Sydney FC Vice Chairman Scott Barlow has announced that Dirk Melton has been appointed as their new Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
Dirk joins Sydney FC from the position of Chief Operating Officer at National Rugby League (NRL) club the Canterbury - Bankstown Bulldogs where he played a leading role in the clubs successful change management and brand repositioning programs.
Specifically, Dirk was responsible for the development and implementation of a three-year plan that delivered outstanding growth across all major revenue streams.
Melton said that the next phase in the evolution of Sydney FC is crucial.
"The Club needs to develop a sustainable position within the sports, media and entertainment landscape by ensuring that it has quality staff, systems and structures on and off the field as well as relevant products and services that meet the needs of all stakeholders," Melton said.
"I am very fortunate to have a Board that is represented by a group of incredibly successful businessmen who are determined to create a robust foundation for the Club and to develop a set of values and principles that clearly define what the Club stands for within the broader community."
"The task of developing the Sydney FC brand excites me and the opportunity to create an emotional connection and generate a sense of belonging with all of those men, women and children who play the game is a considerable challenge that I look forward to tackling."
Barlow said that Melton was the right person to lead Sydney FC forward.
"We conducted an extensive search both domestically and internationally and interviewed a short list of very high calibre candidates," Barlow said.
"The Sydney FC board was of one mind that Dirk was the right person to take the club forward. He has a strong history of working within professional sport in Australia and has a proven track record at brand building.
"The board looks forward to working with and supporting Dirk to deliver our long term goal of making Sydney FC the preeminent football club in Australia and a leading football brand within Asia."
Prior to working with the Bulldogs, Dirk held management positions with NRL club the St George Illawarra Dragons (Executive Manager, Consumer Products), Ticketek (Director, Marketing and Commercial), Goodman Fielder (Program Manager - Strategy) and spent considerable time within the Mars Corporation. He has an Engineering Degree (Chemical) and an MBA.
