Michael Warner and Ashley Argoon 5 min read December 12, 2013 - 5:27PM HeraldSun "She's all right.". They met for dinner, got talking and soon the Demetrious had taken a one-third interest in the fledgling business. ". Demetriou is the youngest son of Greek Cypriot immigrants. "He'll get massive kudos, or massive condemnation out of it," says Richard Hinds. People say it's how he made his fortune. But football was never the main game. Grow your brand authentically by sharing brand content with the internets creators. Please try again later. "But I really can't fault him. It's based in northern Italy. "Those who work closely with him reckon Demetriou has achieved all of that. He has the air, sometimes seen in confident people, of not needing to charm you. "), Andrew Demetriou, 49, sits in his modest, shiny office, meditating upon world domination. "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. "No disrespect to Andrew, but I don't think that's really his area of expertise," she laughs. "We've got players telling our doctors 'thank God, you saved me'. Andrew Demetriou.Credit:Sebastian Costanzo, "Kim Kardashian," he says suddenly. 2023 Getty Images. But Demetriou became close to tears when referring to the football family and the people in the game. He's not intimidated by power, perhaps because he enjoys it too much, perhaps he knows the truth about bullies. He always puts the family first. I'll read junk, too. Given her mother followed North Melbourne, she thinks she must have seen him in passing, if only on Saturday evening's TV replay, but she couldn't be sure. [21], Demetriou's first wife died in 1999. Andrew Schulz's wife Emma is 27 years old as she was born on February 14, 1995. "Just the way he's championed the cause of women in general and other initiatives here. North Melbourne rejected that offer and, in January 2008, the AFL chairman, Mike Fitzpatrick and Demetriou announced that the Gold Coast Football Club would enter the AFL in 2011. Andrew Demetriou and family pose with La Trobe deputy chancellor Dr Philip Moors AO (left) and vice-chancellor Professor John Dewar (right). At a time when, north of the border, the aftermath of the 1995-97 Super League war was still fracturing relationships in rugby league, "Andrew understood that the key to any successful deal is to create value for all parties," says Brendon Gale. But, Mrs Demetriou, you're going to have to stop him putting up his hand - he's too smart for his own good.' Access the best of Getty Images with our simple subscription plan. Demetriou remains a shareholder and board member. Jennifer Hageney is the first wife of Andrew Shue, an American actor with whom she has three children named Nathaniel Shue, Aiden Shue and Wyatt Shue. He seems to be content with running a very large, fractious, tending-to-testosterone-soaked organisation in a civilised and imaginative way and looking after his family.". "You could see, even at that young age, that he was very erudite, well-read, interested in travel.". 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. Andrew Demetriou and wife Symone Demetriou arrive for the 2006 AFL Brownlow Medal Dinner at Crown Casino September 25, 2006 in Melbourne, Australia. They're all different. ", "Hmmm. Collect, curate and comment on your files. Meanwhile, in February, the code announced its highest-ever revenue, for last year's season: $335.8 million; its biggest operating surplus, $23 million; and record club membership of more than 614,000. "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. There's a world demand for false teeth, even in recessions." "But you have to say it's very hard for any detractors to mount a really substantive case given the progress that's been made on his watch You'd have to say that at this stage the AFL is in better shape than any other football code in the country. Then there's a long silence, during which he appears to be considering weighty matters of national significance. "Our numbers are very impressive in western Sydney," he says, when he says anything at all. The commission has not guaranteed McLachlan the job and appointed an executive search team to test the market for Demetrious successor long before he told Fitzpatrick at the 2014 Super Bowl that he would officially resign in early March. But there wouldn't be footy. The deal included unprecedented live TV coverage of the AFL competition in all states of Australia through free-to-air, subscription and IP television. Andrew is currently non Executive Director of Crown Resorts, Chairman of Capital Health Group and Cox Architects and sits on the Australian Reconciliation Council. And it was possibly a greater asset to him than his kicking, which could be a bit hit and miss. [citation needed] He has an older brother Jim Demetriou who played senior football for Essendon in the mid-1970s. "You can't be around for 100-plus years and not be a resilient code," he continues. The game will need all the money it can get. About colours. When he told his children on Sunday night he was stepping down their first question was whether they could still go to the football. Thu 11 Feb 2021 06.27 EST First published on Thu 11 Feb 2021 02.37 EST. Between 1998 and 2000, Demetriou was CEO of the AFL Players Association. "We've got a little board," explains Demetriou, chuffed. (m). Does he ever have time on his own? You go through very, very dark periods, and I just threw myself into work. Encouraging kids and beginners to try your code is one thing; seducing mature athletes from a rival code after years of development is quite another. When I bring up this dedication, Demetriou smiles - a big smile, perhaps the first of the interview. Andrew Demetriou. "Every dollar that goes to the GWS, that's a dollar less to the existing clubs or players.". 