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The Live Sport Bible is here!Appraising Andrew Dillon: The hits and misses of his tenure
Tom Morris • May 10th, 2026 12:30 pm
When Andrew Dillon officially took the reins from Gillon McLachlan as AFL chief executive in the week after the 2023 Grand Final, he promised a brighter future.
“Every touch point should be a positive and memorable one,” a wide-eyed Dillon said.
“Our mission is to be unrivalled in comparison to other sports and to develop a growing global interest.”
A year-long search for McLachlan’s successor eventually led chairman Richard Goyder and his commission to an office down the hallway.
And while the money spent on canvassing other candidates plus McLachlan’s drawn-out farewell tour elicited criticism, it was next-to-impossible to find a critic of Dillon himself.
Where McLachlan was viewed as a seller of ideas, Dillon was an explainer. What he lacked in God-given charisma, he made up for in operational reliability, authenticity and likeability.
It is coming up to three years since Dillon took the keys, and while some of the mishaps in this time frame are not directly his fault, the buck always stops with the chief executive. As a realist and a football lifer, Dillon would know this.
So, what are his hits and misses, and what is still up for debate.
HITS
Thursday Night Football
It’s hard to imagine blank Thursday nights on the football calendar now. Dillon successfully navigated negotiations with players to open the door for more five-day breaks, which has led to more Thursday night footy since he took over. The AFL also needed to soften its stance on which clubs were worthy of this slot, beyond the so-called ‘big’ Victorian clubs.
In 2023 there were just 12 games in this prime-time slot and in 2024 there were 14. But 2025 saw an increase to 23. The additional benefit is that more Thursday night footy means less overlap between games on weekends. And, for fans who love their footy, the feeling of a longer weekend.
Bringing in the heavyweights
While Dillon’s clear preference was to bring in then Richmond chief executive Brendon Gale as his second-in-charge, he did well to convince Swans CEO Tom Harley to pack up and leave, followed by Greg Swann from Brisbane.
The two appointments beefed up the football department below Dillon and showed he wasn’t afraid to make hard calls. There was a blowback, but we will get to that later.
More fans watching
One of Dillon’s key mandates was to make football more accessible than it ever has been, and he has achieved this goal already.
The 2025 season delivered record membership tallies, record participation growth, and record TV audience numbers by three percent.
It was the second most attended season ever, which allowed Dillon and the AFL to flaunt their fixture and boast of continued growth and prosperity.
While there will always be calls that ‘the game is dead’, the numbers tell us football remains Australia’s no.1 watched sport. To this end, Dillon has continued the work of his predecessors and built on their foundation. And the game has a nice wad of cash to fall back on too, courtesy of McLachlan’s latest TV deal.
Representative footy
It’s clear Dillon loves representative footy. The Indigenous All Stars concept was well received, as was the State of Origin clash in February, despite some coaches criticising the timing of it.
The upcoming Australia v Ireland contests across the men’s and women’s programs will further strengthen Dillon’s legacy, which has leaned into a quasi ‘event circuit’ type schedule. And while he didn’t invent Gather Round, it has gone from strength to strength under his watch. Watching the best of the best play annually is a strong legacy play.
Tasmania
There were some rough moments, and it went down to the wire, but Dillon did exceptionally well to hold the party line for Tasmania. He didn’t get sucked into hyperbolic naysayers.
McLachlan’s grand vision was far from complete by the time he departed. It was left to his successor to navigate complex political waters, which he did with the same steely focus which made him an all-time great for Old Xaverians in the VAFA.
Stadium concerns, list concessions, financial worries, pressure from club presidents and domestic political manoeuvring were just some of Dillon’s headaches as he successfully kept the 19th license afloat.
Consultative approach
In the space of two weeks last June, Dillon travelled to Bailey Smith’s house for a fireside catch-up, had breakfast with Dean Cox, Michael Voss and Craig McRae and found time to speak to Ross Lyon.
Executive and commission meetings have been held at clubs in a bid to further strengthen the link between the AFL and their teams. Weekly CEO catchups have been widely applauded by club bosses.
One thing which cannot be denied is Dillon’s deep desire to do what’s right and listen to key people within the industry. He also regularly catches up with former CEO Andrew Demetriou and has committed to addressing participation issues in western Sydney. In December 2024, he showed up unannounced to a meeting of 14 club presidents in the region. Dillon is willing to listen and learn, and that deserves praise.
MISSES
Opening Round
Though well meaning, Opening Round in the format to date these last three years was a gigantic swing and a miss.
In the first two instalments, games were reserved for New South Wales and Queensland only. This year, St Kilda faced Collingwood at the MCG on the Sunday night.
The limp start to the season was difficult for Victorian, West Australian and South Australian footy fans to stomach. As the NRL made a splash went to Las Vegas, the AFL staggered to the start line.
The concept has now thankfully been scrapped, though there is nothing stopping the AFL from staging standalone games in northern markets in the future as part of a revamped Round 1 fixture.
Executive turmoil
Re-shaping the AFL’s executive team has proven to be one of Dillon’s greatest and most nuanced challenges. The all-encompassing general manager of football job first given to Laura Kane in 2024 was far too wide-reaching and extensive for any one individual.
