His 103 North games resulted in 54 wins. This is true for the AFL Commission as a whole, and for Demetriou personally. You go through very, very dark periods, and I just threw myself into work. The deal included unprecedented live TV coverage of the AFL competition in all states of Australia through free-to-air, subscription and IP television. "Just the four of us. "I don't think the AFL has the slightest interest in the community of western Sydney," says Roy Masters. "Demetriou had a cup of tea with David Gallop [head of the NRL] on the Tuesday morning," says rugby league sage Roy Masters, "and that afternoon he had Karmichael Hunt over to his Toorak home. "Along with my wife, we used to go away as a foursome on holidays," recalls Unglik. But on the advice of medical experts he incorporated a three-strikes policy that puts player welfare ahead of the urge to "name and shame" offenders, and subsequently got belted by political leaders who reckoned it was lax.He doesn't care. "I love my girls," he says, scooping up Mattea, who abbreviates the Greek "baba" to "bubs" when she calls him. You've got to make sure that you leave the game in better shape than when you borrowed it." He keeps his cards so close to his chest, I guess I should have known that the briefest glimpse of him showing an interest in a woman meant that he would marry her and have children with her.". "He really stood out," says Unglik. Andrew Demetriou is the CEO of the AFL Commission (which runs the AFL competition) and, like Lindsay Lohan, he's a consistent performer. JANE BALLANTYNE "You've got to give it to her, she's a consistent performer. Andrew Demetriou was born, the youngest of four boys, in Melbourne to Greek Cypriot parents in 1961. "Expansion is going to make things much tougher for clubs in the short term," says Gale, speaking as Richmond CEO. 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. I think there's an expectation that they are but some of them are just young men who make some silly decisions some of the time." He passes a few remarks about Peter Costello's criticism of Australian Football League players visiting schools, and reflects on the launch of rugby union's new Melbourne team. They'll have a women's round, an indigenous round, a tie-a-ribbon-around-everything round. "A bit different from the rest of us, all putting the Gold Coast and AC/DC.". 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. Now, we formed that policy with 21 experts who got together to give us that advice. "Well, nobody said anything about my mother, thank God. "The Demetrious pay a personal trainer to help keep them in shape - "boxing and all that sort of stuff two or three times a week" - but an Achilles injury has hindered Demetriou's recent progress. 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. But I always had my eye on other things. [14] Sydney won the 2012 premiership implementing a style of relentless tackling and attacking play. In the dedication of a final book, she made an unusual reference to her husband. (m). So we have a population that is very diverse, that's very proud of what it's achieved. Andrew Demetriou gives evidence at the NSW casino inquiry on Tuesday. He was at his best when he was under the most stress and duress.". There are 70+ professionals named "Andrew Demetriou", who use LinkedIn to exchange information, ideas, and opportunities. "Our numbers are very impressive in western Sydney," he says, when he says anything at all. More importantly, they're great institutions for the community and economy in this state.". Get premium, high resolution news photos at Getty Images He's there strictly for his business acumen, she insists, not his sense of kids' couture. And probably dish them out. 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. "Now he's Mr Opera, Mr Art.". He pauses again, looking almost embarrassed. This is no doubt true - but not the whole truth. 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?' Andrew Demetriou has a distinctive walk. But that's just part and parcel of the job. Learn How rich is He in this year and how He spends money? 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. Yes," says his head of communications, Brian Walsh, grinning. Join 1.7 Million Subscribers Along the way, he also chaired Baxter, a waste management company that was eventually sold to a bigger outfit. The game is certainly more dominant and far wealthier than when he took over and, according to his chairman, he has given the game a conscience. He looks momentarily uncomfortable, as if he's never thought about it. They're all different. 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. Even when I said to him, 'Andrew, you know, maybe now you should start to think about moving on how are you feeling? He always puts the family first. Even his generally unemotional chairman Mike Fitzpatrick wiped away something resembling a tear at that point. Plate of heart Soccer's Jose Mourinho is The Special . Australian sport's reputation blackened: Abbott. "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). "Adrian Anderson, the defamation lawyer whose left-field appointment by Demetriou as football operations manager mimicked Demetriou's own path, witnessed the stand-off close up. Demetriou has been highly influential in the AFL Commission's desire for a team to be based on the Gold Coast. "Definitely. ", "He's exceptionally adept with figures," adds James Demetriou. "I'll never forget the phone calls," he says of the jarring interruption of bad news from afar. Between 1998 and 2000, Demetriou was CEO of the AFL Players Association. Streamline your workflow with our best-in-class digital asset management system. He may even, say several of his friends, end up at Lake Como. The western Sydney move is a brave one; we're all looking at that with great interest.". "Huh? I want the best for those who work with me. Historically, in fact, it's tried to go even further. Lead commercial strategy and business development, major event partnerships, production and venue hire for Carriageworks, Australia's largest multi-arts organisation. "I'm a big fan, and a great supporter," says Jill Lindsay, who started at league headquarters 40 years ago. There has been much talk of the $200-million war chest that will fund the expansion, and those on the inside say it will take all this and more. ', 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.' It's not worth it." Just quietly: Andrew Demetriou has lost another gig. ', and she said, 'Well, he's very good. 2 at the AFL, and now CEO of Football Federation Australia (formerly Soccer Australia), remembers Demetriou's player profile at North Melbourne. [9], In the first half of 2005, Demetriou criticised the Sydney Swans and then-coach Paul Roos, labelling the team's play as "unattractive" and "ugly". "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. 