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. Development of Carriageworks' commercial and major events programs to expand our . "There is tremendous power vested in Andrew's position," says Brendon Gale, former head of the AFL Players Association (AFLPA) and CEO of Richmond Football Club. Country: Australia. This month marks a great high point in Demetriou's power. but that is not to say that he hasn't experienced challenges to get to that point and won't continue to. I don't think there's anything wrong with giving people options.". "I took a decision very early on that I wanted to see them grow and help my wife," he says. He has treated us fairly and with respect and I admire that. Symone will have brought home Who or New Weekly and the next thing I'm reading about who Lindsay Lohan's slept with and whatever. Demetriou, of course, knows this very well. But no, it didn't.". As the son of working-class migrants, says sports writer Richard Hinds, "he really taps into the psyche of the left. 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. Says Demetriou now: "It was an incredibly powerful statement. He was no Trojan horse on behalf of the players, but nor did he give up on them when he assumed a role on the opposite side of the negotiating table. The entire Demetriou family lived in the two-bedroom flat attached to the shop. Oh. There will be a bit of talk about the next season. Whatever will be will be.". "We grew up in an area where you just laughed at those things," he says. ', 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.' ", Finally - and perhaps most importantly - he believes (or persuades others he believes) that no deal is worth dying for. "I don't make any decisions without everything having been thought through, chewed up, sliced, diced, looked at inside out, been criticised," he says. "We've been around for 150 years, and we understand that for a lot of our supporters, their club is in their DNA, their bloodlines. She was quite a reserved person. The day of our interview, he leaves work early to go to his four-year-old daughter's birthday party "at one of those Japanese restaurants where they throw things in the air". The AFL are incredibly good at leveraging causes into money. He looks momentarily uncomfortable, as if he's never thought about it. Thirty-one years!" Jennifer husband is now married to news anchor Amy Robach and is co-parenting Robach two daughter together. The Kim Williams appointment to the commission would seem good for McLachlan who does not yet boast its unanimous support. ", Demetriou had spent his years with Bassett teaching and developing his business interests, primarily in a company manufacturing acrylic teeth, called Ruthinium. Back in his playing days - 106 games for North Melbourne and Hawthorn - fitness came naturally. But one doubts it. Demetriou has been highly influential in the AFL Commission's desire for a team to be based on the Gold Coast. "When I played football," recalls James, "it was brutal, really brutal. 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. When the AFL season begins on Thursday, it will include a new team, the Gold Coast Suns, and in 2012, the Suns will be joined by the Greater Western Sydney Giants (GWS); then, for the first time in its 115-year history, the VFL/AFL will have 18 teams in its top competition. About expanding into new territories. "I went to uni, did arts and a dip ed, majored in legal studies and politics, and got a job teaching year 12 politics. 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." USER IS NOT PERMITTED TO DOWNLOAD OR USE IMAGE WITHOUT PRIOR APPROVAL. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. People think he's a bit of a dealmaker, but he's massively respected in terms of making money for the game.". He was 24. Get premium, high resolution news photos at Getty Images But there's something about his knees, as if he were once pigeon-toed, or injured in some way, that makes him kick out his feet as he walks. He says the national game has a record of kicking into a stiff breeze and still scoring goals, and timing is everything: key sponsors have been bedded down until 2011, the players agreement is locked in similarly and the broadcasting rights will be re-negotiated when the country is likely pulling out of its slowdown. 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. We have estimated I get home and see the children, help with the bath, reading books, getting to bed. I just never envisaged that I could meet anybody else. Ben Buckley, his teammate at North Melbourne, later his No. WHEN you are the chief executive of the AFL you carry a big stick and you walk the corridors of power. "But what I do know is that in greater western Sydney, there are 220 different ethnic groups, 220 languages spoken and 180,000 indigenous people. And what about (her step-father) Bruce? "About time! That deal is up for renegotiation, and he's expected by many to winkle more than $1 billion out of broadcasters this time around. We've never underestimated them. Andrew Demetriou at Monday's announcement. "Clearly, we've had great opportunities because of what our parents did for us," says Demetriou. 