BOLTON, Mark

Mark Bolton was drafted as a first round draft pick in 1997 after he excelled at centre half-back in the 1997 AFL National Under 18 Championships. He was a good runner with a cross-country background.

He made his debut for Essendon in the first round of 1998 in a surprisingly quick promotion to the senior team. He was a very talented and athletic centre half-back who could play in the midfield. But after four games in the senior team he spent the rest of the year playing in defence for the Reserves.

In 1999 Bolton played most of his football in the Reserves where he was among Essendon best players in the 1999 Reserves premiership win.

He had played only seven senior games by the end of the 2000 season, but was still considered a valuable player. In the final home and away game against Collingwood in 2000 he picked up nearly 20 disposals in one half of football, running with Collingwood star Nathan Buckley.

Bolton played 12 senior games in 2001 which was his best return since making his debut in Round 1, 1998. He had been used as a spare parts player, a defender, a tall mid-fielder and in tagging roles. His other games in 2001 were in the VFL competition in which he finished a creditable 3rd in the VFL Best and Fairest. His best senior game for the 2001 season was against the Kangaroos when he kicked a magnificent running goal in the 3rd quarter during Essendon's great comeback.

He improved his stocks dramatically in 2002 when he played 19 games for the season and fulfilled a variety of roles. Injuries to key players forced him to be played both in defence and attack and his success at either end of the ground saw his confidence soar. Bolton added a running element to his game which only enhanced his ability to be thrown into the mid-field as a tall on-baller. The second half of 2002 proved to be his best and he polled well in the final eight games to finish 11th in the Crichton Medal for the year and was awarded the Most Improved Player for that season.

His value to the team was acknowledged by the trainers who awarded him their Best Clubman award a remarkable four times in 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2006.

Bolton played 21 games in key positions at both ends of the ground for season 2003 and 23 games in 2004 but his form was inconsistent.

He suffered a hamstring injury in the middle of the 2005 season, but managed to play 16 senior games for the year. He played a serviceable year, but was hopeful of having an injury-free season in 2006, giving him a chance to perform at his best.

In 2006 he played 19 games and reached the milestone of 100 senior AFL games. His versatility had been his trademark.

After his retirement in 2007, he became a co-founder of Ladder, an organisation which originally focussed on tackling youth homelessness but broadened its scope to help young people acquire the skills, opportunities and mentoring they need to build a better future. Ladder later became the official partner of the AFLPA.

Bolton left Ladder in 2015 to lead the SEEK Learning commercial strategy before moving to London in 2018 to become UK General Manager of Go1. He was appointed vice-president in 2021.

He returned to Essendon to take up the role of Chief Strategy and Growth Officer in June 2023. The role focusses on developing and enhancing the Club's Community footprint and strategy; developing alternative revenue streams for the Club and the optimisation of existing non-football revenue; leading the development and implementation of the Club's Sustainability Action Plan; and overseeing the Club's data and IT functions.