It's been telegraphed for a while... who will be jostling for the chalice?

Eddie or Jeff?

😬

I hope the replacement is not someone from within AFL house.

It's been inbred for too long now.

Gale would be the obvious replacement from outside.

He's ruffled a few feathers at HQ and that might be a good thing.

He led the league through two horror years of covid that ended with dees as premiers.

For that alone he deserves our gratitude and thanks for a job well done.

 

Gil has done some amazing things for the AFL, keeping the game running over the past 2 years big tick, the growth of female participation another tick.

Now the whack, the expansion of AFLW and AFL GWS/GCS will be the biggest financial challenge they new CEO has.  The AFLW will need to be heavily subsidized by the AFL along with the two AFL expansion clubs.  The utter neglect for junior boys particularly in Victoria will be a massive issue for the new CEO, the game outside the increase participation of females is in a rapid decline at grass roots level, this was pre-covid and post covid we are seeing further drop off.  AFL is to hard, you need so many volunteers to get a junior side on the park, Coaches, Team Managers, Umpires(massive shortage), Trainers, Time keepers, Umpire Escorts, each week a side needs 6-8 volunteers for your team to play.  Basketball you need a coach and scorer.

They will say the game has never been in a better place, might look that way in the top tier comp but underneath that there is massive issues.

Edited April 12, 20222 yr by drdrake

1 minute ago, drdrake said:

The utter neglect for junior boys particularly in Victoria will be a massive issue for the new CEO, the game outside the increase participation of females is in a rapid decline at grass roots level, this was pre-covid and post covid we are seeing further drop off.  AFL is to hard, you need so many volunteers to get a junior side on the park, Coaches, Team Managers, Umpires(massive shortage), Trainers, Time keepers, Umpire Escorts, each week a side needs 6-8 volunteers for your team to play.  Basketball you need a coach and scorer.

They will say the game has never been in a better place, might look that way in the top tier comp but underneath that there is a massive issues.

Fully agree with this. I'm guessing player numbers are down at least 10% from last year, and probably more, given what I see in my local league. I rarely see kids kicking the footy at the local park, and the prevalence of night games makes it hard from them to get to or see games. Junior clubs are not being supported and are really struggling financially and with finding volunteers. I'm assuming the same issues are apparent at junior league level as well.

 

 

I vote for Brendan Gale 

Gill will be remembered for continuous horrendous MRO Decisions and the ridiculous STAND rule

Grass Roots Football is almost dead

But the AFL won’t mention any of the above

 

1 minute ago, Demonland said:

 

Awww poor Geelong 😂😂

Regarding a successor; take your pick:

The highly regarded AFL boss is understood to be keen to play a part in nominating his successor.

Contenders within the AFL include football boss Andrew Dillon and fellow executive Travis Auld.

Richmond chief Brendon Gale, who interviewed for the role eight years ago, is also in the running and a heavy favourite among the clubs although the AFL Commission is expected to conduct a thorough search.

gillon-mclachlan-to-leave-afl-ceo-role

It looks like the Clubs favour Gale but the Commission favours...?  What is the bet an AFL person gets it.

McLachlan should stay out of it. 

Edited April 12, 20222 yr by Lucifers Hero

Allan joyce

Did an excellent job during COVID which was one of the worst crisis that's hit athe AFL.

13 minutes ago, Sir Why You Little said:

Gill will be remembered for continuous horrendous MRO Decisions and the ridiculous STAND rule

Bringing in the stand rule was one the best things he's done.  Well done Gill.

6 minutes ago, one_demon said:

Bringing in the stand rule was one the best things he's done.  Well done Gill.

So if a player steps BACK one step, that is a 50 Metre Penalty?

it is a disgraceful rule…but they can never admit they are ever wrong

Jammed gambling down our kids throats.
Good onya Gill.

Billion dollar business for the AFL yet they cannot have decent sound systems in place to hear the actual questions being asked. Same goes for coach's interviews after matches.

Quite bad really.

40 minutes ago, poita said:

Fully agree with this. I'm guessing player numbers are down at least 10% from last year, and probably more, given what I see in my local league. I rarely see kids kicking the footy at the local park, and the prevalence of night games makes it hard from them to get to or see games. Junior clubs are not being supported and are really struggling financially and with finding volunteers. I'm assuming the same issues are apparent at junior league level as well.

 

 

Walk past any primary school playground at lunch, basketball courts will be full, soccer balls will be out, you will be lucky to see a football.  AFL clubs once visited schools to run clinics, that turned into a marketing call to increase club membership rather than get players into the game.  Getting the kids to play is hard to find a half decent coach is even harder. 

My son goes to a high school that prides itself on sport and AFL Catholic school, 180 boys in his grade, 11 tried out for AFL, 50 for Basketball, 35 for Soccer, I think he said that only about 8-10 kids in his entire grade play AFL

Not always popular but there have been worse. Was probably always on the cards due to the effect of the last 2 years. 

Not informed enough to have an opinion on who the successor should be but Brendan Gale would seem to be a ready made candidate. Travis Auld would be worth a shout as well. 

 

three favourites to take over:

• travis auld - inside the tent, part of the boy's club, knows where the bodies are buried
• benny gale - ceo of the tigers, completely changed that club for the better; lost out to gil last time
• kylie watson-wheeler - currently in charge of disney in oztraya, as well as pres of footscray, would be a massive change

it's a vital appointment for the future of the competitions

I don't care who the next CEO is just as long as it's not Kate Roffey

1 minute ago, whatwhat say what said:

three favourites to take over:

• travis auld - inside the tent, part of the boy's club, knows where the bodies are buried
• benny gale - ceo of the tigers, completely changed that club for the better; lost out to gil last time
• kylie watson-wheeler - currently in charge of disney in oztraya, as well as pres of footscray, would be a massive change

it's a vital appointment for the future of the competitions

I don't know Watson-Wheeler and what she's done, but it would be no surprise to me if the next CEO was someone with experience in the entertainment industry generally, not just from within the AFL or sports administration. 

 

30 minutes ago, Sir Why You Little said:

Gill will be remembered for continuous horrendous MRO Decisions and the ridiculous STAND rule

The stand rule isn't ridiculous. It's only going back -- broadly speaking -- to the way the game was played for a long long time, until recently.

What is ridiculous is the way the AFL have allowed this unfold, over years.

Some years back the AFL started allowing the player on the mark to roam sideways when the player with the ball drifted off the line of the mark. Sometimes this way, sometimes that way. Instead of calling play on, the umps permitted this.

Then they allowed the player on the mark to roam sideways even if the player on the mark remained stationary.

Then they changed to rule to enshrine all this wandering around sideways! That was around 2015 I think. Could have been 2017.

Then they changed the rule back -- not because the first rule change was stupid (it was) -- but because it added to congestion. But no-one took any notice, least of all the umps.

Then because of the congestion they had this brilliant idea to make the man on the mark stand on the mark. And to call play on if the player with the ball moved off the line of the mark. Like the game had been played for over 100 years. Talk about reinventing the wheel.

The scorched earth enforcing of this "new & improved" stand rule is just typical AFL icing on the ridiculous cake they've baked for themselves.

All they had to do in the first place was adjudicate the existing rule and save themselves years of hand wringing and frustration.

I reckon Benny Gale would make an ideal replacement, but anybody who has read Mick Warner's "The Boys' Club" would be unsurprised in the least to see the job go to one of Gil's AFL mates.