Perusing the list of former chief executive officers of the AFL does not make for a particularly diverse reading experience. Only 13 people have held the role since its inception – when it was called VFL president – in 1897. All 13 have been white men – with an average age of 49 years on beginning the role. Many have been privately educated and played football at a high level. The list is a living embodiment of the oft-uttered phrase in long-established organisations: “That’s the way we’ve always done things.”
Few would be surprised that it is such a homogenous list. The role of the AFL CEO is one of the most important in Australian sport, and it appears heavily guarded from those who do not fit the traditional view of what a sporting CEO might look like. The role’s salary is no longer publicly disclosed, but was last declared at $1.74m in 2017. It is one of the most highly sought after jobs in the country.
