Geelong great and Sydney CEO Tom Harley to join AFL as chief operation officer
Sydney CEO and Geelong premiership captain Tom Harley has accepted the job as the AFL's chief operating officer.
The AFL is set to confirm the move on Thursday (tomorrow).
'The details are yet to be nutted out, the official offer has not been signed, but my firm understanding is Tom Harley will become Andrew Dillon's chief operating officer,' Wilson said on 7NEWS on June 3.
'He will leave the Sydney Swans after a distinguished career as footy boss and then CEO.'
The appointment comes just days after Brisbane CEO Greg Swann was named as the AFL's executive general manager of football performance.
It also continues a push from clubs to get more leaders from 'clubland' into AFL HQ.
Harley is a dual Geelong premiership captain and an All-Australian.
He joined the Swans in 2014 as the general manager of football before transitioning to the CEO position in 2019.
Harley's move to the AFL is the latest in a shake-up at league headquarters.
Laura Kane was a big casualty in Andrew Dillon's recent shake-up, with her football operations role split in two.
Swann will take on football performance, while Kane will be in charge of football operations.
Her portfolio will now include operations for the AFL and AFLW, the strategic growth of the AFLW and managing the league's mental health and healthcare unit.
'Laura is a valued member of the executive team - she has an incredible portfolio, a big portfolio in front of her now,' Dillon said.
'What I've said is we want to make sure we have a structure that allows the AFL to continue the momentum we have, into the future.
'She's done amazing work in the three years she's been at the AFL. What we have now with Greg coming in looking after the football performance, Laura continuing to run football operations - football is at the core of what we do.
'She has a really big and important role and she's excited by the challenge in front of her.'
Another major change to Dillons' executive team is the imminent departure of Indigenous and inclusion manager Tayna Hosch.
Also, her role, which includes gender, will be folded into the corporate affairs portfolio.
'Tanya, in her nearly nine years at the AFL, did an incredible amount of work in this space,' Dillon said.
'We have incredible leaders across all tiers of the organisation - Denise Bowden, who's just joined our commission, an Indigenous advisory council that's working really well.
'What we will have is more leaders and more voices across the organisation. Our commitment to our inclusion is as strong as it's ever been.'
While Dillon's executive changes follow months of growing concerns about how the AFL is performing, he is bullish about the league.
'What the announcements from last week do is ensure we can continue the momentum we have and make sure we're set up for success going into the future,' he said.
Dillon was speaking at the announcement of free admission for children under 14 later this season.
Select games will feature the initiative in rounds 16-19 and all Victorian games will be free for kids in round 21.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Perth Now
31 minutes ago
- Perth Now
Deal agreed over Postecoglou's successor at Spurs
Tottenham have reached an agreement with Brentford to make Thomas Frank their next head coach. The PA news agency understands that, after days of negotiations, a deal was struck between the two Premier League clubs on Thursday. Spurs had quickly set their sights on Frank after Ange Postecoglou was sacked last week - only 16 days after he secured Europa League success - and made an official approach to Brentford on Monday. Discussions between Tottenham and Brentford initially centred on Frank's current terms at the west London club, which were set to run until the summer of 2027 and contained a release clause reportedly in the region of £10million. Further talks were required over which backroom staff Frank would take to Spurs but, eventually, a deal has been struck. Highly-rated Brentford first-team coach Justin Cochrane is set to follow Frank to Tottenham and, in the process, return to the club where he started his coaching journey. London-born Cochrane has been part of Frank's backroom staff since 2022, after he initially developed as a coach in Spurs' youth-team before a spell at Manchester United. Cochrane, 43, has earned a reputation as one of the brightest coaches in England and earlier this year joined Thomas Tuchel's coaching staff for the national team alongside his role at Brentford under Frank. Frank would take over a Spurs side which won a trophy for the first time since 2008 with victory in the Europa League final last month but finished 17th in the Premier League. The ex-Brondby boss has transformed Brentford during his seven-year spell in charge, with promotion from the Championship in 2021 followed by him establishing the club as a Premier League regular despite a modest budget. Later on Thursday, Tottenham announced Australian Mile Jedinak, Nick Montgomery and Sergio Raimundo - three members of Postecoglou's backroom staff - had officially left the club. Ryan Mason departed earlier this month to accept his first managerial role at West Brom.
