The Collingwood Football Club congratulates Eddie McGuire, by any measure a giant of the club, after almost 23 years of service as president.
McGuire, 56, announced his immediate departure today.
The moment was shared with his wife, Carla, and sons, Joseph and Alexander who, with his brother, Frank, were flanked by the players and staff of Collingwood at the Holden Centre this afternoon.
McGuire’s reign commenced on his 34th birthday, 29 October 1998. He succeeded Kevin Rose as the 12th president of the club and became the third longest serving president in AFL/VFL history.
The McGuire era saw the club experience its greatest period of transformation, best exemplified by its expansion from a single football team concern to a club housing seven male and female football, netball and wheelchair football teams.
He also oversaw the AFL program’s shift of home ground from Victoria Park to the MCG in 1999 and its complete departure from Victoria Park as a training venue for Olympic Park, at the centre of Melbourne’s sporting precinct, in 2004. Victoria Park remains close to the club’s heart as a training venue and home ground for the club’s AFLW, VFL and VFLW programs.
During his time, and with his energetic support, the Collingwood Football Club Foundation grew significantly. The Magpies Community Centre at Victoria Park was established and along with it a range of community programs including the Magpie Nest Homeless Program, the Barrawarn Indigenous training program and the launch of Collingwood’s wheelchair football team.
McGuire’s passion and seemingly inexhaustible supplies of energy also led to a commercial renaissance for the club which now has a suite of substantial long term commercial partners, net assets of almost $43million and $8million in cash.
Membership grew from 32,000 to almost 80,000 across the 22 years. McGuire’s rapport with the Collingwood members and fans and good-natured jousting with rival fans drove attendances and entertained every season.
His experience, expertise and deep love of the code saw McGuire set aside his black and white loyalties to be drafted into the so-called War Cabinet of presidents convened in 2020 by the AFL when the Covid-19 pandemic threatened to derail entirely the season and imperil the future of the AFL competition.
The undeniable on-field highlight of McGuire’s tenure, the 2010 AFL Premiership, broke a 20-year premiership drought. He, and the Collingwood army, were witness to five further grand finals and 13 finals campaigns.
Highlights of McGuire’s presidency at Collingwood Football Club:
- 2010 Premiership
- Six grand finals (2002, 2003, 2010 x2, 2011, 2018)
- 13 finals campaigns
- Collingwood’s move from Victoria Park to Olympic Park in 2004
- The hiring of Michael Malthouse at the end of the 1999 season and the succession plan which saw Nathan Buckley take over as senior coach in 2012
- Introduction of AFLW and Super Netball to the club in 2016
With McGuire’s decision late last year to step down from the Collingwood presidency, a succession plan had already commenced. With today’s announcement, the board will meet to expedite the process of selecting a successor.
Collingwood commits to providing our valued members regular updates as this process unfolds.
