BREAKING: Blues part ways with footy boss Brad Lloyd in first big domino to fall

Carlton has parted ways with football boss Brad Lloyd in the first big domino to fall at Ikon Park following the decision to back senior coach Michael Voss for 2026.

The Blues on Tuesday morning confirmed Lloyd would depart the club after seven seasons in the first big change to their football department under new chief executive Graham Wright amid a disappointing 7-14 season.

Lloyd will see out the remainder of this season, with games against Port Adelaide (Marvel Stadium) and Essendon (MCG) to wrap up Carlton’s 2025 campaign.

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Carlton will begin its search for a new head of footy immediately.

While the club last week said it was committed to Voss coaching into 2026, there could be more changes to the Blues’ football department including Voss’ assistant coaches set to come under scrutiny.

Lloyd has been the head of Carlton’s football operations since August 2018 in a period the club has had three different senior coaches, Brendan Bolton, David Teague and Voss.

Carlton has parted ways with football boss Brad Lloyd in the first big domino to fall at Ikon Park following the decision to back senior coach Michael Voss for 2026 (Picture: NewsWire/Ian Currie) Source: News Corp Australia

The Blues also reached a preliminary final in 2023 and made finals again in 2024 during Lloyd’s time at the club.

Lloyd, who was previously Fremantle’s list manager, said he was proud of the progress of the Blues since he first arrived including consecutive bottom three finishes in his first two full seasons.

“It has been a privilege to see the growth of our football program over the last seven years,” Lloyd said in a statement.

“To arrive here at the end of a two-win season in 2018 and progress to finals and a preliminary final — it has been off the back of an incredible amount of hard work from so many good Carlton people.

“The best part of this job is seeing people growing and working so closely together to strive to achieve a common goal, and I want to sincerely thank all of our staff for their contribution towards that.

“It has been an honour to lead this football department and work for the same club my father represented. I firmly believe it is full of great people with great values, and strong foundations have been established here to take the club forward.”

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Wright thanked Lloyd for his service.

“Firstly, I want to thank Brad for his tireless effort and commitment to our football club over his seven years of service,” Wright said.

“Brad has been a central part of Carlton in recent years: he has progressed and led the football department through some significant adversity during that time, as well as back-to-back finals appearances.

“Brad’s commitment to see out the final two weeks of the season speaks to his dedication and care for those around him. He is a great football person, well-respected right throughout the industry, and we wish Brad the very best for what the next chapter holds for him.

“The recruitment process for the general manager of football role will commence immediately. While there is no set timeline, we will be sure to update our members once this appointment has been made.”

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The new Carlton chief said he was continuing to to assess the club’s overall operations since gaining a “thorough understanding of every aspect of our football club” arriving at the club last October in a handover with Brian Cook.

“In recent months, particular attention has been given to the football department in order to gain a comprehensive understanding of our AFL program,” Wright said.

“I appreciate the open dialogue I have been afforded by our players, coaches and staff – with every conversation centred around what is best for Carlton and how our club can succeed.

“Successful clubs don’t rely on individuals; they are a product of collective excellence across many areas and that is what we are striving to build.

“While clearly our primary focus is on improving football performance — and despite excelling in other areas across the club — my observation is that there is great upside to enhance the connection and integration with our supporters.

“We want to earn respect in this competition, making our people proud to wear the monogram. We have an opportunity to further strengthen our connection as a Carlton community and make sure every member feels the strongest sense of belonging possible.

“We want our members to help shape that – it takes a whole of club approach, so we will work really hard to build that across our Carlton family into the summer and throughout next year.

“Achieving this will be critical in ensuring our club can progress to the level all Carlton people aspire our football club to reach.”

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