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List of VFL/AFL commissioners and club presidents

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is a listing of all the commissioners and club presidents of the VFL/AFL.

An independent VFL Commission was formed in 1985, being renamed the AFL Commission in 1990 in line with the competition.

In 1993, the AFL Commission was given the power to make most administrative decisions relating to the league unilaterally, with the AFL Board of Directors voting itself out of existence. In 1995, the AFL Commission would also assume control of the administration of Australian rules football when it absorbed the ANFC.

A separate role of AFL Chairman was created in 1993 (see below).

VFL President (1897–1985), VFL/AFL Chairman/Chief Executive Officer (since 1985)

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Name Term in office Club
Alex McCracken 1897–1915 Essendon [1]
Oliver Maurice Williams 1915–1917 [2] Melbourne [3]
Chas Brownlow 1917–1919 [4] Geelong
Walter Baldwin Spencer 1919–1926 Carlton
William C. McClelland 1926–1955 Melbourne [5]
Sir Kenneth Luke 1956–1971 [6] Carlton
Sir Maurice Nathan 1971–1977 Carlton
Allen Aylett 1977–1983 North Melbourne
Jack Hamilton 1983–1986 Collingwood [7]
Ross Oakley 1986–1996 St. Kilda [8]
Wayne Jackson 1996–2003 [9] Independent
Andrew Demetriou 2003–2014
Gillon McLachlan 2014–2023
Andrew Dillon 2023–

AFL Chairman (since 1993)

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Name Term in office
John Kennedy, Sr. 1993–1997
Ron Evans AM 1997–2007
Mike Fitzpatrick 2007–2017
Richard Goyder 2017–present

Club Presidents

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Adelaide

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Brisbane Bears/Lions

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  • Paul Cronin (1987–1990)[11]
  • Noel Gordon (1990–1999)
  • Alan Piper (1999–2000)
  • Graeme Downie (2000–2006)
  • Tony Kelly (2006–2010)
  • Angus Johnson (2010–2013)
  • Bob Sharpless (2013–2017)
  • Andrew Wellington (2017–present)

Carlton

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Collingwood

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Essendon

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Fitzroy

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  • John McMahon (1884–1887)[15]
  • Robert Best (1887–1910)
  • Don Chandler (1910–1930)
  • Bill Hannah (1930–1932)
  • Alec Sloan (1932–1933)
  • Ossie Porter (1933–1936)
  • Bill Raymond (1936–1938)
  • Harold McLennan (1938–1947)
  • George Hook (1947–1951)
  • Les Phelan (1951–1964)
  • Ern Joseph (1964–1975)
  • Frank Bibby (1975–1980)
  • Keith Wiegard (1980–1984)
  • Bruce White (1984–1985)
  • Leon Wiegard (1985–1991)
  • Dyson Hore-Lacy (1991–1996)

Fremantle

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Geelong

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  • P. Dwyer (1878) [16]
  • James Wilson Sr (1878–1883)
  • J. Hopkins (1884–1885)
  • F. Orchard (1886)
  • J. Wilson (1887–1888)
  • J. Sommers (1889)
  • G. W. Steedman (1890)
  • J. H. Grey (1891–1899)
  • J. McMullen (1900–1902)
  • H. B. Hodges (1903–1909)
  • A. H. Bowman (1910–1920)
  • Brig. Gen. R. Smith (1921–1922)
  • Cr W. L. Carr (1922)
  • Dr J. E. Piper (1923–1926)
  • Cr J. A. Thear (1927–1929)
  • M. Jacobs (1930–1938)
  • T. B. Hawkes (1939)
  • B. N. M. Collins (1940–1945)
  • Jack Jennings (1946–1970)
  • Vern Johnstone (1971–1973)
  • Neil Trezise (1974–1975)
  • M. O. Graham (1976–1979)
  • J. N. McHolt (1980–1982)
  • Dr K. L. C. Threlfall (1983–1987)
  • W. Bannon (1987–1988)
  • Ron Hovey OAM (1988–1998)
  • Frank Costa (1998–2010)
  • Colin Carter (2011–2020)
  • Craig Drummond (2021–present)

