Collingwood Media reflects on Gary Pert’s decade-long tenure as Chief Executive Officer of the Collingwood Football Club.

Gary Pert
Life before Collingwood
Pert played a total of 233 VFL/ AFL games between 1982 and 1995. He made his name at Fitzroy, but finished his career at Victoria Park, playing 70 games for Collingwood between 1992 and 1995.

Prior to assuming the mantle at the Holden Centre, Pert was the head of Austereo and had a position at the Nine Network.

At Collingwood
Pert assumed the CEO position on Thursday 10 May 2007
He replaced Greg Swann (vacated in March 2007).

“There's something about being around Collingwood,” Pert said upon his appointment.

“You can't help but get caught up in the passion and the excitement and the environment of Collingwood.”



Eddie McGuire and Gary Pert announce the latter's appointment as Collingwood CEO.

Football
~ Collingwood reached seven consecutive finals series during Pert’s time (2007-2013)

~ Collingwood reached five Preliminary Finals in these seven finals series

~ Collingwood won its 15th VFL/ AFL premiership in 2010, competing in the third and final VFL/ AFL Grand Final draw in the process

~ Collingwood went on to win 22 of a possible 25 games in 2011, including the NAB Cup during the pre-season. The team fell short against Geelong in the Grand Final

~ Dane Swan became Collingwood’s ninth Brownlow Medallist in 2011

In 2009, Collingwood announced a ground-breaking coaching succession plan
- Mick Malthouse would serve as senior coach for 2010-2011, before becoming Director of Coaching for 2012-2014
- Nathan Buckley would serve as an assistant coach for 2010-2011, before becoming senior coach for 2012-2014

Collingwood had four captains during Pert’s time
2007 – Nathan Buckley
2008 – Scott Burns
2009-2013 – Nick Maxwell
2014-2017 – Scott Pendlebury

Collingwood has had two coaches during Pert’s time
2007-2011 – Mick Malthouse
2012-2017 – Nathan Buckley



Pert and key defender Shane Wakelin speak in the rooms after Collingwood's first game with Pert as CEO, against Carlton in round seven, 2007.

Membership
Now and then
2007 – 38,587
2014 – 80,793 (highest)
2016 – 74,643

~ In 2011 Collingwood reached 70,000 members for the first time creating a new AFL record, beating the previous AFL record of 58,249 set by Collingwood in 2010

Attendances
~ Collingwood averaged between 53,000 and 59,000 fans per home and away game between 2007 and 2013, all of which represent AFL records.

~ The Collingwood/ AFL record for average home and away attendance: 59,384 (2010).



Director of Football Rodney Eade and Gary Pert announce the signing of Darcy Moore as a father-son recruit in October 2014.

Facilities
May 2007
~ Collingwood and the Victorian Institute of Sport shared Holden Centre facilities

November 2008
~ Club noted its ambition of redeveloping the Holden Centre in Financial Report

October-November 2011
~ Work began on redeveloping Olympic Park and Holden Centre facilities. Victorian Institute of Sport vacates the facilities

March-April 2013
~ Redevelopment of Olympic Park and Holden Centre facilities completed
~ Team began training at the redeveloped Olympic Park instead of Gosch’s Paddock

April 2014
~ Work began on development of Community Centre facilities (The Glasshouse) at Olympic Park, adjacent to the Holden Centre

October 2015
~ Community Centre facility, now known as The Glasshouse, opened

March 2017
~ Collingwood’s AFL, VFL, AFLW and Super Netball League teams operated out of the Holden Centre and Glasshouse facilities

Community
AFL Women’s
~ In June 2016, Collingwood was one of eight AFL teams to be granted a license in the inaugural season of the AFL Women’s competition (2017). The team played in the inaugural game against Carlton in front of a record crowd

Super Netball
~ In May 2016, Collingwood announced its desire to join the newly formed Super Netball League for 2017, under the Collingwood Magpies Netball banner
~ In February 2017, the Collingwood Magpies Netball team begins its first season, playing its home matches at Hisense Arena

Partnerships
Emirates
~ March 2010: Extended its Premier Partner agreement for five years (2010-2014)
~ March 2014: Extended its Premier Partner agreement for five years (2015-2019)

CGU
~ October 2010: Announced new Premier Partner agreement for seven years (2011-2017). The deal is worth $14 million
~ March 2017: Extended its Premier Partner agreement for five years (2018-2022). It is trumpeted as a ‘multi-million dollar deal’

La Trobe Financial
~ May 2015: Announced a new Premier Partner agreement for three years (2015-2017)

Holden
~ February 2013: Announced a multi-million dollar Platinum Partnership for three years (2013-2015)

Media
~ Collingwood and McGuire Media produced a television show, The Club, airing in prime time on Fox Footy between 2012 and 2014. Along with Essendon’s The Hangar, the program is the first of its kind in Australian Football



Gary Pert and Eddie McGuire sing Good Old Collingwood Forever after the Magpies' win over West Coast in round 18, 2017.