Fremantle Dockers life member Michael Johnson has returned to Freo as the club's inaugural Indigenous and multicultural liaison officer.
The new role is a part-time position that will see Johnson support and mentor Fremantle’s male and female Indigenous players and work closely with the club’s Next Generation Academy. He will also assist the club with its cultural awareness programs and celebration of its Indigenous culture.
Johnson played 244 games for Fremantle between 2005 and 2018, the most of any Indigenous player and the equal fourth-most in club history.
The former defender said he was thrilled to return to Fremantle.
“It’s great to be back at the club and still be a part of it all in some way,” Johnson said.
“I’m excited but nervous because I’m used to running out with the boys and playing but I’ll be sitting behind a desk and doing my job and hopefully, I’ll be doing it well for the footy club.”
Johnson said he was looking forward to continuing the relationships he’s built with the Fremantle players.
“I had dinner with the boys recently and they’re excited about me coming on board,” Johnson said.
“I’m looking forward to working closely with all of the current Indigenous players that are on the men’s and women’s rosters as well as everyone else on both playing lists.
“I know what football players are going through week-in-week-out and they can lean on me and ask for advice.”
General manager of football Peter Bell said he was delighted to have Johnson back in an administrative capacity.
“Michael is a proud Indigenous person and a proud Fremantle person, which makes him a really good fit for the role,” Bell said.
“He’ll be able to draw on his experience to help our players but also work closely with Tendai Mzungu and the Next Generation Academy as we look to grow the game in the Kimberley.
“During his time as a player, Michael helped the club drive many of our initiatives with the Indigenous community and now he’ll be directly influencing these programs and the implementation of our Reconciliation Action Plan.”
Johnson said he was pleased to add to the growing number of former players returning to the club in a working capacity, including Bell, Mzungu and coaches Roger Hayden and Simon Eastaugh.
“(Senior coach) Ross (Lyon) always talks about being a great person away from football. If you can bring these people back around, I think it’s good for the current playing group," Johnson said.
"It’s especially so for the younger players that are coming through the club, it will be good for them to see these former-players come back and represent Fremantle in a different way and I’m sure we’ll see even more great people come back to the club in the future.”
In other staff changes, high performance manager Tom Morris has advised the club that he has accepted a new role as senior women’s coach of the German national rowing team.
The former Australian and Canadian national rowing coach, who has spent the past two seasons at Fremantle, will move to Berlin, which will also allow him to be close to family.
General manager of football Peter Bell thanked Morris for his positive contribution to the club.
“Given the skills and expertise Tom has acquired in elite level international sport, he was able to provide valuable insight and advice during his time with the club,” Bell said.
“We wish Tom and his family all the best with the move to Germany and thank him for his contribution to Fremantle.
“Tom’s departure will also provide us with a timely opportunity to assess the requirements of the role for the future.”
Morris, who coached the Canadian women’s light weight double sculls to a silver medal at the Rio Olympic Games in 2016 and to gold at the World Rowing Cup in Switzerland in May the same year, said the opportunity to return to rowing as a senior coach was unexpected.
“I have genuinely enjoyed my time at Fremantle and did not envisage a return to rowing in a coaching capacity but the opportunity is a good one and the club has been very understanding of my situation,” Morris said.
“I spoke to the coaching team and, in particular, Ross Lyon and Peter Bell today to thank them for all their support and wish them all the best for the season ahead.
“I said to them that strong foundations have been laid at Fremantle in the past few years and that the future is really bright for on-field success.”
