Andrew Dillon (sports administrator)

Last updated

Andrew Dillon
Andrew Dillon.jpg
Andrew Dillon in 2023.
Born
Victoria
Education
Occupation CEO of the AFL
Known forAFL CEO
Predecessor Gillon McLachlan
SpouseAmanda Dillon
Children3
Websiteafl.com.au

Andrew Dillon is an Australian sports administrator, currently serving as the chief executive officer of the Australian Football League (AFL). Dillon's appointment was announced on 1 May 2023, and took over the reins from Gillon McLachlan on 2 October 2023. [1]

Contents

Early life and schooling

Dillon attended Xavier College in Kew. He completed a Bachelor of Commerce and Laws from University of Melbourne and Post Graduate Diploma in Applied Finance and Investment from the Securities Institute of Australia. [2]

Business career

In 1994, Dillon was employed as articled clerk at Corrs Chambers Westgarth and then became a commercial solicitor. [3] In 1997, he was appointed in-house legal counsel at Village Roadshow. [3] In August 2000, Dillon commenced his career at the Australian Football League as its legal counsel. [3] In July 2004, he was promoted to AFL's General Manager of Legal and Business Affairs. [3] In December 2011, he was appointed General Manager of National and Game Development. [3] In 2013, he was appointed General Manager, Legal Integrity and Compliance. In 2017, game development was added to his role.

At the time of his appointment as AFL CEO elect in May 2023, Dillon was Executive General Manager Football Operations, Legal & Integrity. He had been the AFL's General Counsel since 2011. [3] In announcing his appointment, AFL Chairman Richard Goyder stated: "Andrew has been a key leader and voice in every decision we have made as an organisation for many years, and he brings not only experience across both elite and community football but also a key involvement in our major broadcast and partnership deals and in developing and shaping the AFL’s response to a number of key social issues." [4]

Sporting career

Dillon played for Old Xaverians Football Club in the Victorian Amateur Football League (VAFA) from 1989 to 2005. [3] He played 290 games and was one of four players who featured in the club's six consecutive premierships between 1995 and 2000. [3] Dillon has since been made a life member of Old Xaverians. [3] He represented the VAFA on two occasions, was a committee member of Old Xaverians from 1998 to 2003, and was assistant coach from 2011 to 2012. [3] Dillon also coached Kew Comets Junior Girls Football Club from 2014 to 2018. [3]

Personal life

Dillon's father John was a lawyer, eighth president of the Victorian Amateur Football League in 1984, and chairman of the Melbourne Racing Club from 2003 to 2005. [5] He is the third of six children. [2] Dillon's wife Amanda is the daughter of Paul Sheahan, a former Australian test cricketer, Melbourne Grammar School headmaster and president of the Melbourne Cricket Club. [2] The Dillons have three daughters. [3]

Related Research Articles

The Fitzroy Football Club is an Australian rules football club currently competing in the Victorian Amateur Football Association (VAFA). Formed in 1883 to represent the inner-Melbourne municipality of Fitzroy, the club was a member of the Victorian Football Association (VFA), before becoming a foundation member of the breakaway Victorian Football League (VFL/AFL) in 1897.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew Demetriou</span> Australian rules footballer, born 1961

Andrew Demetriou is an Australian businessman, sports administrator, and former Australian rules football player who was chief executive officer (CEO) of the Australian Football League (AFL) up to June 2014. Demetriou played 103 games for the North Melbourne Football Club between 1981 and 1987, finishing his playing career with a three-game stint for Hawthorn in 1988. Chairing several companies after his retirement from playing, he was appointed CEO of the AFL Players Association in 1998, and was responsible for negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement between the league and the players. Demetriou was made CEO of the AFL in 2003, replacing Wayne Jackson. In his role as head of the AFL Commission, he was responsible for a number of changes, including the expansion of the league from 16 to 18 teams, the restructuring of the tribunal system, and the brokering of two new television rights deals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James McDonald (Australian footballer)</span> Australian rules footballer, born 1976

James McDonald is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Melbourne Football Club and Greater Western Sydney Giants in the Australian Football League (AFL).

