AFL Commission chairman Richard Goyder will step down from the top job in March after it became clear to him that he would not be re-elected.
Two industry sources familiar with the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, have confirmed to this masthead Goyder will not be seeking another term and will be exiting after nine years at the helm.
This masthead reported in July that Goyder told colleagues he wanted to continue as chairman to support CEO Andrew Dillon in the early years of his leadership and to allow his replacement to gain experience on the board.
Richard Goyder’s reign at the AFL is nearing an end.Credit: AFL Photos
Former Western Bulldogs president Peter Gordon and former Collingwood president Jeff Browne have long been seen within the industry as leading contenders to take over from Goyder.
Browne did not rule himself out of leading the AFL Commission when contacted by this masthead in May.
“I love footy, I’m interested in footy, but I’m having a year off,” Browne said.
Gordon told this masthead in July he would be open to a role if sounded out.
“I’ve had a number of approaches from people about commission-related things in the past few months,” Gordon said.
“But I’ve had no official approach, have made no application, and I’m not even aware there is a forthcoming commission vacancy.
