Fremantle will transition to a new president following the 2023 AFL and AFLW seasons, as Dale Alcock completes his tenure on the Fremantle Football Club board and hands the reins to Chris Sutherland.

A foundation member of the Fremantle Football Club, Sutherland first joined Fremantle’s board in November 2021, bringing significant experience as a former managing director and CEO of Programmed for over a decade.

Alcock first joined the board in December 2011 and was appointed as the Club’s fifth president in November 2016.

The Club’s constitution limits board tenures to 10 years, however a Director serving as President is able to extend their tenure to 12 years which proved invaluable to ensure stability at the top level as the Club navigated the Covid-19 pandemic.

Fremantle emerging from the pandemic in a position of strength is just one significant achievement from a long list of accomplishments for the Club under Alcock.

Fremantle was proudly a foundation Club in the inaugural NAB AFL Women’s season in 2017, with the team making two preliminary finals and going undefeated in the 2020 season.

Alcock oversaw the Club’s transition into a new facility and stadium, the establishment of the Club’s Next Generation Academy and the Purple Hands Foundation, as well as the appointments of CEO Simon Garlick and Senior Coaches Justin Longmuir and Lisa Webb.

Fremantle have invested significantly in re-establishing the Fans and Community Engagement department, reaching just under 160,000 participants in the Club’s community programs and competitions in 2022.

The Club enhanced its financial security with a $2.43m profit in 2022 while making a significant contribution to the WA football community with a WA Football Commission royalty payment of $2.25m.

Alcock said he always appreciated the significance of the role as Fremantle’s president.

“There are only 18 AFL presidents in the world, so to lead one of them while Australia’s Indigenous game going from strength to strength with a women’s league coming on board, it was really special,” Alcock said.

“In a world where everything is becoming increasingly Americanised, it’s important to note that it is the Australian game that is at the top of elite performance in our country.

“There aren’t many sporting clubs that average more than 40,000 people per game as Fremantle did last year. We are a massive Club putting on what is essentially a rock concert every other week.

“But I’m most proud of how, despite our size, we are still a family. I started as president in November 2016, and in some of our darkest days where performance wasn’t where it needed to be on the field.

"There was a lot of correspondence coming in, and a lot of emotion around it, and I rang every one of those that had written to the Club. 

“The significance of that, is it really brought the scale of a big sporting Club right down to a very personal connection.

“Now when we’re playing well those same people are messaging me after a big win, and it’s great to be seeing all of those anchor and purple heart emojis in my inbox.”

Alcock thanked his fellow board members and was delighted to see the Club’s succession plan come to fruition with Sutherland taking on the new role.

“I feel very confident in passing the baton on to Chris Sutherland, who's just a top quality person who I know will continue to build on our achievements, but at the same time he’s an independent thinker who will bring something new to the role,” Alcock said.

“I’m confident it will be a smooth transition and this will ensure that all of the hard work we’ve collectively done, will be taken on by Chris and become even bigger.

“He’s grown a significant business with his work at Programmed, and I know that the values of that organisation and its reputation are both aligned with Fremantle and were very much influenced by Chris' leadership.

“It’s crucial that I thank all of my fellow directors, both current and past, especially Craig Carter, for the time that I've been the President, he's been the Vice President.

“He’s been fantastic, especially in the area of finance and integrity area throughout a particularly challenging period for the Club.

“I would also like to thank Simon and Lu Garlick for putting their trust in me. It’s wonderful he was able to bring his family over from Melbourne to Perth.

“Most critically, I’d like to extend a thank you to all of our members, supporters, staff and commercial partners, because without you all hanging in and supporting us, when we weren’t necessarily the best on the field and going through a pandemic, we would not have emerged to the other side in a position of strength.”

Sutherland will officially take on the presidency in December, 2023.

“It's a great privilege,” Sutherland said. 

“This is a Club that belongs to all the members and supporters and I won’t take the position lightly.

“With the batton change from Dale to myself, I want to make sure I continue the journey the Club is on to ensure that like Dale, I can leave it in a better place. 

“We have such a strong foundation to grow from and there’s a great opportunity in front of us.

“I think that Dale has done an outstanding job over his tenure through what has been a very difficult period.

“We have a strong board, management and staffing group already established across the Club.

“Additionally, our AFL and AFLW programs are in great shape.”

Sutherland said Fremantle will be preparing for significant growth in the AFLW during his tenure.

“It will be a tremendous outcome if in a few years time, the AFLW can become a full time league in line with the AFL,” Sutherland said.

As well as having significant ties with Fremantle, Sutherland already has experience as a President of a football Club.

“I’ve had a long connection with Fremantle, including as the current chair of the Fremantle Port Authority. I grew up following Fremantle and was a member since day one, my father went to Fremantle Boys High and I currently live in North Fremantle,” Sutherland said.

“I played 200 games with East Vic Park Junior Football Club and became a life member there, and then when my children played at Booragoon Football Club, I was on the committee there from 1997 and was president from 2001 to 2006 and represented the Club on the East Fremantle Junior Council.

“I've always had a strong interest in the game, especially in the development of the game. We’re doing great work in the Kimberley at the moment but as a Club we will be working on extending our reach in community football throughout the state.

“It’s an exciting time to be involved at the Fremantle Football Club and I can’t wait to see what the future holds.”