Port Adelaide has finalised its football department with the appointment of Ben Rutten as General Manager – Football.
The Port Adelaide Football Club is pleased to announce the appointment of Ben Rutten to the position of General Manager – Football.
Rutten has held several significant senior roles in football since finishing his playing career at the conclusion of the 2014 season.
Boasting a long football resume including 229 AFL games as player, he has served in multiple leadership roles as an AFL senior coach, AFL assistant coach and in coaching and development.
Rutten was as an assistant coach at Richmond between 2015 and 2018, which included the Tigers’ 2017 AFL premiership year, before joining Essendon where he later became the senior coach in 2021 and 2022.
In 2023, he returned to Richmond to work closely with the coaching group as the head of coaching and development.
Rutten enjoyed a 12-year playing career for the Adelaide Crows between 2003 and 2014, with the defender named All-Australian in 2005.
A native South Australian, Rutten and his family will return home to Adelaide following a decade in Melbourne.
Rutten brings a wealth of experience in the AFL industry to Alberton. Image: Matt Sampson.
Port Adelaide CEO Matthew Richardson congratulated Rutten on his appointment.
“We’re delighted to welcome Ben Rutten to the Port Adelaide Football Club as our General Manager of Football,” Mr Richardson said.
“We undertook a thorough process to target and identify the right person for our program, and Ben emerged as the standout candidate who best complements our group and the direction we’re heading.
“The significant changes we’ve made over the last couple of months with the combined experience and capability we’ve compiled across our football department allowed us to think differently about this role.
“Ben is a highly credentialed football person – a former player, assistant coach, and AFL senior coach – who will provide great leadership and support right across our club. He has had experience in successful programs and understands what an elite environment looks like.
“What particularly impressed us is Ben’s focus on continual learning and development and his desire to broaden his career beyond coaching, complementing his unique skills and experience to move into football administration. His most recent role as head of coaching and development at Richmond demonstrated exactly the kind of strategic football leadership we were seeking.
“Ben is a person of great character, and we look forward to welcoming him and his family to the Port Adelaide Football Club.”
Rutten was the standout candidate following an extensive process undertaken to find Port Adelaide’s next General Manager – Football. Image: Matt Sampson.
Rutten was looking forward to taking on his new role, helping to guide the club’s football programs.
“I’m very excited to be joining the Port Adelaide Football Club, especially at the beginning of a new era at Alberton,” Rutten said.
“Speaking with Matthew Richardson and Josh Carr about the opportunity, it became clear very quickly that I felt aligned with both the role and the club.
“Starting a new journey, with a new coaching group and plenty of new staff, it’s an exciting opportunity to grow together and build something special.
“I feel like I can contribute positively to Port Adelaide, especially considering the stage that the club is in and the capable group of people that have been brought together.
“It’s really important to me to support the coaches and the club in any way I can, and to have a wholistic approach to the AFL, AFLW and SANFL programs.
“I’m very much looking forward to being one part of leading this club into 2026 and beyond.”