News.com.au
2 hours ago
- News.com.au
Lyon has run in with journo over crowds
AFL: St. Kilda Saints' coach Ross Lyon didn't seem too happy with questions over the attendance for their game vs. the Western Bulldogs.
The Advertiser
3 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Swim king Chalmers plans to feast while he can
Kyle Chalmers says swimming faster than at last year's Olympics is icing on the cake - and he's planning to gorge. Chalmers posted the third-quickest men's 100m freestyle time in the world this year at Australia's selection trials for the looming world championships. He also owns the second-fastest time in what is supposed to be a post-Olympic let-down of a year. On a Thursday night in Adelaide when Lani Pallister set an Australian women's 800m freestyle record, Chalmers clocked 47.29 seconds to follow his 47.27 in Norway on April 5. "I'm not here with pressure and expectation; anything I achieve from this point is just icing on the cake of my career," Chalmers said. "I'm stoked my body is feeling this good. "And that's why I want to capitalise on it while I can because I know it's not going to feel this good forever." Chalmers won gold in the event at the 2016 Olympics and silver at the following two Games - at last year's Paris edition he touched in 47.48. "I'm physically, mentally and emotionally in a great place," the 26-year-old said. "When all of those buckets are topped up, I can swim well." Chalmers' latest triumph came after Kaylee McKeown posted the fastest women's 200m backstroke time of the year at the Adelaide trials. Unlike Chalmers, she dismissed the feat as irrelevant ahead of the world titles in Singapore starting July 27. "It doesn't matter what you do here, it depends what you do on the day in an international meet," McKeown said after finishing in two minutes 04.47 seconds, some 1.33 seconds outside her world record. "I could be doing world records here, get to an international meet and come in last, so it really doesn't matter. "I have just got to get my mind right and see what I can do in a few weeks' time." The five-time Olympic gold medallist won all three backstroke events in Adelaide, over 50m, 100m and 200m. She now has a shot at repeating her unprecedented achievement from the 2023 worlds in Japan when she became the first female to win three golds in any stroke over 50m, 100m and 200m at an international meet. Also eyeing success in Singapore is Pallister, who broke Ariarne Titmus' national 800m freestyle record. Pallister's 8.10.84 was inside Titmus' previous benchmark of 8.12.29 set when winning Olympic silver year. "That's an Australian record I have wanted for a long time, since making my first team in 2022," said Pallister. The 23-year-old's record came just two months after joining coach Dean Boxall who also guides Titmus, who remains on a post-Olympic break. But in a shock result in the women's 200m butterfly, Paris Olympian Lizzy Dekkers missed out. Dekkers, who finished fourth in the Olympic final, was third behind Brittany Castelluzzo (2:06.91) and Abbey Connor (2:07.14) who both qualified for the worlds. In the men's 200m individual medley, 25-year-old David Schlict (1:58.10) shaded William Petric by 0.15 seconds - both also made the world championship team. Kyle Chalmers says swimming faster than at last year's Olympics is icing on the cake - and he's planning to gorge. Chalmers posted the third-quickest men's 100m freestyle time in the world this year at Australia's selection trials for the looming world championships. He also owns the second-fastest time in what is supposed to be a post-Olympic let-down of a year. On a Thursday night in Adelaide when Lani Pallister set an Australian women's 800m freestyle record, Chalmers clocked 47.29 seconds to follow his 47.27 in Norway on April 5. "I'm not here with pressure and expectation; anything I achieve from this point is just icing on the cake of my career," Chalmers said. "I'm stoked my body is feeling this good. "And that's why I want to capitalise on it while I can because I know it's not going to feel this good forever." Chalmers won gold in the event at the 2016 Olympics and silver at the following two Games - at last year's Paris edition he touched in 47.48. "I'm physically, mentally and emotionally in a great place," the 26-year-old said. "When all of those buckets are topped up, I can swim well." Chalmers' latest triumph came after Kaylee McKeown posted the fastest women's 200m backstroke time of the year at the Adelaide trials. Unlike Chalmers, she dismissed the feat as irrelevant ahead