Even as an 18-year-old, he had larger horizons. They'll share a couple of pizzas, maybe have a glass of wine. 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. In 2008, Demetriou earned an annual salary of $1.4 million, making him the highest paid administrator or player then employed by the AFL. Andrew Demetriou timeline: achievements and controversies From North Melbourne winger to departing CEO: Andrew Demetriou's 33 years in the AFL Mar 2, 2014, 3:54pm 1981: MADE his VFL debut with North Melbourne, playing 103 games with the club between 1981 and 1987. "Andrew plays the great game at all times," his friend Red Symons once said. It's the day before our Lindsay Lohan conversation, and he's leaning back in a dark sofa, one arm hanging over its side. She has $200 thousand as her net worth from her career as professional florist. "Nine years on, having moved from football operations to the top job, football's consensus is that Demetriou has done anything but stuff the league. Were sorry, this feature is currently unavailable. "Was it four years?" Were working to restore it. With his second wife, Symone, Demetriou raised twin daughters, as well as an additional daughter and a son. "Expansion is going to make things much tougher for clubs in the short term," says Gale, speaking as Richmond CEO. Initially, Andrew Demetriou worked in the industry of dental imports I remember my mother getting the same call. Happily ensconced in their $7-million Toorak mansion, replete with the trappings of an executive lifestyle, the Demetrious revel in life with their twins, Francesca and Alexandra, now five, and two-year-old daughter, Mattea. Date of Birth: 14 April 1961. . He was 24. "Not many people get away with calling Andrew, Andy. He suffered heartbreak a decade ago when his first wife, the academic and historian Jan Bassett, died of cancer, but today Andrew Demetriou's life seems very much on an even keel. But no, it didn't.". "I've said continuously that it's not going to be easy," says Demetriou calmly. "He looks at numbers and they sort of sing to him, if you like; he has the ability to pick trends and assess things very quickly. "I try to get out the door of the office by five. Demetriou kicked two goals. I was lucky to have someone who understood," he recalls. Symone and Andrew Demetriou, expecting their fourth child and partners in a babywear business. Discover today's celebrity birthdays and explore famous people who share your birthday. ""Our game takes 17-year-olds from completely different backgrounds. "We've had some differences and clashes over years. His parents, whose fathers were both dead, had left Cyprus in 1951 and didn't return until 1983, until after their sons had completed their university studies. "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). "Don't quote me on this, I could get it wrong. 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. Also learn how He earned most of networth at the age of 59 years old? "Andrew is a vigorous defender of his organisation's objectives," is how Buckley diplomatically puts it. About colours. What's next for AFL's most powerful man Andrew Demetriou. Today it's like heaven in comparison. 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. "A bit different from the rest of us, all putting the Gold Coast and AC/DC.". Of course, despite all the tearing of hair and gnashing of teeth, the NRL and the Australian Rugby Union (ARU) have been stealing each other's players for years. "He likes to present himself as not ambitious. (Kardashian is the star of US reality TV show Keeping Up With the Kardashians.) But Toorak, Melbourne's most prestigious suburb, can seem a long way from Coburg. And we watch a bit of junk on television. It's a great escape. "He'll get massive kudos, or massive condemnation out of it," says Richard Hinds. Seven years later though, Demetriou praised the Swans for their new attacking style of play under coach John Longmire and rated them as serious contenders for the premiership. Andrew Demetriou has a distinctive walk. In common with other older, poorer clubs, Richmond will suffer from the wealth of talented young players (usually allocated to clubs via the annual draft) and financial support being channelled into the new clubs. But as the code that stands to lose the most, not only in terms of money but in historic heartland support, privately there's both frustration and cynicism within the NRL's ranks. "To be frank, if the clubs had had their way, there'd be no national expansion," says Gale. Symone will have brought home Who or New Weekly and the next thing I'm reading about who Lindsay Lohan's slept with and whatever. [5], In 2005 he was instrumental in securing a record breaking A$780 million TV rights deal. She was his tutor, several years older than him and a noted academic. but that is not to say that he hasn't experienced challenges to get to that point and won't continue to. But that's part of the game. ', and she said, 'Well, he's very good. We don't have much information about He's past relationship and any previous engaged. I get home and see the children, help with the bath, reading books, getting to bed. I wanted to see what his reaction would be. [citation needed], Demetriou is best known for his position as CEO of the Australian Football League. Andrew Demetriou at Monday's announcement. My mother, who passed away three years ago, was an incredible woman. Join 1.7 Million Subscribers [16], In April 2014, it was announced that Gillon McLachlan, Demetriou's then deputy, would be his successor. I used to go to the races. To do what? About expanding into new territories. ANDREW DEMETRIOU | CHAIRMAN Former Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Football League (AFL), Andrew has been a CEO across a number of business sectors. [14] Sydney won the 2012 premiership implementing a style of relentless tackling and attacking play. Aug 2020 - Present2 years 7 months. People say it's how he made his fortune. Andrew finished his tenure with the AFL in June. Please try again later. He is not dating anyone. 