A people’s man. A humble man. An insightful and intelligent man.

These were only a few of the words that tumbled into my head to describe St Kilda Football Club’s CEO Matt Finnis. I sat adjacent from him, wondering how open he would be to our questions. Meeting the intellectual CEO earlier, I already got the idea of what kind of person he was, and he surprised me in many ways. He is a polite man, calculating in what he says, and interested in others rather than just wanting to talk about himself. I admire selfless people, and that made me a bit nervous as I double-checked the questions on my laptop.

But as the talking began, a rhythm started to flow and my nerves disappeared as Finnis made us feel comfortable. It’s not everyday that someone has the chance to chat to an AFL CEO in the bistro of your hotel.

Despite being a Saints supporter for many years, I never really had much thought on the CEOs of the clubs. They always seemed like such an untouchable figure, someone who is completely professional and too busy to approach. I didn’t understand what exactly a CEO went through, and what sort of power they had. Matt Finnis surprised and delighted me with his vision for St Kilda Football Club and his complete interest in us not only as Digital Rookies, but also as people.

Talking about St Kilda, we gained some knowledge on what Finnis wanted to improve on. He took a strong stance on the connection. “What you expect is to build and feel a strong connection with the young players and the journey that the team is on” he noted, “which is why we’re engaging with you guys, (Digital Rookies) we have to build that sense of connection that people feel.”

I loved the way Finnis spoke slowly and carefully, making sure every word he said was the right one. When we asked about St Kilda FC taking on a movement, Finnis agreed “It’s about being part of a movement, but it’s also about us reflecting an attitude and a spirit.” St Kilda FC, in my eyes, is an extremely adoring club and filled with words such as loyalty, love and spirit. Asking Finnis on the elements that make St Kilda FC what it is, he had a quick think and answered perfectly, “When you think about the club, you think about passion and joy; the term ‘love’. There’s no doubt there’s a shared loyalty, going to how we’ve only won one flag and come close so many times, and there’s something that bonds people with that, but that can’t define us because we actually want to be really successful.”



This connection and passion that St Kilda FC holds so dear started within the club itself, at Seaford where Finnis made the decision to knock down a wall separating offices. Now, nearly every office is open, with everyone connected and able to communicate openly with each other. “We’ve got to unify all of our people to get behind this movement that we create, and that starts internally. We’re one club, we’re one organization, the wall wasn’t just a symbol of that it was actually a physical barrier.” Finnis laughed and said “Richo and I can stand in our office now and wave across at each other.”

I was quickly impressed by how thought out Matt Finnis’ plans for St Kilda were, and I got that great gut feeling that this leader could take St Kilda far. “We’re building from the bottom of the ladder right now in terms of number of wins and a young developing team, but we’re also building our new plans around growth and membership, so hopefully everyone feels like they’re all on the same journey and we’re not necessarily at different stages…” I loved the sound of a “journey” and I thought that would hit the mark with many supporters, considering now is the time St Kilda need their fans the most. “St Kilda is not like other clubs… it’s a place where everyone can belong as a St Kilda fan.”

On the Saints Digital Rookies twitter, a lot of fans were keen on asking Finnis about the draft, mentioning that to him he laughed and said “I said to Richo, if I start giving you advice about where you’re playing players, it’s a bit like when taxi drivers start giving you advice about shares, it’s time to get out of the stock market!”

Thirty minutes in and we were still talking, the time had really flown and our conversation was coming to a close. I decided to ask Finnis what he would bring to the club, which I can imagine is something that everyone wants to know. What can this clever, past AFL Player’s Association boss bring to a club currently in its rebuilding stage? “I hope people see an authentic leader, and that I’ve got a good industry knowledge and a track record of being able to represent and grow the organization, and that they see that there’s a real will and a drive to make the changes necessary to regenerate the club on and off the field.” I almost wanted to give a standing ovation! He paused and then gave a smile “That felt a little bit like a job interview!” Well, it was perfectly answered Finnis, you’ve got the job!

The rebuilding of St Kilda and Finnis’ role as St Kilda’s CEO is definitely not laughing matter, but Matt believes there has to be a component of fun within the club. “You were asking me about words that describe St Kilda, and I think there’s got to be an element of fun… Everything we do should be taken seriously, but perhaps we don’t take ourselves too seriously.”

Meeting Matt Finnis has not only gained me some indescribable knowledge, but it has also made me excited for the Saints’ future. Finnis is a light in the darkness, as lame as that sounds, and hearing his thoughts has proved to me he has the will and the right ideas to take St Kilda to a great place. Come on St Kilda fans, join the ride and let’s get the rebuilding started.