HAWTHORN president Andy Gowers says the Hawks remain steadfast in their commitment to the $100 million Kennedy Community Centre in Dingley Village despite rising construction costs and delays.

The Hawks bought the 28-hectare property on a former landfill site in Melbourne's south-east in 2016 and were finally given the green light to commence construction last November. 

But progress on the site of the club's next training and administration base has been slower than first planned due to complex environmental challenges and some pushback from reluctant locals in the area. 

Hawthorn initially hoped to relocate from Waverley Park to the Kennedy Community Centre in the first half of 2024, but that is expected to be delayed by at least 12 months.

Director Luke Stambolis will vacate his seat on the board due to business commitments but will remain involved on the Kennedy Community Centre working committee.

In a wide-ranging interview with AFL.com.au at the end of his first season in the role, Gowers dismissed any concern the board isn't united on progressing and said that construction delays are part of the current climate emerging out of the coronavirus pandemic.  

"We are completely committed to it. Construction isn't easy at the moment and it is on an old industrial landfill site. We have had to tick off a few things that are really important, like gas, water, locals who have questions, so that has taken longer than anyone would like, but you have to go through that process. We're committed to it," Gowers said.

"Costs have gone up a bit, inflation has had a bit of an impact on that. It will start coming out of the ground pretty soon. From start to finish it is roughly two years. It has slightly been delayed. It will be completed at some point in 2025 we believe."

Hawthorn has completed its second round of interviews for the vacant chief executive position following the departure of Justin Reeves in May and anticipates making an appointment before the Peter Crimmins Medal on October 7. 

"We are getting closer. I am very happy with the process. The committee has been doing a good job. We have done the second round of interviews. I think we will be able to announce it hopefully by the end of this month," Gowers said.

The Hawks are understood to have explored signing a current club CEO and have interviewed candidates inside AFL House and in a variety of roles across club land.

Current commercial officer Ash Klein has been performing the role on an interim basis and has emerged as a leading contender to secure the position permanently after impressing those inside Waverley Park with his leadership and intimate knowledge of every department inside the club.

"Ash has been sensational, he really has," Gowers said. "He has led the organisation really well. We have a number of things that we are working our way through. He has been a very successful chief commercial officer, in addition he has taken on the CEO role and he is doing a wonderful job."

Gowers has had to navigate a challenging first season in the role with the AFL’s investigation into allegations of historical mistreatment of First Nations players at Hawthorn concluding at the end of May. The AFL reached an agreement with the families to terminate the independent panel's eight-month long investigation, and apologised for past instances of racism across the industry. No adverse findings were made against four-time premiership coach Alastair Clarkson, Brisbane coach Chris Fagan or Jason Burt.

The families involved in the case, including champion small forward Cyril Rioli, have pursued the matter in the Australian Human Rights Commission. There is no timeline yet on when the matter will be resolved or if it will progress to the Federal Court.

Gowers is optimistic Hawthorn can repair the fractured relationships with the players, coaches, staff and families affected in the not-too-distant future, but knows it will take time to heal a club that celebrates the 10-year anniversary of the 2013 premiership win during Grand Final week amid this backdrop.

"One of the things about the Human Rights Commission is it hopefully leads to a mediation session and we will get to sit and listen and understand. It would be fantastic to get the opportunity to listen to the families' viewpoints, experiences and really deeply understand their position and why they feel the way they feel. Clearly they don't feel good about their time at the club. We are very open and keen to get to that point. If that happens as a result of the Human Rights Commission process, we welcome that," he said.

"We are hellbent on doing whatever we can to repair them to the degree that we can restore them. I've borrowed the Stan Grant line of building bridges. That's what I hope that process leads to. The intention behind the commissioning of the Binmada Report was the right intention. I don't think anyone has any issue with that all, including the AFL. We are trying to reconcile with the families, but we also want to reconcile with our former staff. Things clearly didn't go in the direction that anyone wanted. We remain hopeful that we can reconcile on all fronts. That includes with the AFL."

Gowers hosted a meeting with senior coach Sam Mitchell and several notable Hawthorn names at La Luna in Carlton last Wednesday night to brief them on the club's progression in 2023 and the strategic plan heading into 2024 and beyond. Premiership greats Jason Dunstall and Jordan Lewis were in attendance, along with former Australian fast bowler Damien Fleming and comedian Anthony Lehmann among others. 

After winning eight games in Mitchell's first season in charge in 2022, Hawthorn won one less game this year but still made progress in the first proper season of the rebuild project under the four-time premiership player, who played 307 games for the Hawks before finishing his playing career and starting his coaching career at West Coast. 

Gowers said wins weren't the metric for progress in 2023 – although big scalps against top-two sides Collingwood and Brisbane highlighted the growth – with exposure of youth across the ground and midfield development two key indicators of the club's advancement.

"Based on the feedback I get from members everywhere I go, I feel like it was a successful season. We got some experience into younger players. We were never looking at a win-loss scenario on whether this would be a successful year or not. I think the team clearly made progress and individuals made progress," he said. 

"The team progress to some degree was evidenced by the fact we knocked off some top-eight sides, including the top two. They were very enjoyable days at the footy. I think what the members are seeing and what the whole footy world is seeing is a side that despite concerns from some that we may not win a game all year, we were very competitive all year. I would give it a tick and I think our members seem to be very upbeat to me."

Gowers played under Hawthorn premiership coaches Allan Jeans and Alan Joyce – he played in the 1991 premiership under Joyce – during his 89-game career in brown and gold, before playing another 51 games for Brisbane, and he thinks Mitchell is capable of becoming the Hawks' next premiership coach. 

"I hope he is and I think he will be. I've watched him very closely and I hope I don't seem as imposing on the footy program at all – it is not my job – but I am genuinely and naturally interested in the footy side of things and I like watching people present," he said.

"I've watched Sam talk in many different forums and I'm always impressed, whether it's to players, media, coteries, wherever, he is such an impressive communicator and communication is such an important part of that role. I think he strikes a really good balance between development and performance."

Hawthorn currently holds pick No.3 but that could slide back one or two spots if North Melbourne receives a compensation pick immediately after its first selection if free agent Ben McKay departs, with Gold Coast expecting to match a very early bid for Academy prospect Jed Walter. 

Gowers expects Hawthorn's list management team, led by Mark McKenzie, to use its first pick at the draft rather than trading it out for a ready-made prospect, although the club is courting McKay after missing out on Esava Ratugolea. The Hawks have been scouring the market for key-position options at either end of the ground, exploring Jake Riccardi and Hayden McLean before they both chose to remain in the Harbour City. 

"I'm not at the minutia level but it is my understanding we are using that pick on a young player," he said. "Whatever our first pick, I think we are committed to going to the draft and not trading it away. We think our next premiership side will need another key defender in the mix. Players like Ben McKay are of interest to us naturally."

Sitting inside a cafe in Hawthorn, just down the road from where he was appointed as Jeff Kennett's successor at the Hawthorn Town Hall last December, a few hundred metres away from the club's spiritual home Glenferrie Oval, Gowers has enjoyed leading the club through a challenging first season. 

The 54-year-old spends at least a day per week out at Waverley Park around his work at Vest Advisory, the wealth management consultancy firm he founded with two other partners this year after selling a previous boutique financial services business following time at the ANZ Business Bank.

"It is really invigorating," he said. "I love interactions with members in particular, love getting feedback. Members come up to me and tell me they love what we are doing on field. I love my involvement. I've nicknamed myself the chief volunteer, which [Essendon president] David Barham has borrowed that. That's what we are. I take the role very seriously, it is a big responsibility, but I am enjoying it."