AFL Appoint Gillon McLachlan as New CEO

The Australian Football League (AFL) has appointed Gillon McLachlan (pictured centre) as their new Chief Executive Officer to replace Andrew Demetriou (pictured left).

The news was confirmed by AFL Commission Chairman Patrick Fitzpatrick (pictured right) at a news conference and means that Demetriou will now finish on June 5 and will not stay with the AFL until the end of the season.

McLachlan, 40, highlighted that supporting the weaker clubs and engaging with fans would be his most immediate challenges.

“The most pressing couple (of challenges) I can think of are the continued support and structural improvement in our group of clubs, having a strong competition,” McLachlan said.

“I think also engaging with our fans and understanding their challenges and, in my words, taking away any encumbrance – whether they be financial, scheduling or logistical – from them being able to pursue their passion to go to the football.

“We need to work incredibly hard on dealing with the issues they have and the challenges they have with going to our game.”

Fitzpatrick added that McLachlan had effectively taken over immediately and that he hoped Demetriou would become a member of the Commission.

He also added that the AFL had drawn up a list of 100 possible candidates to replace Demetriou before deciding on McLachlan.

A massive legacy

In his first press conference, McLachlan added: “I understand the honour, I understand the responsibility, I understand the privilege of leading this code and this game.

“I want to congratulate Andrew Demetriou on his success and thank him for his support. He leaves incredibly big shoes to fill.  He leaves a massive legacy which I hope to build on.

“We have an amazing game, played by the most extraordinary athletes, with the most tribal of clubs and the most passionate of fans. We have our challenges but we are in an amazingly strong position and I am incredibly excited about our future.”

“I think Andrew’s legacy is an extraordinary level of growth in the industry and investment in stadiums and national expansion, in digital media, in development, in leadership on social issues,” he said.

“My job ultimately is to consolidate that investment and focus on leveraging that investment.”