"I'm not a reader of books, which is a disgrace when it's all said and done, but I'm a prolific reader of newspapers, back to front," he says. So he was really pointing out missed opportunities. "Both he and Jan loved travelling; I can remember him sitting in cafes in Europe, devouring the newspapers front to back, just as he does here.". Then there's Purebaby, to add a bit of fun. It's been a real joy to be a part of. "To be frank, if the clubs had had their way, there'd be no national expansion," says Gale. Were sorry, this feature is currently unavailable. Bit like Lindsay Lohan.". Demetriou became emotional when he talked about those loved ones and colleagues he had lost during his time in the game's administration - his first wife Jan Bassett, mother Chrysi, former AFL . For the South Melbourne and Port Melbourne player, see, Proposed relocation of the North Melbourne Football Club, "Pssst: Introducing Doctor Andrew Demetriou", "We reveal AFL boss Andrew Demetriou's $7m Toorak base", "AFL boss Andrew Demetriou scores .4 million", Demetriou earned his $1.8 million, says AFL chairman, AFL secures TV rights deal for next five years worth $1.253 billion, "Ugly ducklings to make up for the sin of St Kilda", Love is in the air as Andy and Dickie revive flagging relationship, AFL chief Andrew Demetriou likes Sydney Swans' flag chances | Herald Sun, Tackle happy - Official AFL Website of the Sydney Swans Football Club, "What you need to know about the AFL's new boss, Gillon McLachlan | News.com.au", "Fans should see red over the hypocrisy of footy going green", "Acquire Learning: Andrew Demetriou's new education venture facing ASQA scrutiny amid allegations of unethical behaviour", "Andrew Demetriou to lead Acquire Learning | afr.com", "Acquire Learning goes into voluntary administration", AFL boss Andrew Demetriou revisits playing days, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Andrew_Demetriou&oldid=1120957313, Australian rules footballers from Melbourne, Australian people of Greek Cypriot descent, Short description is different from Wikidata, All Wikipedia articles written in Australian English, Articles with unsourced statements from September 2015, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 9 November 2022, at 19:01. "But I really can't fault him. And they are relishing the prospect of a fourth child, due in November. It is well known, of course, that in a country already saturated by four national football competitions, giving people options in a new place means taking them from an old one. In seven years in the job, he has transformed how, where and by whom Aussie rules is played. He should not be content with just doing better than the other children.". But to be truthful, I never thought I'd last long in football. What he lacks in celebrity style, however, he makes up for in knowledge. The pairing - cheeky young footy player, independent older woman - seemed unlikely, but their friends remember them as a wonderful couple. [15], Demetriou announced on 3 March 2014 that he would step down from the role as AFL CEO after eleven years, at the conclusion of the 2014 AFL season. According to our Database, He has no children. "Our numbers are very impressive in western Sydney," he says, when he says anything at all. Demetriou is the youngest son of Greek Cypriot immigrants. Then there's a long silence, during which he appears to be considering weighty matters of national significance. "He really stood out," says Unglik. In the business-class lounge at 6.30am, top button undone and pale blue tie looped around his neck, the most powerful man in Australian football scours the newspapers for news. Two years later, Demetriou had begun to learn his lesson. That would leave a massive hole at the competitions governing body and the game at the crossroads. At 61 years old, Andrew Demetriou height [16], In April 2014, it was announced that Gillon McLachlan, Demetriou's then deputy, would be his successor. I'll read junk, too. "There is tremendous power vested in Andrew's position," says Brendon Gale, former head of the AFL Players Association (AFLPA) and CEO of Richmond Football Club. I think he said there were 100 teams in South Africa, set up by people who'd followed the gold rush, and a team in Ipswich who played Melbourne. "Yep, she let her guard down there!" Much has been made in the past of a possible move into politics, though Demetriou has consistently denied it. "In many ways, they didn't expect anything from us. "James Brayshaw, the North Melbourne chairman and media personality who crossed swords with Demetriou when the AFL was pushing hard for North to relocate to the Gold Coast, says the AFL boss can bury the hatchet if he has to. 1998 Between 1998 and 2000, Demetriou was CEO of the AFL Players Association. His best memory was the elation of a come-from-behind triumph over Carlton in the elimination final of 1985. Meanwhile, in February, the code announced its highest-ever revenue, for last year's season: $335.8 million; its biggest operating surplus, $23 million; and record club membership of more than 614,000. It was.Post football, Demetriou set out teaching at first, legal studies and politics, then got into business running Ruthinium, a company that imported dental products. She was his tutor, several years older than him and a noted academic. In the dedication of a final book, she made an unusual reference to her husband. It's the day before our Lindsay Lohan conversation, and he's leaning back in a dark sofa, one arm hanging over its side. It had got a lot easier by the time Andrew went through - his cohort was that big '60s influx of migrants - but I know he copped it on the footy field. Andrew Demetriou knows about people yelling abuse at the footy. Exports to about 70 countries. Suitably enough, Demetriou met Symone Richards, then a corporate accounts manager, in 2001 at a grand-final-day function. "Don't quote me on this, I could