Gillon McLachlan's acknowledgement that supporters deserve better treatment at Etihad Stadium has resulted in the AFL seconding Melbourne Football Club's marketing boss to work over the summer to help transform the venue in time for 2017.
Jennifer Watt, who has led the rebranding of the Demons over the past two years, has been given the task of reinventing Etihad as a fan-friendly venue more closely aligned with its home clubs.
The AFL takes over the ownership of the stadium on November 3 and although a planned partnership with the Victorian Government in a $200 million makeover are yet to be finalised, McLachlan has pledged to immediately set about revamping the venue for next season.
Watt, who will travel to the US next month for talks with executives from Disney and unspecified customer service leaders, will work alongside the league's commercial executive Darren Birch and special projects' Danielle Bleazby to transform the Docklands stadium.
Birch said football supporters rated Etihad as a "middle of the road" AFL venue, adding that the new owners were determined to rectify problems faced by patrons entering and exiting the stadium.
"It needs to be the best in its class and at the moment it's not there," conceded Birch. "If you have a problem at the game, where do you go for help or information? Clubs have to be represented at the stadium and in the stadium, not only on the concourse.
"The entire customer experience needs to be reviewed. Getting in and getting out, food and beverage, the attitude of staff and the delivery of services."
Birch, along with the AFL's finance boss Ray Gunston and legal executive Andrew Dillon, will form the league's new board of management of Etihad when they meet for the first time next week.
"This will be an entirely different proposition going forward with our relationship with the stadium," said Birch. "We need to focus on what is the point of difference of the stadium; what is the personality of the stadium and how does it relate to the Docklands precinct?
"What does it need to deliver to its clubs and to their supporters?
"It is appropriate we have two of the most senior women in our industry working on it and making a major contribution to the transformation."
Watt is Melbourne's marketing and communications manager and was recently awarded the 2016 Graeme Samuel Scholarship — an AFL educational award for rising club executives — and will return to the Demons at the start of next next season.
According to exit interviews with supporters, conducted by the AFL, Greater Western Sydney's Spotless Stadium received the most positive reviews, albeit from a significantly smaller sample.
The AFL has refused to reveal the least popular stadium but McLachlan was pointed at Thursday's fixture launch when he detailed what Etihad patrons deserved to expect when attending matches there.
Etihad will stage its first AFL match next season under the new arrangement on Saturday, March 25 — a twilight clash between St Kilda and Melbourne. Its second round-one clash will take place the following afternoon when North Melbourne host West Coast at 3.20.