of the world titles in Singapore starting July 27. "It doesn't matter what you do here, it depends what you do on the day in an international meet," McKeown said after finishing in two minutes 04.47 seconds, some 1.33 seconds outside her world record. "I could be doing world records here, get to an international meet and come in last, so it really doesn't matter. "I have just got to get my mind right and see what I can do in a few weeks' time." The five-time Olympic gold medallist won all three backstroke events in Adelaide, over 50m, 100m and 200m. She now has a shot at repeating her unprecedented achievement from the 2023 worlds in Japan when she became the first female to win three golds in any stroke over 50m, 100m and 200m at an international meet. Also eyeing success in Singapore is Pallister, who broke Ariarne Titmus' national 800m freestyle record. Pallister's 8.10.84 was inside Titmus' previous benchmark of 8.12.29 set when winning Olympic silver year. "That's an Australian record I have wanted for a long time, since making my first team in 2022," said Pallister. The 23-year-old's record came just two months after joining coach Dean Boxall who also guides Titmus, who remains on a post-Olympic break. But in a shock result in the women's 200m butterfly, Paris Olympian Lizzy Dekkers missed out. Dekkers, who finished fourth in the Olympic final, was third behind Brittany Castelluzzo (2:06.91) and Abbey Connor (2:07.14) who both qualified for the worlds. In the men's 200m individual medley, 25-year-old David Schlict (1:58.10) shaded William Petric by 0.15 seconds - both also made the world championship team. Kyle Chalmers says swimming faster than at last year's Olympics is icing on the cake - and he's planning to gorge. Chalmers posted the third-quickest men's 100m freestyle time in the world this year at Australia's selection trials for the looming world championships. He also owns the second-fastest time in what is supposed to be a post-Olympic let-down of a year. On a Thursday night in Adelaide when Lani Pallister set an Australian women's 800m freestyle record, Chalmers clocked 47.29 seconds to follow his 47.27 in Norway on April 5. "I'm not here with pressure and expectation; anything I achieve from this point is just icing on the cake of my career," Chalmers said. "I'm stoked my body is feeling this good. "And that's why I want to capitalise on it while I can because I know it's not going to feel this good forever." Chalmers won gold in the event at the 2016 Olympics and silver at the following two Games - at last year's Paris edition he touched in 47.48. "I'm physically, mentally and emotionally in a great place," the 26-year-old said. "When all of those buckets are topped up, I can swim well." Chalmers' latest triumph came after Kaylee McKeown posted the fastest women's 200m backstroke time of the year at the Adelaide trials. Unlike Chalmers, she dismissed the feat as irrelevant ahead of the world titles in Singapore starting July 27. "It doesn't matter what you do here, it depends what you do on the day in an international meet," McKeown said after finishing in two minutes 04.47 seconds, some 1.33 seconds outside her world record. "I could be doing world records here, get to an international meet and come in last, so it really doesn't matter. "I have just got to get my mind right and see what I can do in a few weeks' time." The five-time Olympic gold medallist won all three backstroke events in Adelaide, over 50m, 100m and 200m. She now has a shot at repeating her unprecedented achievement from the 2023 worlds in Japan when she became the first female to win three golds in any stroke over 50m, 100m and 200m at an international meet. Also eyeing success in Singapore is Pallister, who broke Ariarne Titmus' national 800m freestyle record. Pallister's 8.10.84 was inside Titmus' previous benchmark of 8.12.29 set when winning Olympic silver year. "That's an Australian record I have wanted for a long time, since making my first team in 2022," said Pallister. The 23-year-old's record came just two months after joining coach Dean Boxall who also guides Titmus, who remains on a post-Olympic break. But in a shock result in the women's 200m butterfly, Paris Olympian Lizzy Dekkers missed out. Dekkers, who finished fourth in the Olympic final, was third behind Brittany Castelluzzo (2:06.91) and Abbey Connor (2:07.14) who both qualified for the worlds. In the men's 200m individual medley, 25-year-old David Schlict (1:58.10) shaded William Petric by 0.15 seconds - both also made the world championship team.
