Essendon Football Club’s proposed changes to the Constitution have been officially ratified following the Bombers’ Annual General Meeting at Marvel Stadium on Monday evening.

In the weeks prior to the AGM and Members Forum, members had the chance to vote on the amendments online and via proxy votes, and with an overwhelming portion of the members present at the meeting voting in favour of the changes.

The club’s Constitution is the principal document establishing the governance framework of the club.

Some of the key changes include:
- Assisting the club to achieve significant cost and environmental benefits by providing for an opt out system to receive notices under the Constitution through electronic means, rather than by post.
- Adopting gender-neutral language, including through the adoption of the terms ‘President’ and ‘Vice President’ in place of ‘Chairman’ and ‘Deputy Chairman’.
- No longer reserving a Board position reserved for an Executive Officer of the club, giving greater flexibility to appoint the most suitable individual to this position.
- Modernising provisions relating to applications for membership to better facilitate telephone and online requests.

The changes will take effect immediately, including the references to ‘President’ and ‘Vice-President’ in lieu of Chairman and Vice-Chairman.