To fix the situation, Kane was given a narrower focus on AFLW, health and football operations. Having pumped her up to an unachievable level, Dillon then was forced to slice her role and bring Swann and Harley in over the top. This was unfortunate for Kane and humbling for Dillon.
He also let Jude Donnelly and Tanya Hosch go at a time when both held critical roles.
Hosch, who was GM of inclusion and social policy, hasn’t been replaced on the executive, though Taryn Lee is the GM of First Nations Engagement and Inclusion. The AFL will argue they don’t necessarily need someone on the executive in this role: A perspective which dismisses the seriousness of the Indigenous issue (more on that later).
Donnelly, who was one of the silent architects behind steering the game through Covid and making Tasmania a reality, was shown the door late last year. This decision came as a surprise to club bosses; many of whom believe she played a critical part in getting Dillon the CEO gig in the first place.
Dillon’s supporters argue these calls demonstrate strength and the ability to make hard decisions (he even attended Donnelly’s 50th birthday celebrations after relaying the news to her). His critics say the perception of a faltering administration was unfairly pinned on two senior women who had critical roles at AFL HQ.
Either way, the unrest was uncomfortable for Dillon and those around him.
Indigenous numbers
The falling number of First Nations footballers at the top level is emerging as a real issue for Dillon, particularly given the exit of Hosch from his executive.
In 2020 there were 87 Indigenous players in the League. The number has declined to 62 this year, which is a two-decade low.
Then recently, Dillon and his team were criticised by several high profile former First Nations players for piecing together a subcommittee which lacks representation from NSW, NT or QLD.
Clubs are less willing to take risks on players in the post-Covid soft cap era and are struggling to properly support players who require additional help to settle into new environments, far away from home.
The ARC and the umpires
There’s an argument that walking a delicate tightrope between supporting umpiring and pragmatic evaluation is next to impossible. But Dillon didn’t help himself when, in July 2024, he claimed that ‘umpiring is as good as it’s ever been.’
This didn’t wash with footy fans or clubs, who are left confused on a weekly basis. But beyond umpiring errors - and there have been too many controversies to recount - the laws of the game make life incredibly difficult for officials to be consistent across games, let alone rounds or seasons.
Regardless of whether you think the ARC is a worthwhile venture, it cannot be argued that its implementation has been clunky at best. This is partly due to human error, but also thanks to sub-standard technology.
Yes, this is Swann’s portfolio. But if Dillon doesn’t arrest control, it could severely impact his tenure. Imagine if an ARC mishap decided a Grand Final? Sitting alongside Swann, he was booed last Friday night when their faces were shown on Adelaide Oval’s big screen.
Tribunal controversies
Again, Dillon isn’t on tribunal calls. Nor does he meddle in cases. But he did appoint William Houghton KC to chair of the appeals board in March 2024, only to sack him recently following remarks which were abhorrently out of touch with the AFL’s own social and moral standards. How did Dillon not know Houghton had these views before appointing him?
Even the League now admits too many cases have become legal minefields. Dillon, given his background, has the power and intelligence to clean it up and expedite a process which has become absurd at times.
Fixturing
We get it's not easy. We get the puzzle is so complex that the AFL has to send the task offshore and we understand nine games are difficult to fit in with so many issues and variables to cloud the picture. But can we please avoid Friday night double headers in future and a host of staggered rounds that make the ladder unreadable? Thanks, on behalf of all footy fans.
Code Of Conduct Framework
In September 2023, the AFL formally agreed in writing to revamp the code of conduct for players within 12 months. Since then, Willie Rioli (one week), Jeremy Finlayson (three weeks), Jack Graham (four weeks), Wil Powell (five weeks) and Lance Collard twice have been suspended for homophobic slurs.
Yet almost three years later, there is still no sanctioning framework.
When quizzed on SEN’s Crunch Time in late March, Dillon said: “I would not be expecting that we’d be dealing with that again.”
Except they are, first with Collard’s second offence, and most recently with young Brisbane Lions player Koby Evans.
OPEN FOR DEBATE
Grand Final timing
Fans overwhelmingly wanted the AFL Grand Final to remain an afternoon affair, which it will until at least 2028.
But it remains to be seen if this decision will come back to haunt the League in its battle against the NRL for eyeballs in the northern states. Nor is it clear how much money the AFL is leaving on the table from broadcasters in neglecting a later time slot.
Personally, the timing doesn’t bother me. I’d watch it whether it’s afternoon or twilight. Night time is a bridge too far though. Let’s hope this never happens.
Also open for debate is the Grand Final entertainment. Kate Perry in 2024 deserved a tick. Snoop Dogg last year was an acquired taste, but he’s certainly an iconic name, but this year’s leads entertainer Kylie Minogue is Australian music royalty.
Wildcard Round
Wildcard Round objectively keeps more teams interested in the season for longer. It serves that purpose, but does it cheapen the value of finishing seventh? Likely, yes.
Handing the competition two extra games is a terrific cash injection as well. There will always be footy fans resistant to change, but filling the bye week with extra content has merit. Time will tell whether it’s a true winner.
New Draft Rules
The criticism around the new bidding processes at the draft has been stinging recently. Time will tell whether the changes act as an equalisation measure or make it even more difficult for clubs to rise up the ladder.
Award-winning journalist Tom Morris is the AFL Record’s Editor-at-Large.