get it wrong. That's the reality of the world we're living in. Initially, Andrew Demetriou worked in the industry of dental imports "But had he been misunderstood? Today it's like heaven in comparison. And Dad going off into the corner and crying. Aries. Andrew Demetriou's net worth He seems relaxed but self-possessed, friendly but not confiding. "I've said continuously that it's not going to be easy," says Demetriou calmly. "You can write that down. "There's a bit of the ancestry there - a bit of the old Cypriot sitting under the tree having a glass of whatever they drink over there, watching the world go by. ""If you started with a blank piece of paper you wouldn't have 10 teams in Melbourne. "I remember Andrew speaking at an AFL conference a couple of years ago," recalls Swans CEO Andrew Ireland. Suddenly, he was switching teams.The irony was hardly lost on his new colleagues. Crown director Andrew Demetriou becomes the third board member to resign from the gaming giant but claims the NSW gaming authority's comments about him are "unfair and unjust". What's next for AFL's most powerful man Andrew Demetriou. [citation needed] North Melbourne Football Club had played three home games there in 2007 and, at the conclusion of that season, Demetriou offered the club $100 million to relocate there permanently. Were sorry, this feature is currently unavailable. The new general manager of football operations was stunned, to say the least. His 103 North games resulted in 54 wins. Credit: The high-profile Melbourne identity, who has been a director of the casino giant since 2015 and is chairman of Crown . But that's part of the game. And, of course, it was Symone. The expansion has been planned and supported by Demetriou's AFL at its streamlined, spin-savvy best, with a massive fighting fund, an aggressive recruiting policy and a much-denied-but-hard-to-escape determination to become the dominant football code in Australia. Please try again later. "His father, nearly 80, still lives in Coburg but these days spends the winters back in Cyprus. Get premium, high resolution news photos at Getty Images "I think anyone who has strong views about things and seeks by dint of their own strength of personality to force things through, always runs the risk of alienating people," observes Sydney Swans president Richard Collis. Giving up cricket, Demetriou joined North Melbourne football club, and played 103 games as an "unobtrusive wingman" between 1981 and 1987, as well as three games for Hawthorn in 1988. "It wasn't whim. And what about (her step-father) Bruce? Andrew Demetriou is the quintessential boy done good. He seems to be content with running a very large, fractious, tending-to-testosterone-soaked organisation in a civilised and imaginative way and looking after his family.". "Demetriou's somewhat feisty reputation preceded him when he landed Jackson's job, something he acknowledged tongue-in-cheek in a Melbourne Press Club speech just days after taking up his new role (and becoming a father). Demetriou, in fact, was better at most things than most people. [citation needed], Demetriou in 2014 became the Chairman of the Advisory Board at Acquire Learning. At AFL House, there's also a sense of higher purpose: a desire for expansion to carry the torch of Aussie rules enlightenment into the darkness of heathen league, union and soccer lands. An incredible human being. "About time! They now have four children, Alexandra, Francesca, Mattea and Sacha and they were at the media conference with Symone as well as other family members. Former AFL chief Andrew Demetriou is a strong family man. Collect, curate and comment on your files. And we watch a bit of junk on television. His first wife died in 1999. Have views on everything. Andrew finished his tenure with the AFL in June. Demetriou is not one of them. Jill Lindsay, in charge of league grounds and one of the AFL's longest-serving executives, looked Demetriou square in the eye on day one and said: "So, you're the guy who stuffed the league." It represents to him what is best about Australia: egalitarianism, acceptance, encouragement of talent. He later would be involved in another business, the Baxter Group, which he took from a market capitalisation of $40 million in 2003 to a sale in 2006 for $260 million. "It's either that or Andy," says Symone. We spent a hell of a lot of time travelling in the last two or three years, we did some really wonderful things together, and in some ways, she changed quite a bit as a person in that time, too. The AFL's headquarters are at afl House in Melbourne's Etihad Stadium. So we have a population that is very diverse, that's very proud of what it's achieved. Beyond this foundation, the brothers' childhoods combined both genuine acceptance and deep-rooted racism. "My wife and I talk about it now, about how we try to find a balance for our children. At this point in time, no one knows if Andrew Demetriou can make the AFL expansion work. He was elected by the board of directors at the end of the 2003 season, taking over from the outgoing CEO Wayne Jackson. And we're just going to give them an option to get involved in another game. There, above the Norm Smith medals and behind the gang of administration girls admiring a new engagement ring ("Show me that rock!" "He's comfortable in any environment," says author and commentator Don Watson, who's known him since 1995. He has an older brother Jim Demetriou who played senior football for Essendon in the mid-1970s. I'm very outspoken. Andrew Demetriou. We're changing people's behaviour. ", "Hmmm. "Castle Hill, Baulkham Hills, Pennant Hills: it's an upper-middle-class socio-economic group they want. "Informality quickly makes way for more formal discussion on those evenings when the four business partners order in. And because he was so good at both footy and cricket, that probably aggravated some people: 'How come you're better than us, you bloody