Ross Graham Oakley is an Australian businessman and former Australian rules footballer with St Kilda in the Victorian Football League (VFL). He is CEO of the Victorian Rugby Union and was appointed CEO of the new the Melbourne Rebels rugby union franchise in September 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australian Football League</span> Australian rules football competition

The Australian Football League (AFL) is the pre-eminent and only fully professional competition of Australian rules football. It was originally named the Victorian Football League (VFL) and was founded in 1896 as a breakaway competition from the Victorian Football Association (VFA), with its inaugural season in 1897. It changed its name to Australian Football League in 1990 after expanding its competition to other Australian states in the 1980s. The AFL publishes its Laws of Australian football, which are used, with variations, by other Australian football organisations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toorak Park</span>

Toorak Park is a cricket and Australian rules football arena in the Melbourne suburb of Armadale, Victoria, Australia. It is the home ground of the Prahran Football Club and Old Xaverians Football Club of the Victorian Amateur Football Association (VAFA) and Prahran Cricket Club, which plays in the Victorian Premier Cricket competition. The current capacity of the venue is 7,000.

Ian Prendergast is an Australian rules footballer who played senior professional football with the Carlton Football Club in the Australian Football League, and currently serves as the club's Chief Commercial Officer and General Counsel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barassi Line</span> Imaginary geographic line of football codes in Australia

The Barassi Line is an imaginary line in Australia which approximately divides areas where Australian rules football or rugby league is the most popular football code. The term was first used by historian Ian Turner in his 1978 Ron Barassi Memorial Lecture. Crowd figures, media coverage, and participation rates are heavily skewed in favour of the dominant code on both sides. Non-football sports in Australia do not share this separation; for instance, cricket has been played on a national scale by state representative teams for more than 100 years.

Mordecai "Mordy" Bromberg SC is an Australian judge who was appointed to the Federal Court of Australia in 2009. He was previously a senior barrister, and in his youth also played four seasons of Australian rules football for the St Kilda Football Club.

Andrew Leoncelli is a former Italian-Australian rules footballer who played for Melbourne Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL).

The history of the Tasmanian AFL bid covers a series of proposals and bids between 1987 and 2023 for a Tasmanian-based Australian rules football team in the Australian Football League and AFL Women's premierships. Eight formal proposals for a new or relocated club to represent Tasmania were made over this time, the earliest coming in 1992, while informal proposals were raised as early as 1987, when the Victorian Football League commenced its expansion to become a national competition.

Graeme 'Gubby' Allan is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Fitzroy and Collingwood in the Victorian Football League (VFL).

George H. Moloney is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Essendon in the Victorian Football League (VFL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gillon McLachlan</span> Australian Rules football executive, born 1973

Gillon McLachlan is an Australian sports administrator. He is the former chief executive officer of the Australian Football League (AFL). He was appointed to the role in 2014, succeeding Andrew Demetriou, having previously served as his deputy, and finished his contract at the end of the 2023 season, passing the reins to Andrew Dillon.

Nicholas Wilton is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Hawthorn in the Victorian Football League (VFL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kate Sheahan</span> Australian rules footballer

Kate Sheahan is the Richmond AFLW football operations manager, a professional tennis coach noted for helping Daria Gavrilova return from a knee injury, and a former Australian rules football player who played for Collingwood in the 2017 AFL Women's season. She is the daughter of sports journalist Mike Sheahan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Simon Lethlean</span> Australian football manager (born 1975)

Simon Lethlean is a former Australian Football League (AFL) football operations manager and the former CEO of the St Kilda Football Club.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Billy Gowers</span> Australian rules footballer

Billy Gowers is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Western Bulldogs in the Australian Football League (AFL).

The 2021 All-Australian team represents the best performed Australian Football League (AFL) players during the 2021 season. It was announced on 26 August as a complete Australian rules football team of 22 players. The team is honorary and does not play any games.

The 2022 All-Australian team represents the best performed Australian Football League (AFL) players during the 2022 season. It was announced on 24 August as a complete Australian rules football team of 22 players. The team is honorary and does not play any games.

References

  1. Beveridge, Riley (1 May 2023). "'Truly humbled': Andrew Dillon appointed new AFL CEO". Australian Football League. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 Gleeson, Michael (1 May 2023). "The Old Xavs boy without an enemy in the game: Who is new AFL boss Andrew Dillon?" . Retrieved 1 May 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "VAFA Congratulates Andrew Dillon". Victorian Football Association. 1 May 2023. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
  4. Mahoney, Jack (1 May 2023). "Andrew Dillon appointed AFL CEO after a 12-month search for Gillon McLachlan's replacement". Sky News. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
  5. Pollard, Kylie (1 May 2023). "Who is Andrew Dillon, the new AFL chief executive set to take over from Gillon McLachlan?". ABC News. Retrieved 1 May 2023.