Adelaide Crows Chairman Rob Chapman has announced that he will certainly be leaving the club at the end of this year.
Chapman indicated last year that he would stand down at the end of the current AFL season but there had been recent talk, stemming from the club’s member’s meeting in March, suggesting he may stay on longer given the uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 situation.
But Chapman has confirmed that 2020 will be his final year as the club’s Chairman.
“Yes it is. I said that last year and I said it at the beginning of this year,” he said on SEN SA’s Kymbo and the Rooch when asked if it is categorically his last year in the role.
“It’s definitely my intention to step aside. We have a succession plan and we’ll start putting that in place and star that handover process. There’s plenty of work behind the scenes to enable that but that is the plan.”
Chapman has been the club’s chairman since 2009, having served as a board member from 2007, and admits it is the right time to bow out.
“I have a firm belief that you can stay too long,” he added.
“The time at the end of this year will be right for one of my board members to step into the shoes of Chairman at the end of the year.
“The question was put to me (at the member’s meeting) that there are other Presidents of other clubs that announced their retirement that are not staying on and supporting their clubs. I just said I’d never leave the club in the lurch if required but I think we are coming out of COVID-19 in reasonable shape and our club will come out of it relatively well.
“Providing things don’t deteriorate and turn around in a complete U-turn, I think those plans are still in shape.”