Incoming St Kilda president Andrew Bassat says Alan Richardson will remain coach next season while he's hoping to lure former skipper Nick Riewoldt back to the struggling AFL club.
The nillionaire businessman was unveiled on Wednesday as the replacement for Peter Summers, whose nine-year tenure as director expires in December.
The co-founder and chief executive of job website SEEK, Bassat has been a life-long supporter of the club.
He joined the St Kilda board in 2017 and was unanimously elected in the top role.
Bassat said while the club had achieved a lot off the field this year including a move back to Moorabbin where they are building new facilities, their on-field performance - finishing 16th with just four wins - needed attention.
The club has started the process sacking three assistants and delisting four players including luckless ex-Magpie Nathan Freeman.
Former Carlton coach Brett Ratten, who has been an assistant at Hawthorn, will join the club as well as Brendon Lade from Port Adelaide.
"Alan Richardson is going to be the coach next year and there are going to be some new support staff around him," Bassat said.
"The club is giving a lot of support to Alan to help him be the coach we know he can be and take the club forward and respond to a disappointing 2018."
Club great Riewoldt has taken on a media role since his retirement at the end of last season but Bassat will sound him out about becoming football director on the board.
"If Nick's happy to be back involved in any capacity I think the club would welcome him," Bassat said.
"I've had a conversation or two with him but we haven't started going down the path of looking to appoint a new board member.
"Its a bit premature ... but I think Nick loves the club and would help in the right circumstances."
Richardson is contracted until the end of 2020 but it's understood there's a trigger clause that could see him ousted before the end of next season.
Bassat wouldn't be drawn on the intricacies of the coaching contract but said it was "highly unlikely" anything would change with the role before the start of the 2019 season.
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