“You would be hard-pressed at the moment to think of something that we lead the AFL in and we have to change that,” he said.

“There were a couple of catalysts for me wanting to get back on the board and one was going out and watching the VFL play at Port Melbourne and I really felt like the VFL was under-resourced. We were sending players out and from afar it looked like we weren’t putting enough into development, and it is not fair on the players for a start but also the fans and members.

“I felt like board and Xavier [Campbell] have done a terrific job steering us through a tumultuous period, a very difficult period but the focus on footy had suffered.”

Dunn said it was important there was a contested election and members had a say after being frustrated at the lack of democracy and having new board members appointed without an election.

“I am not looking to be an agent of change, I am looking to be an agent of stability. I know what a successful Essendon football club looks like, and I have had some fantastic business experience overseas,” he said.

Essendon last week appointed Craig Vozzo as the new chief executive. He will start in the new year.

Vozzo, a respected football person who worked as a lawyer for 11 years before moving into player management and then list and football management, is an impressive hire for the Bombers after the clumsiness of the short-lived appointment of former NAB boss Andrew Thorburn.

Voting in the Essendon board election closes on Monday afternoon with two positions available. Dunn supports the return of former player and successful businessman Andrew Welsh but wants to take the place of Andrew Muir, who is seeking re-election.

Keep up to date with the best AFL coverage in the country. Sign up for the Real Footy newsletter.