St Kilda President Andrew Bassat has confirmed the club is undertaking a comprehensive review of its men’s football program ahead of the 2023 season.

The review process, which commenced last month, is being led by Bassat, alongside a working committee that includes new Board member Jason Blake, incoming Chief Executive Officer Simon Lethlean and David Noble - who is providing strong input from his significant experience across football programs at several clubs - in addition to other board members.

The club is engaging other external advisors, who will provide independent input on specific aspects of the football program including an external assessment of the club’s list.

Andrew Bassat acknowledged the frustration of members following an inconsistent second half to the season resulting in the unlikelihood of the club playing finals in 2022.

“The loyalty of our members deserves to be rewarded by us seriously challenging for success on a sustained basis, rather than just making up the numbers in the competition,” Bassat said.

“I will not pretend the likelihood of missing finals again this year was part of the plan, nor hide my disappointment.  This hurts me all the more because I cannot of course separate myself from the outcome given my role as President. 

“Last month I initiated a comprehensive review of all aspects of our club that relate to on-field success. 

“Every club reviews itself as part of its business-as-usual agenda, and I would like to think we do this thoroughly. In each of the last four years, we have made significant changes to our football program as we strive to get better. 

“But this year, in the context of the head of our Football Program transitioning to CEO and the disappointment of the second half of the season, we are undertaking a much more extensive process.

“The review is challenging all elements of our organisation, insofar as they relate to football performance, all the way through to an objective assessment of how myself and the board can better perform our roles. 

“We have been asking ourselves all the questions our members would expect of us, and we are scrutinising the key underlying factors contributing to our inconsistency and a host of other aspects which roll up to ultimately reflect in the performance of our team week to week. 

“The sub-committee was formed three weeks ago and has commenced discussions, with the first two formal meetings held over the past fortnight and we have already commissioned an external assessment of our playing list to challenge our own views.

“We are not shying away from challenging whether our belief that we can soon break out of the stagnant sixth-to-tenth ladder position that has trapped many clubs is realistic. 

“Personally, I remain optimistic but optimism is not enough and we are challenging all of our assumptions in order to identify the actions required to shift performance on a sustainable basis.

“We have already begun to identify several areas that need to be and will be improved. The end result will be a go-forward strategy that will have the united support of management and the Board and hopefully will give us all confidence that we can deliver the success our members crave before too long.

“We are desperate to get better, and we are determined to start – in what will be our 150th year – to make clear to everyone that our on-field future will be much stronger than our past.”

The club intends to share the outcomes of this process with its members at the conclusion of the review.