Essendon's troubled off-season has continued with President David Barham stepping down, just a day after reports came out about a potential challenge to his leadership.
Barham has been President at the club for three and a half years, but today announced he would be stepping down from his position at the club, with vice president and former Bomber Andrew Welsh taking over as President.
There were reports that a 'major board challenge' was going to happen at the Bombers, specifically for Barham's position.
In a statement released by Essendon, Barham spoke about his decision to step down from the role at Essendon.
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"My love for the Essendon Football Club is second only to the love I have for my family. In every decision and every action I have taken, my guiding principle has always been what is in the best interests of the Club. This is another. It is time for a new President. It is a voluntary role that requires someone with the time, drive and energy to take us forward," Barham said.
"I convened a meeting of the Board this morning, where I informed them of this decision. I will now take steps to fully exit the board in the coming weeks to ensure a smooth transition.
"I have given my all over the past three and a half years and tackled every challenge with everything that I have. I took my responsibility to fight for and defend our Club, our players, coaches and administrators extremely seriously. I’m proud of what we have achieved in transforming the Club and making the hard decisions to set it up for long-term, sustained success.
"I have no doubt we are now on the right track, and I leave excited about the future."
Essendon has had its fair share of issues to deal with this offseason already, with free agent Sam Draper leaving the club and both defender Jordan Ridley and captain Zach Merrett weighing up a potential trade request.