Gold Coast

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Greater Western Sydney

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Hawthorn

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Melbourne

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North Melbourne/Kangaroos

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Port Adelaide

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SANFL

AFL

Richmond

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St Kilda

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South Melbourne/Sydney

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  • A. Brown (1881) [22]
  • Henry Dodds (1881–1891)
  • A. G. Major (1895, 1898)
  • Dr Thomson (1896)
  • John Sloss (1897)
  • Thomas Craine (1899–1903)
  • Henry Hawkins Skinner (1904–1911)
  • George A. Emslie (1912–1917)
  • Joseph Francis Hannon (1919)
  • Robert Melville Cuthbertson (1920–1928)
  • Jack Rohan (1929–1932)
  • Archie Crofts (1933–1937)
  • J. D. M. Dickson (1938–1941)
  • Lionel Newton (1942–1945)
  • J. P. Cullen (1946–1959)
  • W. R. Tait (1960–1963)
  • R. C. Warner (1963)
  • C. V. Ridgway (1964–1967)
  • Brian Bourke (1967–1972)
  • S. Keane (1972–1973)
  • K. G. Hooker (1974–1975)
  • Craig Kimberley (1976–1977, 1986–1988)
  • G. Camakaris (1977–1978)
  • Graeme John (1978–1981)
  • Jack Marks (1981–1985)
  • Dr Geoffrey Edelsten (1985–1986)
  • Peter Weinert (1988–1993)
  • Richard Colless (1993–2013)
  • Andrew Pridham (2013–present)

Footscray/Western Bulldogs

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  • David Mitchell (1886–1893) [23]
  • James Tucker (1893–1894)
  • James Cuming (1894–1911)
  • Frank Shillabeer (1911–1912)
  • Arch Crow (1912–1921)
  • George Sayer (1922, 1926)
  • James Stephens (1923)
  • George Farnsworth (1924)
  • L. Caldecott (1925)
  • Kevin McCarthy (1926–1938)
  • Bert Jamieson (1938–1941)
  • Con Curtain (1941–1946)
  • Otto Grobbecker (1946–1949, 1953–1955)
  • Con Weickhardt (1949–1952)
  • Bernie Barry (1955–1960)
  • Harry Dolphin (1960–1962)
  • Jim Miller (1962–1966)
  • Jack Collins (1966–1973)
  • Dick Collinson (1973–1978)
  • Charlie Sutton (1979–1981)
  • G. Gray (1981–1981)
  • Tony Capes (1982–1988)
  • Barry Beattie (1988–1989)
  • Nick Columb (1989)
  • Peter Gordon (1989–1996, 2012–2020)
  • David Smorgon (1996–2012)
  • Kylie Watson-Wheeler (2020–present)

West Coast

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References

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  1. ^ McCracken was also President of Essendon from 1897–1903.
  2. ^ Resigned.
  3. ^ Obituary
  4. ^ Brownlow served in an acting capacity after the resignation of Williams.
  5. ^ McClelland was also MCC President from 1944–1957.
  6. ^ Died in office.
  7. ^ Hamilton also represented Collingwood on the Board of Directors in 1985–1986.
  8. ^ Oakley also represented St. Kilda on the Board of Directors until 1993, when the Board voted itself out of existence, and was allowed to represent St. Kilda for the remainder of his tenure under a grandfather clause.
  9. ^ Jackson was the first independent and first non-Victorian AFL CEO.
  10. ^ "Australian Football - Adelaide Football Club - Honour Board".
  11. ^ "Australian Football - Brisbane Football Club - Honour Board".
  12. ^ "Australian Football - Carlton Football Club - Honour Board".
  13. ^ Niall, Jake (21 April 2021). "Mark Korda appointed Pies president". The Age.
  14. ^ "Australian Football - Essendon Football Club - Honour Board".
  15. ^ "Australian Football - Fitzroy Football Club - Honour Board".
  16. ^ "Honour Roll - GEELONGCATS.com.au/". www.geelongcats.com.au. Archived from the original on 24 December 2012.
  17. ^ "Honour Board - HAWTHORNFC.com.au". Archived from the original on 15 January 2013.
  18. ^ "Australian Football - Hawthorn Football Club - Honour Board".
  19. ^ "Australian Football - Melbourne Football Club - Honour Board".
  20. ^ "Australian Football - North Melbourne Football Club - Honour Board".
  21. ^ "Australian Football - St. Kilda Football Club - Honour Board".
  22. ^ "Official AFL Website of the Sydney Swans Football Club".
  23. ^ "Australian Football - Western Bulldogs Football Club - Honour Board".