wog?' "We used to have games of the wogs against the Aussies, and we'd have Australian kids who wanted to be on the wogs' team. [citation needed], He had a brief move to Hawthorn in 1988, but played only three games and kicked one goal. To do what? And we adopted an attitude of making the most of every day and every hour. Eventually, the Australian arm bought out its Italian parent. Learn How rich is He in this year and how He spends money? View popular celebrities life details, birth signs and real ages. Either way, Purebaby seems the perfect antidote to Demetriou's pressure-cooker life running the national league, perhaps the most heavily scrutinised public role in this town and state alongside that of Premier. He's convinced them that a truly national competition will benefit everyone in the long term, by bringing in more fans, giving sponsors a bigger platform, and making media rights more desirable and profitable. Director, Commercial. He was awarded the University's Distinguished Alumni Award in 2009 and a Doctor of Letters (honoris causa) in 2015 in recognition of his outstanding contributions to sport management and to Australian society through his leadership and support of important social issues, and currently serves as an Adjunct Professor. Sydney won the 2012 premiership implementing a style of relentless tackling and attacking play. When the AFL season begins on Thursday, it will include a new team, the Gold Coast Suns, and in 2012, the Suns will be joined by the Greater Western Sydney Giants (GWS); then, for the first time in its 115-year history, the VFL/AFL will have 18 teams in its top competition. ", "He's exceptionally adept with figures," adds James Demetriou. ANDREW DEMETRIOU | CHAIRMAN Former Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Football League (AFL), Andrew has been a CEO across a number of business sectors. We've carefully put building blocks along the way to target a time, and the time is right now because if it's not now when (the league) is in a strong position, then when? He's revolutionised the code's response to illicit drug use; initiated a policy to improve the treatment of women; allowed free movement of uncontracted, end-of-term players between clubs; and supported some of the strongest anti-discrimination policies in international sport. Free market forces might not deem Demetriou's playing career worthy of football's pantheon - a 1985 Scanlen's card of the moustachioed player was selling for $1.99 on eBay last month - though anyone who gets to pull the boots on for more than 100 matches can't be too shabby, a record that would mark a Demetriou boy a potential father-son recruit. To many league supporters, it was the defection of top players Israel Folau and Karmichael Hunt - both State of Origin and international stars - that made what had been a largely theoretical idea of an 18-team AFL suddenly intensely personal. "Clearly, we've had great opportunities because of what our parents did for us," says Demetriou. I think he must have taken it in the best spirit because he still recounts that story. I've said it 3000 times. In his role as head of the AFL Commission, he was responsible for a number of changes, including the expansion of the league from 16 to 18 teams, the restructuring of the tribunal system, and the brokering of two new television rights deals. But McLachlans reputation was not enhanced when he was placed in charge of standing in judgment over Melbourne following the tanking investigation, nor by the messy completion of the Essendon negotiation. Jokes about people's mothers hurt people!". "With a chuckle, he continues: "I have to say, that board meeting takes longer than the meetings of other boards that I've been on they're talking about different designs, the manufacturers in India, what colours we should do. Not that it seems to bother him. These are good qualities. He was practising the delicate art, so valued by Australians, of high achievement without visible effort. ', he would say things like, 'You know, I don't know what the right way to feel is, but at the moment I don't feel comfortable doing that.' A fourth daughter would be fantastic. 1988: Played three games for Hawthorn before retiring. Of course, the less you appear to care, the more you are likely to care. The entire Demetriou family lived in the two-bedroom flat attached to the shop. I want to be challenged by that team. Jennifer husband is now married to news anchor Amy Robach and is co-parenting Robach two daughter together. When he told his children on Sunday night he was stepping down their first question was whether they could still go to the football. He speaks with his chin down, dark eyes watchful behind his rimless glasses. People say it's how he made his fortune. he grew up with a brother named Jim who also pursued a football career. "If you've done all the prep, you can't do more than that, so I never think about it. Back in his playing days - 106 games for North Melbourne and Hawthorn - fitness came naturally. "He's a boy from Cypriot parents who used to muck around in the backblocks of Coburg, and I think he's a very driven man.". "Andrew Demetriou's first appointment to the Australian Football League hierarchy in May 2000 was characterised as a case of poacher-turned-gamekeeper. . "From day one, and we're genuine about it, we have had a very healthy respect for the NRL," he says. I don't begrudge that at all. And, he adds, "You've got to be fair. You've got to make sure that you leave the game in better shape than when you borrowed it." Demetriou, who takes his girls to his local Auskick at weekends, where he's likely to run into Eddie McGuire and a host of footy influentials, says he's not fussed. We take these people and put them into a club environment and we expect them all to behave exactly the same. The comic wore a white tuxedo with a matching black tie. 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