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. "When they do get to relax, it's often in front of the TV and an episode of Desperate Housewives or Wife Swap. And what about (her step-father) Bruce? He respected me as somebody in an organisation. They've just gone to Blacktown because they think they can get some money from the government.". I'm very optimistic about what's going to happen in greater western Sydney, very optimistic. He understands the power and responsibility of running the "people's game". Demetriou found himself playing alongside some of North's greats - Keith Greig, Wayne Schimmelbusch, Ross Glendinning, the Krakouer brothers and Malcolm Blight to name a few - but by the time he was in his prime in the mid-'80s that premiership era had passed. 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. This is true for the AFL Commission as a whole, and for Demetriou personally. Demetriou appears to have a knack of finding common ground. In 2011, Demetriou was involved in securing a record breaking A$1.25 billion TV rights deal for the period of 20122016. "Andrew's not frightened (to take heat) and he encourages us to think long term and make decisions in the long-term interests of the game and not be worried about short term criticisms there's no doubt he came under personal pressure from the Federal Government at that time. "Later, Symone qualifies her husband's involvement. "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. 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 2005 he was instrumental in securing a record breaking A$780 million TV rights deal. He should not be content with just doing better than the other children.". At a time when, north of the border, the aftermath of the 1995-97 Super League war was still fracturing relationships in rugby league, "Andrew understood that the key to any successful deal is to create value for all parties," says Brendon Gale. And we're just going to give them an option to get involved in another game. "I don't make any decisions without everything having been thought through, chewed up, sliced, diced, looked at inside out, been criticised," he says. Demetriou is not one of them. Chief Andrew Demetriou and wife Symone arrive at the David Jones Summer 2006 Collections Launch on August 17, 2006 in Melbourne, Australia. The new general manager of football operations was stunned, to say the least. The game will need all the money it can get. When we meet in February, he's about to chair a meeting of the Australian Multicultural Advisory Council; he's off on a weekend retreat with the Climate Change Institute board; and he's just sent an address to the UN Human Rights Council about the AFL's anti-racial vilification policies. That always amuses me. He may even, say several of his friends, end up at Lake Como. First Name Andrew. just moments after touching on the death of his first wife. I remember those calls"I just remember their work ethic and their sacrifice to give us better opportunities. ". In 2005 Demetriou criticised the Sydney Swans and then-coach Paul Roos, labelling the team's play as "unattractive" and "ugly". I don't begrudge that at all. I didn't take things as seriously.". "It's either that or Andy," says Symone. The Getty Images design is a trademark of Getty Images. 1998 Between 1998 and 2000, Demetriou was CEO of the AFL Players Association. I wish more powerful people had his attitude.". 1988 He had a brief move to Hawthorn in 1988, but played only three games and kicked one goal. And it was as AFLPA CEO in 1998 that he secured a historic collective-bargaining agreement that delivered a significant pay rise to the competition's 600-odd players. The comic wore a white tuxedo with a matching black tie. But there wouldn't be footy. In terms of game attendance, AFL is the most popular sport in Australia. " Red Symons recalls. I just never envisaged that I could meet anybody else. Of course, the less you appear to care, the more you are likely to care. Chief executive Andrew Demetriou is kissed by his wife Symone as his daughters Francesca and Alexandra look on during an AFL press conference at AFL. "The scene is not played out in the sleek and softly lit inner sanctum of the league's Docklands headquarters, with its polished hardwood table, swivel chairs and portraits of football's long lineage of powerbrokers, but one that normally takes place in the kitchen of the Demetriou family home in Toorak. [1], Before becoming a VFL player, he worked in the dental import industry. Country: Australia. We don't own this game. He still has this quality of que sera sera effortlessness, say those close to him. There will be a bit of talk about the next season. Between 1998 and 2000, Demetriou was CEO of the AFL Players Association. "Symone and my children are my . On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. "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. But Demetriou became close to tears when referring to the football family and the people in the game. Organise, control, distribute, and measure all of your digital content. In 2009, Demetriou earned $1.8 million for his role at the AFL. If you'd said I was going to be working in football 20 years later, I'd have thought you were mad.". "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. "What we've got is five years of data (that) shows we're doing nearly triple the number of tests, and the percentage (of those caught) is dropping. Andrew Demetrious long-anticipated and impeccably-timed resignation was punctuated with emotion, humour and a characteristic verbal whack when the subject of his legacy was inevitably linked with the Essendon drugs scandal. 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