Former Australian Grand Prix Corporation Chief Executive Andrew Westacott was officially ratified as a new Western Bulldogs Director at the Club’s AGM on Monday night.

Westacott, an unabashed Bulldogs supporter whose father John played for Footscray in the 1950s, has an impeccable reputation as an outstanding administrator and leader over a long period of time, having led the growth of Australia’s Formula 1 and MotoGP events on the global stage for 12 years.

Westacott was the sole new representative to join the Board. Existing director Jerril Rechter was re-elected for a further three-year term, and Chris Nolan will continue as a Board-appointed Director for a further one-year term.

“My first ever game of watching AFL/VFL footy was a Bulldogs game.  I cut my teeth here in the John Gent Stand – a far cry from the wonderful facilities that the club has invested in and created over the last few decades, and what is going on to transform our club in recent years,” Westacott told the AGM gathering at Whitten Oval.

“I’ve lived the lows and I’ve lived the highs of 2016, and also the successes associated with all our teams.

“I crave for that success like every one of the members, every one of the players and every stakeholder and every person who is associated with this fantastic club.”

There were six new Bulldogs life members announced at the AGM, including AFL premiership player Toby McLean, AFLW premiership players Hannah Scott and Bailey Hunt, the Dogs’ current Player Welfare Manager Brent Prismall, and long-serving Club volunteers Alison Crabb and Jan Chalmers.

In reflecting on the 2023 year, Bulldogs President Kylie Watson-Wheeler said the Club achieved some major milestones, despite on-field performance being below expectations.

“From a club performance point of view, 2023 saw us reach another record of more than 56,000 paid up members.  We also saw our supporters turn up to games in huge numbers to watch our AFL team,” she said.

“Many of our partners extended their contracts with us, headlined by a five-year extension of our Major Partner Mission Foods, a five-year extension with Victoria University, and a three-year extension with CoinSpot.

“Perhaps the most noteworthy achievement for our club this year was the reopening of our match-day facilities at Whitten Oval throughout the year, as we welcomed our members and fans back to watch AFLW games.

“On the field, things didn’t pan out as we would’ve liked in the AFL and AFLW competitions.  Through our post-season assessment processes, we’ve seen significant change in personnel in both the men’s and women’s programs, which we believe will set us up for the immediate future.

“We’re excited by what each of our new people will bring, and we firmly believe we can improve markedly on what we achieved in 2023.

“As we pause to take a breath over the Christmas and new year period, we look forward to next year with optimism and confidence, and we’re excited about the journey ahead.”