Kate Grieve - Elected to an all male AFL Board

In November 2008 Kate was elected to the board of the Fremantle Football Club, the first female director of the club in its 15-year history. Her election followed an online voting process by eligible club members that ran for approximately four weeks.

Kate has over 15 years experience in retail property management and is considered to be a leader in the industry. She is Centre Manager - Westfield Carousel and sits on the retail management sub committee of the Property Council of Australia.

Kate’s election campaign

The Fremantle Football Club Ltd is owned by the governing body for AFL football in Western Australia, the WA Football Commission. The board comprises eight directors, six appointed by the WAFC and two democratically elected by the club’s members since 2001.

Nominations are called in early October each year for one board position. This is advertised in the metropolitan press and on the club’s website. Nominees must be a financial member of the club as at the year end (30 September) and must be nominated and seconded by financial members who have had at least three years continuous membership.

The 2008 election was contested by two other candidates, one being the incumbent who was seeking a third term and the other seeking election for the first time but had nominated previously.

Kate’s election followed an unsuccessful bid in 2006 where she finished fourth out of eight candidates but had a significant proportion of the vote. This unsuccessful bid was important as it gave her a profile amongst members.

The election was announced to members via the website and direct mail. Each member received a letter from the club with a profile (see below) and photo of each of the candidates and details on how to vote. There was also some coverage in the metropolitan press.

As the campaign was run during the off-season it was difficult to reach members en masse. Kate's campaign strategy was as follows:

  1. She submitted her contact details (email and mobile) in her official profile. While this opened her up to receiving unwanted correspondence it turned out that she was the only candidate to do this, which was well received by those members who took the time to contact her.
  2. Target the more vocal members of the club via Internet chat rooms/discussion boards. Kate already had a profile on these forums from her previous nomination and also several years of contributing to the forums. She made herself available to answer any questions either via the public forums or via private messages.
  3. Used existing networks to promote her candidature. This was via retailer newsletters at Westfield Carousel and also through the Property Council of Australia WA Division member newsletter.

Kate was elected with 51 per cent of the total vote.

Kate's Profile

Kate Grieve is a passionate supporter of the Fremantle Football Club with a strong professional background.

While enjoying the perspective of being a fan in the outer, Kate has her eyes fixed on the big picture as it applies to a football club – the responsible, results driven management of a consumer business with a variety of external influences.

Kate has over 15 years experience in retail property management and is considered to be a leader in the industry.  She also serves on a number of professional committees for the Property Council of Australia.

Kate is able to put aside the emotion of the game and make practical observations regarding the performance of the club. These qualities equip Kate well for an administrative role within the sport. 

Her firm belief in a strong and unified board, with clear vision and not swayed by personal agendas, positions her as the perfect candidate.