AFL great Malcolm Blight has joined the Gold Coast Football Club Board.
One of the AFL’s all-time champion players and successful coaches Blight has agreed to join the GCFC Board and help guide the newest AFL club as it prepares for entry to the competition in 2011.
Blight played, coached and won a Brownlow Medal with North Melbourne in the 70s, coached Geelong in three AFL Grand Finals and coached the Adelaide Crows to back to back Premierships in 1997-98.
GCFC Chairman John Witheriff welcomed Blight to the Board and said it was a coup for the Club to be able to recruit a Board member of Blight’s calibre to assist in the creation of the new football club.
“Malcolm Blight is no stranger to this game. He is one of football’s all-time champion players not to mention innovative coaches. We are on a journey to become the most exciting sporting club in Australia and Malcolm Blight has always been exciting during his playing, coaching and commentating career,” he said.
“To have Malcolm on the Gold Coast Football Club Board providing his decades of insight and knowledge into what makes a Club successful from a football perspective is a tremendous advantage for us as we build for 2011.”
Blight said he was looking forward to again being on the inside of an AFL football club and in particular the new role on the Club’s Board.
“From what I have seen and through my discussions with John Witheriff and coach Guy McKenna there is a very exciting and challenging path ahead for the Gold Coast Football Club,” he said.
“To have a role in helping to shape the organisation, its football and administration strategy and its community and cultural values, is different from any of my previous roles in football and a new challenge for me personally.
“I have been involved in a number of firsts in football as a player and a coach. Now as a Director I want to help create a successful club both on and off the field.
Blight spent today with the GCFC coaches and playing group and will attend his first Gold Coast Football Club Board meeting tonight.
*The Gold Coast Football Club Board is acting in an advisory capacity until finalisation of all AFL licence paperwork is completed. The Advisory Board will transition to a full Board once this process has been completed.
Background - Malcolm Blight
Malcolm Blight began his football career at the Woodville Football Club in Adelaide moving to Melbourne in 1974 where he played 179 games for North Melbourne including multi-tasking as player-coach in 1981.
At North Melbourne he played in two premierships in 1975 and 1977, won a Brownlow Medal (AFL Best & Fairest Player) in 1978, a Coleman Medal (AFL Leading Goal Kicker) in 1982 and club Best and Fairest in 1978.
In 1983, Blight headed home to South Australia, where he finished his playing career at Woodville Football Club as player coach until 1985.
He captained Victoria and South Australia, topped North's goal kicking four times, and holds the record for the most number of goals by a North player in a season.
In 1989 he moved into full time coaching at the Geelong Football Club and took them to three Grand Finals.
After a brief stint at the Seven Network as a commentator in 1995-1996 he returned to coaching with the Adelaide Football Club and coached them in back to back premierships in 1997 and 1998. He plays a key figure in the club’s history with their Best and Fairest award being named after him.
