1. Andrew Demetriou was born on 14 April 1961 and is an Australian businessman, sports administrator, and former Australian rules football player who was chief executive officer of the Australian Football League up to June 2014.
22 Facts About Andrew Demetriou
1. 2.
Andrew Demetriou was made CEO of the AFL in 2003, replacing Wayne Jackson.
3.
Andrew Demetriou has an older brother Jim Demetriou who played senior football for Essendon in the mid-1970s.
4.
Andrew Demetriou was educated at La Trobe University, where he completed a Bachelor of Arts in 1983 and a Diploma of Education in 1984.
5.
Andrew Demetriou was awarded the University's Distinguished Alumni Award in 2009 and a Doctor of Letters 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.
6.
Andrew Demetriou had a brief move to Hawthorn in 1988, but played only three games and kicked one goal.
7.
Between 1998 and 2000, Andrew Demetriou was CEO of the AFL Players Association.
8.
Andrew Demetriou was later appointed as AFL general manager of football operations, holding the position from May 2000 to September 2003.
9.
Andrew Demetriou is best known for his position as CEO of the Australian Football League.
10.
Andrew Demetriou was elected by the board of directors at the end of the 2003 season, taking over from the outgoing CEO Wayne Jackson.
11.
In 2008, Andrew Demetriou earned an annual salary of $1.4 million, making him the highest paid administrator or player then employed by the AFL.
12.
Andrew Demetriou oversaw the league's continued national expansion with the admission of the New South Wales based Greater Western Sydney Giants and Queensland based Gold Coast Suns with a "20 to 30 years" vision for them to become "powerhouse club"s in terms of drawing support from large population bases.
13.
In 2009, Andrew Demetriou earned $1.8 million for his role at the AFL.
14.
Andrew Demetriou has been highly influential in the AFL Commission's desire for a team to be based on the Gold Coast.
15.
North Melbourne Football Club had played three home games there in 2007 and, at the conclusion of that season, Andrew Demetriou offered the club $100 million to relocate there permanently.
16.
North Melbourne rejected that offer and, in January 2008, the AFL chairman, Mike Fitzpatrick and Andrew Demetriou announced that the Gold Coast Football Club would enter the AFL in 2011.
17.
Andrew Demetriou claimed that the Swans would not win the premiership with the way they were playing, and this statement was underlined when the team suffered a 43-point defeat to St Kilda in Round 10.
18.
Seven years later, Andrew Demetriou praised the Swans for their new attacking style of play under second-year coach John Longmire and rated them as serious contenders for the premiership.
19.
Andrew 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.
20.
Andrew Demetriou has interests in factories in Brazil and India which manufacture dental products and exports them to 70 markets, including Australia.
21.
Andrew Demetriou had a regular spot with Red Symons on Melbourne radio station ABC 774.
22.
Mr Andrew Demetriou was sued by shareholders for his part in the collapse, and contributed $360,000 to the settlement sum to stop the Court action.