Fremantle held their first Member Advisory Forum at the club on Tuesday evening, with 40 select members coming together with key staff to discuss the direction of the club.

There were 19 Fremantle staff members present, including the club’s executive team, as well as board members Sue Murphy and Andrea Hall, and president Dale Alcock.

The forums, which will be held in February and June each year, were established as a new way to broaden member input and involvement with the club’s operations. 

Both CEO Simon Garlick and general manager of football Peter Bell addressed the room, with Bell giving an update on football operations from an AFL and AFLW perspective. 

There were a number of topics addressed throughout the sessions, including but not limited to member engagement, club communications and integration within the community.

Eighteen-year member Stephanie Alvarez said the forum provided great insight, and most importantly, allowed members’ voices to be heard.

“I felt everyone came with a really positive attitude, wanting to shape the future of Freo,” Alvarez said.

“I loved the honesty from the club and the members, I loved everybody’s ideas and the club’s willingness to commit to them. 

“It was great meeting other members, seeing more of the staff and putting faces to names. We saw the club’s intent and willingness, not to change, but to improve.” 

Alvarez was confident the forums would enhance the club’s relationship with its members.

“In the past, we would hear a lot from the club but never anything back from the members,” Alvarez said. 

“So it’s really good that the club is willing to listen and there’s now a conduit for the members at large to have a voice.” 

Garlick said the club could only benefit from increasing its engagement with its membership.

“There was a great feel in the room, not necessarily telling us everything we wanted to hear but telling us what we needed to hear, which was really important,” Garlick said. 

“To get that sort of insight from our core membership base is invaluable.

“It’s clear they all love the club with everything they’ve got, but they aren’t necessarily involved in the day to day, so to have them telling us how they feel in a relaxed environment, that’s so valuable for us.”

Garlick believes the forum was an important step as Fremantle looks to build both on and off the field.

“This is another example of how we want to engage more deeply with our fans,” Garlick said. 

“We want to understand what they think is important, what they want and need, and we’ll be continuing to work on more initiatives like this over the coming weeks and months.”