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Vale David Crawford

La Dee-vina Comedia
in Melbourne Demons

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I didn't know the man, but one of the most influential figures in the development of AFL football in the 1980s and 1990s passed away yesterday. Much of what we take for granted today results from the work he did for the former VFL. For example, he advised the VFL to ensure that football remained accessible to all supporters, rather than following the US model which effectively meant that only the wealthy (the so-called "theatre-goers") could attend home games. If I recall correctly, he also recommended the creation of the Commission which replaced a barely functioning board of directors made up of two representatives from each club who thought their duty was to their club first and the survival of the competition second.

The old VFL nearly went under in 1986, and much of the work David Crawford did for the then VFL around that time helped the VFL to survive and subsequently resulted in the stronger, national competition we see today. 

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    theere's four crawford reports - not just vfl / afl, but also soccer, independent sports comission, and one most recently for cricket australia

    an absolute legend of sports administration in this country

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