The following statement has been issued to Melbourne members and supporters on behalf of the Melbourne Football Club Board:

The Melbourne Football Club Board would like to address the statement from Glen Bartlett which was published on the Herald Sun website on Thursday June 16.

Primarily, we would like to address the club’s change of Presidency in April 2021. It was the unanimous decision of the Board to request Glen resign as President. We acknowledge that a change of leadership at a club is a difficult time for all involved and out of respect for Glen and his service to the club, when the time came for him to hand over the presidency, we endeavoured to respectfully acknowledge his achievements and contribution.

Separately, the Board would also like to reiterate its support of the club’s people, particularly Simon Goodwin, who have been unfairly targeted as part of inaccurate and unsubstantiated media reports.

As the Board has previously stated, Simon is an exceptional and inclusive leader, who is loved by players, coaches, and staff, and is a key driver of our high-performance culture, standards, and disciplines.

We see no utility in engaging in an ongoing commentary on these matters, and the club will therefore not be making any further comment at this time. Instead, the efforts of the Board, together with players and staff, are absolutely focussed on the seasons ahead. We ask that the privacy and health and well-being of all involved be respected at this time.