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 those days it was quite humorous, and in a bizarre way acceptable: 'Oh well, wog, dago, they don't really know what they're talking about.' No, declared Demetriou, because Ill tell you what I didnt do - I never injected anyone. A month after the ex-AFL chief and former Crown Melbourne chairman gave a televised public lesson in October in how . "But I remember the euphoria in the rooms after. But no, it didn't.". And the heads of other codes - Buckley, the NRL's David Gallop and the ARU's John O'Neill - have all maintained upbeat public attitudes towards expansion. [17], Demetriou has interests in factories in Brazil and India which manufacture dental products and exports them to 70 markets, including Australia. ""If you started with a blank piece of paper you wouldn't have 10 teams in Melbourne. The game will need all the money it can get. The advice of former AFL chairman the late Ron Evans rings true for him, daily.Evans took Demetriou aside on the day he was appointed, telling him straight: "I want you to remember one thing: you, me, everyone who works in football at our level gets to borrow the game. We've got a factory in Brazil, one in India now. I want to be part of the best team possible. 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. But are they role models? "You can't be around for 100-plus years and not be a resilient code," he continues. ANDREW Demetriou leaves the AFL wounded by events in recent years, but they will not define him. The comic wore a white tuxedo with a matching black tie. [6], In 2011, Demetriou was involved in securing a record breaking A$1.25 billion TV rights deal for the period of 20122016. "He was the boy from the northern suburbs," one observer puts it. "He was absolutely a source of help and advice.". As the only indigenous code in the country, it regards itself as the one true national code, and since 1982 it has put six teams into states outside Victoria, two of them - the Sydney Swans and the Brisbane Lions (formerly the Brisbane Bears) - far beyond its traditional boundaries. "Symone and my children are my . The deal included unprecedented live TV coverage of the AFL competition in all states of Australia through free-to-air, subscription and IP television. The AFL is debt-free and soon will have "squirrelled away" a $50-million contingency.Overall, the league is unrecognisable as the once-bereft and bankrupt Victorian competition of 1985, the year the 12 original clubs handed control to an independent commission. Please try again later. The couple tied the wedding knot in November 2021, a year after their engagement. Eventually, the Australian arm bought out its Italian parent. "Oh, hairpiece," says Walsh. Were working to restore it. I was lucky to have someone who understood," he recalls. Put it this way, says footy's head honcho of his current circumstances, "I've learnt more about baby wear than I thought I ever would. And all I know (about) what we did was as a game (we) always put the players first to protect the integrity of the game., When pressed later about his own level of culpability Demetriou was firmer: I do not accept any responsibility for people who seek to infiltrate the game, who inject young men with god knows what substances, to introduce substances which are abhorrent to the game and to families.. I remember that really clearly, and a great photograph of (coach) John Kennedy hugging Schimmer who was spent, just spent. There's been speculation before, most famously when the now-defunct Bulletin magazine declared in late 2007 that he was about to pull the pin to spend more time with his family, even retreat to a holiday home on Italy's Lake Como. That always amuses me. The new general manager of football operations was stunned, to say the least. Whatever will be will be.". Demetriou has a regular spot with Red Symons on Melbourne radio station ABC 774. And, he adds, "You've got to be fair. I just want to punch his lights out. The AFL chief executive, whose successor could be named as early as May, has declared a wish to serve out the 2014 football season, demanded and received great loyalty from his staff who became emboldened themselves by a leader they regarded as fearless. [7], Demetriou has been highly influential in the AFL Commission's desire for a team to be based on the Gold Coast. [5], In 2005 he was instrumental in securing a record breaking A$780 million TV rights deal. Suitably enough, Demetriou met Symone Richards, then a corporate accounts manager, in 2001 at a grand-final-day function. It was that meeting that convinced Karmichael that he should move to AFL.". He might be just a very good actor, but I don't think he's addicted to the clout he has - I'm sure he likes it, and I'm sure he likes winning and doesn't like losing. "What people don't realise is that it hasn't been easy for him," says James. "If I were to believe you guys," he told the audience of journalists, "I'm a hot-tempered, loud, heavy-gambling Cypriot, prone to fly off the handle without warning. What might have been acceptable 10 years ago is not acceptable now. Andrew Demetriou.Credit:Sebastian Costanzo, "Kim Kardashian," he says suddenly. I always appreciate the great obligation we've got to the game. MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - SEPTEMBER 25: AFL CEO Andrew Demetriou and wife Symone Demetriou arrive for the 2006 AFL Brownlow Medal Dinner at Crown Casino September 25, 2006 in Melbourne, Australia. I don't know why people are so obsessed by that." As head of the AFL Players' Association, the footballers' union, Demetriou had played hard ball on the way to achieving his coup de grace - the first collective agreement (involving him) for the competition's 600-plus professional players, which gave them a massive pay rise, justly recognising them as the real stars of the show. 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. Now in his sixth year at the helm, the 48-year-old youngest son of Greek Cypriot migrants who was raised in a Coburg fish-and-chip shop, appears to be at the top of his game. Today it's like heaven in comparison. 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. 2023 Getty Images. It's the day before our Lindsay Lohan conversation, and he's leaning back in a dark sofa, one arm hanging over its side. Also learn how He earned most of networth at the age of 59 years old? Andrew Demetriou, the million-dollar boss of Australia's dominant sports code, joins his fellow board members around the table once a month. He didn't have an ounce left in him. In fact, Demetriou's term as chief is almost certain to be judged on the success of the AFL's latest foray. According to our Database, He has no children. "Although he might find himself tethered to his Blackberry, Demetriou more often than not walks through the front door at 5.30pm and rolls up the sleeves when needed. 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