“Our players actually looked to flip that on the head about 18 months ago. It’s a central cornerstone of their trademark. They like to think of it as a symbol of strength,of stability,of being something that keeps you safe and is a foundation you can build from.”
Garlick said the club truly believed the benchmarks could be achieved because of where it was currently positioned on and off the field.
“I can understand some people thinking we just grabbed some KPIs or some aims and aspirations out of thin air,but this has been a really long,thorough and pretty exhaustive process over more than six months,” Garlick told Gareth Parker’sBreakfast program on 6PR.
“We actually drilled down across the entire organisation and had input from everyone ... including some stakeholders and portions of our member base as well.
“Whilst there are aspirational elements to it,we think given we’re a member organisation,it’s important we bring those most important stakeholders on the journey and put ourselves on the hook to achieve it.
“We know the organisation and where it’s currently sitting. There’s been a history of great Fremantle people who love their club and have done great things and made significant sacrifice,and that’s actually put us in a position of real strength at the moment.”
“They like to think of it as a symbol of strength,of stability,of being something that keeps you safe and is a foundation you can build from.”
Fremantle players on the anchor logo
Garlick said there was always risk publicising the club’s bold goals but Fremantle wanted to lay their cards on the table,as he had done when CEO at the Western Bulldogs until 2015 ahead of the club’s drought-breaking 2016 premiership.
“We as a club want to put ourselves out there and we understand there’s pressure that comes with that but we’d much rather that approach as opposed to keeping the club strategy and plan internal and safely from public view,” he said.
The Dockers celebrate a goal in their retro jersey worn in round 20 last season.Credit:Getty Images
Other strategic goals by 2025 included a ‘Drop Anchor’ campaign in country WA to double regional membership,which Garlick believed would happen organically with on-field success,averaging 6000 fans at AFLW home games and building a stronger presence in the club’s heartland of Fremantle.
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Development of the strategy began before COVID hit in 2020 and was fine-tuned throughout the dual pandemic-hit seasons,with coach Justin Longmuir and captain Nat Fyfe regularly canvassed.
Garlick believed implementation of the plan would also make Fremantle a destination club,which was already being realised,with key appointments in coaching and administration in recent years,including former teammates Matthew Boyd (coaching) and Robert Murphy (football operations).
There were six key pillars to the strategy:football,culture,members and fans,community,partnerships,and finance and infrastructure.
“Our board will assess our performance against those on a monthly basis. We break it down,it’s quite straightforward and simple,we’ve decomplicated it,making sure everyone knows what they’ve got to do in terms of their roles,to help us get to where we want to get to,” Garlick said.
The Dockers have not won a premiership since their inception in 1995 and have missed the finals in the past six seasons after a sustained period of success from 2012-2015 when they reached the AFL grand final and won the minor premiership.