Ray Horsburgh is standing down as Essendon chairman

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ESSENDON chairman Ray Horsburgh has announced he will stand down from the position in December.

Horsburgh, who will officially step down at the club’s Annual General Meeting, has endorsed David Evans as his successor.

Evans is the son of former Bomber great and AFL chairman Ron Evans.

Horsburgh, 65, joined the Essendon Football Club board in 2003 and became chairman in late 2005.

His time at Essendon saw the appointment of Matthew Knights as senior coach and Ian Robson as CEO but was at his most high profile when he oversaw the end of Kevin Sheedy’s 26-year tenure as Bombers coach.

Horsburgh acknowledged there were difficult times during his reign but said he was proud of his time as the Essendon chairman.

“You go into these roles knowing not every decision is going to be popular but this club means an enormous amount to me and you only ever do what you believe is right. I can leave the position knowing the club always came first,” Horsburgh said on Essendon’s website.

“I think the club is in very good hands. Ian Robson has been an excellent addition and he has a very good management team in place around him to take this club forward.”

The new chairman will officially be appointed at the board meeting that immediately follows the December 21 Annual General Meeting while Horsburgh will remain with the Bombers for two years as a director.

“It has been an honour to be chairman of this great club but succession planning is an important part of any business and the timing makes sense with Ian Robson having just joined the club and a relatively new senior coach in place,” Horsburgh said.