Gill McLachlan stepping down

[jourgo]

https://www.afl.com.au/news/740779/watch-it-live-afl-chief-standing-down-from-11-30am-aest

OK - what (or who) has he done?

[HH]

Absent any salacious gossip (of which I have none), I think Dil knows there are significant financial challenges just over the horizon.

COVID tested the league’s and the clubs’ cozy business model of assuming an entire year’s worth of prepaid members’ fees would be there and that members and fans would put up with inane rule changes and a compromised competition. Throw in the additional costs of supporting the hubs, propping up the insolvent Victorian clubs (or relocating one to Tassie God forbid!) and the failed experiments at Gold Coast and GWS, and you have a wobbly financial and fan base on which to seek to extract maximum free to air TV and streaming royalties from.

The incoming CEO will be facing all these challenges when the broadcast deal with Foxtel and Telstra ends in 2023-2024.

[Favonius Aquila]

This man failed the notion of a truly national competition when he brokered the deal to keep the grand final at the MCG until 2057. A total betrayal of non-Victorian clubs and fans.

The grand final should be played on a rotational basis in state capitals depending on the number of teams in that state. Melbourne would get it every second year, with the alternate years rotating between Adelaide, Brisbane, Perth & Sydney.

Seeya Gill - don't come back.

[Fair Bump Play On]

This man failed the notion of a truly national competition when he brokered the deal to keep the grand final at the MCG until 2057. A total betrayal of non-Victorian clubs and fans.

The grand final should be played on a rotational basis in state capitals depending on the number of teams in that state. Melbourne would get it every second year, with the alternate years rotating between Adelaide, Brisbane, Perth & Sydney.

Seeya Gill - don't come back.

I'll give him a 60% pass mark, it'd be 90% if not for the above; add lack of a Tasmanian team and still too many beggar Melbourne Teams. Totally correct on all the above points. On the flip side he has been a capable administrator in difficult times and slowly the expansion teams and AFLW take root. And we did get to see a couple of non Victorian Grand Finals with the second being at the best venue ever at for a AFL grand final. Baby steps.