{"id":660457,"date":"2026-05-09T20:08:18","date_gmt":"2026-05-09T20:08:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/660457\/"},"modified":"2026-05-09T20:08:18","modified_gmt":"2026-05-09T20:08:18","slug":"new-afl-chairman-craig-drummond-has-big-plans-for-the-competition-but-theyre-committed-to-the-giants-staying-in-sydney-and-want-carlton-and-essendon-fans-to-stick-by-their-team-he-also-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/660457\/","title":{"rendered":"New AFL chairman Craig Drummond has big plans for the competition but they\u2019re committed to the Giants staying in Sydney, and want Carlton and Essendon fans to stick by their team. He also says Nick Daicos, not Marcus Bontempelli, is the game\u2019s best"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Key pointsCraig Drummond says the AFL, not the NRL, is clearly the No.1 code in the nation.The new AFL Commission boss says the Giants are staying in Sydney.The league will need to see the data and facts around any GWS name change.Eight to 10-year limits are set to be introduced for AFL commissioners.<\/p>\n

The AFL Commission is set for the biggest shake-up in decades, with new AFL chairman Craig Drummond to oversee the introduction of term limits that would see up to half of the AFL\u2019s 10-member board exit relatively soon.<\/p>\n

Drummond, the former Geelong president and chairman of Transurban, has revealed his plans to introduce term limits as part of major reform of the AFL\u2019s governance. He suggested that eight to 10-year limits for commission members would be introduced, but that their exits would need to be staggered somewhat.<\/p>\n

\"AFLAFL Commission chairman Craig Drummond is not afraid to shake things up at AFL House.Luis Enrique Ascui<\/p>\n

The reform \u2013 which will also see changes in the way the AFL Commission is elected \u2013 requires a change in the AFL\u2019s constitution, which needs the endorsement of three quarters of the 18 existing clubs.<\/p>\n

Unlike several clubs, the AFL has never had term limits for their own powerful, heavily corporate board.<\/p>\n

Drummond said the reforms to the commission would be discussed at their meeting in Sydney on Friday, as he laid out his fan and growth-centred plans and ambition for the game in a frank interview with this masthead on Friday.<\/p>\n

If the league adopts Drummond\u2019s proposal \u2013 and commission members have already been informed of the ex-Medibank Private CEO\u2019s revolutionary plan \u2013 four of the commission members would be slated to leave, and potentially five, depending on the term limits.<\/p>\n

\"MattMatt de Boer (right) played with Toby Greene (left) and the Giants after 138 games with the Dockers. He\u2019s now on the AFL Commission.AFL Photos<\/p>\n

Paul Bassat (joined 2012), Simone Wilkie (2015), ex-Hawthorn president Andrew Newbold (2016), Gabrielle Trainor (2016) have all had 10 years on the AFL\u2019s governing body, while former Macquarie Bank boss Robin Bishop joined in 2017.<\/p>\n

The ex-footballers on the commission, Andrew Ireland and Matt de Boer, are early in their tenures, as is the league\u2019s Indigenous commission member Denise Bowden.<\/p>\n

\u201cHistorically, if you look at them in corporates, term limits typically are between eight to 10 years, and I think that\u2019s sort of where I would [land],\u201d said Drummond, who took over from Richard Goyder as AFL chairman<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Related Article\"WorkSafe<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd you might say, \u2018Well why?\u2019, and I say, \u2018Well, OK, firstly it forces new blood, forces new views, and I think, to be frank, if you can\u2019t make a real impact in eight to 10 years, then you\u2019re not trying.\u201d<\/p>\n

Drummond said \u201cthree or four maybe\u201d commissioners would change soon. \u201cThere\u2019ll need to be a little bit of a transition, but not a lot … but there will be a lot of change, yep.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said the process for electing new commission members also would change, with a new nominations committee of presidents and commission members. \u201cI\u2019ll be chair of that committee,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Drummond also said the clubs would make a recommendation on who should join the commission. \u201cI think we should be listening if the clubs collectively want individual A, B, C, D, E and F \u2013 then there\u2019d need to be a good reason why the commission chairman said no,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n

\"GregGreg Swann is one of Andrew Dillon\u2019s key lieutenants.Wayne Taylor<\/p>\n

Drummond also has vowed to improve succession planning on the AFL Commission, which was criticised by clubs for the failure to have a successor to Goyder on the commission, leading to a factionalised battle to succeed him.<\/p>\n

In other revelations from the man at the helm of the AFL, Drummond said:<\/p>\n

*While the commission was set for significant change and reform, he had no plans for major change to the current AFL executive, headed by Andrew Dillon, and supported by new senior executives Tom Harley and Greg Swann. \u201cNo, I\u2019m not expecting any significant change in the executive.\u201d<\/p>\n