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. I played golf once three or four years ago, and when I got home after six hours " - he pauses, smiling - "no, no. [18], Demetriou had a regular spot with Red Symons on Melbourne radio station ABC 774. So he was really pointing out missed opportunities. At AFL House, there's also a sense of higher purpose: a desire for expansion to carry the torch of Aussie rules enlightenment into the darkness of heathen league, union and soccer lands. He was at his best when he was under the most stress and duress.". We recommend you to check the complete list of Famous People born on 14 April. Also learn how He earned most of networth at the age of 59 years old? In his role as head of the AFL Commission, he was responsible for a number of changes, including the expansion of the league from 16 to 18 teams, the restructuring of the tribunal system, and the brokering of two new television rights deals. Name: Andrew Demetriou. "We are living in an age of scrutiny that we've never experienced before and it's not just football. he says. Date of Birth: 14 April 1961. . Demetriou played 103 games for the North Melbourne Football Club between 1981 and 1987, finishing his playing career with a three-game stint for Hawthorn in 1988. Suitably enough, Demetriou met Symone Richards, then a corporate accounts manager, in 2001 at a grand-final-day function. . But that's just part and parcel of the job. And we watch a bit of junk on television. "In many ways, they didn't expect anything from us. But, you know, that's Andrew defending his patch. Yes," says his head of communications, Brian Walsh, grinning. According to court documents obtained by Us Weekly, Mackenzie filed for divorce on Monday . Even if it's 10 o'clock at night he'll still be responding to emails or taking calls. JANE BALLANTYNE And we're just going to give them an option to get involved in another game. "I love my girls," he says, scooping up Mattea, who abbreviates the Greek "baba" to "bubs" when she calls him. ", "He's exceptionally adept with figures," adds James Demetriou. "It's true," he says now. Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. 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.". Demetriou, who has sat on Crown's board since 2015, told the inquiry that the company's risk management processes were good but that important information was not escalated to the board. Andrew Demetriou's AFL career was shaped by family and tragedy, Andrew Demetriou will stand down as AFL CEO at the end of 2014 AFL to begin 2-3 month search for a replacement Deputy CEO Gillon McLachlan among leading candidates for top job Demetriou denies AFL could have done more to prevent Essendon supplements crisis. "She said to the teacher, 'How's Andrew going? The comic wore a white tuxedo with a matching black tie. She was his tutor, several years older than him and a noted academic. "My wife and I talk about it now, about how we try to find a balance for our children. Not even the global economic crisis could cool Demetriou's hot gospel on why expansion should not be stalled. He was awarded the University's Distinguished Alumni Award in 2009 and a Doctor of Letters (honoris causa) 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. He's revolutionised the code's response to illicit drug use; initiated a policy to improve the treatment of women; allowed free movement of uncontracted, end-of-term players between clubs; and supported some of the strongest anti-discrimination policies in international sport. "But that boyfriend Scott. The year after Bassett's death, Ben Buckley's first wife, Kim, was also diagnosed with breast cancer. The couple tied the wedding knot in November 2021, a year after their engagement. He was awarded the University's Distinguished Alumni Award in 2009 and a Doctor of Letters (honoris causa) 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. Folau was paid a reported $3 million for three years; Hunt was persuaded to switch to AFL by Demetriou himself. 1983 "It's impossible for me to answer that, other than the fact that when you're dealing with terminal illness, and you've got a very limited time, you change your perspective on many things. Join 1.7 Million Subscribers He's even convinced those behind enemy walls to join his crusade. He still has this quality of que sera sera effortlessness, say those close to him. He is a member of famous Player with the age 61 years old group. ", He probably should have got into the Victorian cricket side, too - he was playing in the Victorian and Australian under-21 sides at 16 - but in those days, as his long-time friend and AFL medical commissioner Dr Harry Unglik puts it, "who had ever heard of a Demetriou in the Australian cricket team?". In seven years in the job, he has transformed how, where and by whom Aussie rules is played. Demetriou maintained his involvement in Ruthinium when he moved to the AFLPA. "Whatever it is, I honestly don't know. Beyond this foundation, the brothers' childhoods combined both genuine acceptance and deep-rooted racism. He's also almost tripled the AFL's annual turnover, partly via a record-breaking $780-million media rights deal in 2006. Andrew finished his tenure with the AFL in June. But Toorak, Melbourne's most prestigious suburb, can seem a long way from Coburg. 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