The Australian Football League (AFL) club – the Essendon Football Club – recently announced that Tim Roberts has been appointed as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
‘essendonfc.com.au’ stated that Roberts joined the club’s Board as a Director in 2022 and was elevated to the position of Vice- President in September 2025. Roberts will transition away from the role of Vice-President but will continue to hold a Board position in his role as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
Victoria (Australia)-based the Australian Football League (AFL) is the pre-eminent professional competition of Australian Rules football. It was originally named the Victorian Football League (VFL) and was founded in 1896 as a breakaway competition from the Victorian Football Association (VFA) with its inaugural season in 1897.
The Victorian Football Association (VFA) was a pioneering Australian Rules football governing body and competition formed in May 1877. As one of the world’s oldest football competitions it was the premier league in Victoria until 1896 when the leading clubs departed to form the VFL (now AFL). The VFA continued as a major, often innovative, senior league until merging with the VFL in 1996.
The Australian football, also called the Australian Rules football or Aussie Rules or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. The points are scored by kicking the ovoid ball between the central goal posts (worth six points) or between a central and outer post (worth one point otherwise known as a ‘behind’).
The Essendon Football Club, nicknamed the ‘Bombers’ or colloquially ‘the Dons’, is a professional Australian Rules football club that plays in the Australian Football League (AFL), the game’s premier competition. The 56,347-capacity Marvel Stadium in Victoria, Australia, and the 100,024-capacity Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne, Australia, serves as their home grounds.
‘essendonfc.com.au’ further stated that the Essendon Board conducted a broad market study followed by a targeted search and then identified Roberts as the best candidate for the position and to lead the club forward.
With over 30 years at the construction consulting firm WT Partnership Roberts rose through the ranks to lead the organization internationally. With a growth mindset he has been at the helm of large and complex projects across all the major industry sectors including throughout Australia, Asia, Middle East, Canada, and the United States. In his time at WT the business expanded significantly producing many industry leaders.
During his time on the Essendon Football Club Board Roberts has immersed himself in all areas of the club including commercial operations, community programs and the Football Department strategy playing a key role in reinvigorating the VFL program and establishing the AFL Women’s (AFLW) team at Windy Hill (an Australian Rules football and cricket ground located in Napier Street, Melbourne, Australia).
Essendon President Andrew Welsh said that Roberts was the perfect leader to step into the role of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) – “Tim has successfully built the global businesses across a range of industries and we are excited he can bring that experience and commercial acumen to his new role as the CEO. Tim has been an outstanding contributor to the club since joining in 2022 and his elevation to Vice-President last year was a reflection of the value he was already adding to the ‘Bombers’. We have seen Tim’s impact firsthand in his time on the Board and he was clearly the best candidate for what Essendon needs, someone who can strengthen our culture, provide continuity and allow us to execute our club strategy. The club has a talented executive team which has led the club very well through some challenging times and we wanted a new CEO to come in and complement that team. We are in a phase of growth as a club and we want to deliver on the expectations of our Members both on and off the field. His intricate knowledge of the club allows him to step straight into the role as the CEO and continue the positive momentum we are building at the club. His passion for the game and dedication to fostering talent within the club will play a crucial role in our future success.”
Added Welsh, “Having Tim remain on the Board in his role as the CEO means we have total alignment, connection and ownership in driving and executing our club framework. Tim is a selfless leader who has strong internal relationships across the club and with the AFL. He is the best person to lead the Essendon Football Club and we are excited to see him start in his new role and what the future will hold for the club.”
Tim Roberts said he was honored to lead the club into its next chapter – “The platform for success has been created by those who have gone before me and I am proud to take on this challenge and continue Craig Vozzo’s (former Essendon head honcho) incredible contribution. The Essendon I grew up barracking for were the league leaders on and off the field, proud of the red and black (defining colors of Essendon) and seen as a fierce, courageous, confident, and bold club. That’s my vision for this club and along with Welshy (President of Essendon), our Board and leadership, we are determined to reclaim that space. Essendon is a club that should be consistently competing for the Finals and the premierships, be embracing and impactful in our community and commercially sustainable.”
Remarked Roberts, “During my business career I learned that the people are the cornerstone of your success and the footy clubs are no different. We have terrific talent across our club through the Executive, Coaches, staff, and the playing groups and our focus is to get the best out of everyone, being galvanized and executing our club strategy.”
The Club also announced that Craig Vozzo has accepted a position to continue working with the club as a List and Recruitment Consultant focusing on the List Management strategy, recruiting and the salary cap management.
The Essendon President Welsh said retaining Vozzo at the ‘Bombers’ was an important priority for the club – After Craig made the decision not to renew his contract as the CEO and move back to Adelaide we are rapt to have secured his services and bolstered our Football Department in the List Management space. Craig is held in the highest regard in the football circles and to keep him involved continues to highlight our targeted approach of having the best people in specific areas throughout the club. Craig has been a highly sought-after individual within the industry and made a significant impact at the club in his time as the CEO. We are excited to have secured his services in this new role supporting the club including Tim and we look forward to his impact in a very important space for us.”
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