ba18b74f25a269549)

Peter Gordon has called an early end to his tenure as Western Bulldogs president. Gordon will go down as one of the club’s most important figures.

Peter Gordon’s decision to step down after a trio of towering achievements as the Bulldogs president will pave the way for the second female president in AFL history.

The Bulldogs boss returned after his first stint helping save the club from an aborted 1989 merger with Fitzroy to help deliver the historic 2016 premiership.

Then a club that had for so long teetered on the brink of financial oblivion was able to reduce a potential $10 million loss this year and emerge with a $1.8 million profit despite COVID.

The Herald Sun revealed exclusively on Thursday that Gordon had decided it was the perfect time to step away, with vice-president Kylie Watson-Wheeler his certain replacement.

Footscray-born and the senior vice president and managing director of Disney Australia, she is expected to be unanimously elected by the club’s members at December 21’s annual general meeting.

Watson-Wheeler will join Richmond’s Peggy O’Neal, who has two more years left in her last term after helping the Tigers win three premierships following her election as president in 2015.

Wheeler-Watson is Melbourne-based with two children, and after going to Dogs games in her childhood she attended a 1989 campaign rally.

“In 1989, when the Bulldogs almost ceased to exist due to financial collapse, there was a Save the Bulldogs rally held at Whitten Oval, run by a young lawyer named Peter Gordon. I was in Year 12 and asked my dad if I could go,” she said recently.

“He said, ‘No, you’re in study week!’. I promised I would take my homework with me. I sat on the gravel behind the goals at the rally, where Peter was hosting.”

After four seasons as the club’s vice-president she will be seamlessly elevated into the presidency.

Campaigning lawyer Gordon will depart with a long list of achievements after rejoining the club in his second stint as president.

The club wiped its debt, won AFL, AFLW and VFL premierships, sold off its poker machines in the Edgewater project, and moved AFL games to Ballarat.

He told members in a letter on Thursday night that it was the right time to move despite having another year on his presidential term.

Gordon had admitted on Thursday the club had feared it might lose as much as $10 million given the COVID catastrophe, wiping out years of prudent financial decisions.

But instead it declared a $1.8 million profit after having to stand down 70 staff immediately and then navigating its way through the 2020 season.

“I did say in May this year that I might consider delaying my departure for another year because of the COVID crisis. But I have decided to leave now,” he said.

“I have full confidence in our vice-president Kylie Watson-Wheeler, our board, our CEO Ameet Bains and our senior management to take the club forward.

“Next, the club has in 2020 completed a tough but responsible re-structure, complied with its TPP and soft cap reduction obligations and posted a substantial profit (its seventh consecutive annual profit and its fifth consecutive year of total profits over $1,000,000.)

“We have in recent months worked hard to put the building blocks in place for continued profitability in 2021, providing our members continue to support the club.

The club has completed its exit from the gaming industry.

The club has substantial cash reserves, far and away the greatest in its history.”

“In all, I believe that the Western Bulldogs Football Club is in a strong position, and it’s a good time for me to move on and for the club to move on too.”

[BornInDroopSt'54]

Gordo you are a legend. Thanks for everything but mainly not doing anything dubious or unworthy of our great club.

[Go_Dogs]

Thanks for everything PG.

[azabob]

Words cannot sum up what he has done for the WBFC.

I would’ve loved to see him stay on and get us through the next couple of years.

2021 & 2022 are going to be tough going off field.

#BeMoreBulldog

[EasternWest]

A giant of our club.

[Murphy'sLore]

I'm sure PG will be still be available as a consulting elder statesman if needed.

Thanks for everything, Peter, we can never repay what we owe you. What a magnificent figure you have been in the history of our club.

[ledge]

Words cannot sum up what he has done for the WBFC.

I would’ve loved to see him stay on and get us through the next couple of years.

2021 & 2022 are going to be tough going off field.

#BeMoreBulldog

Why is that ?
The pokies pay out was not included in this years profit, the crowds will be back , maybe not as many but at least half I would say.
We will start hiring again .
I would think it could only improve.
I also think fixtures will be better suited to the players with hubs and you play interstates teams in the same trip eg Eagles and dockers one week and don’t go back again.

[comrade]

What are the odds of PG getting a gig on the AFL Commission?

Commissioner Gordon has a nice ring to it.

[chef]

What are the odds of PG getting a gig on the AFL Commission?

Commissioner Gordon has a nice ring to it.

Get out.

[azabob]

What are the odds of PG getting a gig on the AFL Commission?

Commissioner Gordon has a nice ring to it.

Or a spot in the next Batman movie?

[comrade]

Or a spot in the next Batman movie?

Bontman?

[Sedat]

Bontman?
Sounds an awful lot like Boumann

[Ghost Dog]

"Peter Gordon, who will step down from his role as Western Bulldogs president after the club's annual general meeting this month, should be regarded as the most significant figure in the Western Bulldogs' history, according to his Collingwood counterpart Eddie McGuire."

I have a picture of Peter Gordon. A black and white photo of a man with a mullet, in front of a horde of working class people, with a vision. Same with David Smorgon. I remember an interview with him struggling to typify what the symbol of a Bulldog meant. This fight captured them, electrified them, as it did me when I watched the Year of the Dog documentary.
Peter is in love with this club and is in my mind, as with others, one of the most important figures in Bulldogs history.
One day I hope to meet him.

[Axe Man]

"Peter Gordon, who will step down from his role as Western Bulldogs president after the club's annual general meeting this month, should be regarded as the most significant figure in the Western Bulldogs' history, according to his Collingwood counterpart Eddie McGuire."

I have a picture of Peter Gordon. A black and white photo of a man with a mullet, in front of a horde of working class people, with a vision. Same with Peter Smorgon. I remember an interview with him struggling to typify what the symbol of a Bulldog meant. This fight captured them, electrified them, as it did me when I watched the Year of the Dog documentary.
Peter is in love with this club and is in my mind, as with others, one of the most important figures in Bulldogs history.
One day I hope to meet him.

That great president Peter Smorgon! He will go down in history alongside our other great presidents like Peter Sutton and Peter Collins.

Seriously though it is the end of an era - the first time since 1989 our president isn't Gordon or Smorgon.

[ledge]

That great president Peter Smorgon! He will go down in history alongside our other great presidents like Peter Sutton and Peter Collins.

Seriously though it is the end of an era - the first time since 1989 our president isn't Gordon or Smorgon.

And the first female president named Peter ?