*The fans would be his priority, along with growing interest in a game that was not embraced much by many of the one in three Australians born overseas, in particular the Indian and Chinese communities.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe main priorities for me will be to focus on the fan,\u201d Drummond said, with a focus on not increasing ticket pricing in \u201ca challenging environment\u201d reflecting that goal.<\/p>\n

*The new chairman had taken the step of going into the crowd to speak to rank-and-file fans at every game he attended.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think [at] 28 or 29 of the games so far this year that I\u2019ve been to, in the second half I go out into the crowd, [and] speak to the punter. I\u2019ve spoken to probably a couple of hundred people in the crowd, and that\u2019s just to get feedback.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"DrummondDrummond has urged Bombers fans to continue to stick by their team.AFL Photos<\/p>\n

*The AFL was \u201c150 per cent committed\u201d to GWS remaining in Sydney, but the connection to new fans in western Sydney had not been good enough.<\/p>\n

Related Article\"Brad<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cI think the footy program has been good. I think the corporate and commercial piece has been very good. I think the consumer engagement has not been great, and I\u2019ve just been completely frank. So we\u2019ve got work to do. And let me be unequivocal … we\u2019re 100, we\u2019re 150 per cent committed to the Giants in Sydney.\u201d<\/p>\n

Drummond said he had not seen a proposal yet on the nature of any name change to the Giants, whose chairman Tim Reed floated a potential name change. He said the league would want to see evidence and data on a new name.<\/p>\n

\u201cShow us the data, show us the facts, and we\u2019ll then make a call.\u201d<\/p>\n

*The AFL could have performed better on some issues this year, but felt that there was a tendency for clubs and others to focus on negatives in the AFL when the audiences were strong and the games themselves had been high quality.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you think about some of the issues, and without naming them, we probably could have done a slightly better job. So there, I think there is some merit [in criticism], but equally … there\u2019s bit of a focus on a lot of our stakeholders to focus on the negative, because I say we\u2019re looking at crowds up, broadcast up, [and] the quality of the games that we are seeing is extraordinary.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"AustralianAustralian Rugby League Commission chairman Peter V\u2019landys constantly has the AFL in his sights.Getty<\/p>\n

*The AFL was clearly the number one sport in the nation and took aim at rugby league boss Peter V\u2019landys on the NRL\u2019s claims to that mantle.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is still by far the number one sport in the country, if you look at almost all the metrics,\u201d the AFL chairman said of Australian rules.<\/p>\n

On V\u2019landys\u2019 claim, Drummond said: \u201cWell, I\u2019m not sure what stats he\u2019s using. He can\u2019t just use one game and say that that one game is, you know, it\u2019s had more people watching it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Editor’s pick\"Lance<\/a><\/p>\n

*The lack of participation in the game from some multicultural communities, the Indian and Chinese diasporas in particular, was a big issue. \u201cOne in three people in this country were not born here, and we do not connect with them,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Drummond called western Sydney \u201cthe canary in the coal mine\u201d for the AFL because one in two people there were born overseas.<\/p>\n

\u201c50 per cent of Australia is going to be in that \u2018not born in Australia [category]\u2019 in 20 years\u2019 time. And so our game will be under downward pressure if we don\u2019t [engage].\u201d<\/p>\n

*Implored fans of Carlton and Essendon to hang in there and keep faith in their teams after two decades of mainly struggle.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d say, stick with them. There\u2019s a lot of good young players on both those lists, and yes, they\u2019re going through challenging times, and I feel … given the injury toll that Essendon in particular, has had, particularly last year and to a lesser extent this year … they have got some really good young talent.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"TeenagerTeenager Cody Walker could be the next big thing for Carlton \u2013 if the Blues can keep rival clubs at bay.Getty Images<\/p>\n

*The draft bidding system changes for father-sons and academies \u2013 which incensed Carlton, Essendon and Port Adelaide \u2013 had to be made at some point. \u201cI understand people are disappointed … at some point, you know, we had to make the change\u201d.<\/p>\n

*International expansion was on his agenda. \u201cIt\u2019s a game I think [that has] got opportunity to be distributed globally in select markets.\u201d The USA was one such market, he said.<\/p>\n

Drummond nominated Collingwood\u2019s Nick Daicos as the game\u2019s best player, ahead of Dogs champion Marcus Bontempelli.<\/p>\n

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\"JakeJake Niall<\/a> is a Walkley award-winning sports journalist and chief AFL writer for The Age.Connect via X<\/a> or email<\/a>.From our partners<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":660458,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[560],"tags":[638,64,63,55,639,85],"class_list":["post-660457","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-afl","tag-afl","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-australian-football-league","tag-australianfootballleague","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/660457","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=660457"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/660457\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/660458"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=660457"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=660457"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=660457"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}