Swans chief Tom Harley joins AFL top brass

Article posted by Coliseum, June 27^th, 2025

Image: Sydney Swans

The Australian Football League (AFL) has poached the Australian football team Sydney Swans Administrator Tom Harley as its next Chief Operating Officer (COO) in a bid to bolster the leadership around their Chief Executive Andrew Dillon.

‘abc.net.au’ stated that the Sydney Swans Chief Executive Harley, who looms as the AFL’s next chief, will stay at the Swans until at least the end of the season before joining the league as Dillon’s second-in-command in October.

Melbourne (Australia)-based the Australian Football League (AFL) is the pre-eminent professional competition of Australian Rules football. It was originally named the Victorian Football League and was founded in 1896 as a breakaway competition from the Victorian Football Association with its inaugural season in 1897.

Docklands (Australia)-based the Victorian Football League is an Australian Rules football competition in Australia operated by the Australian Football League as a second-tier, regional, semi-professional competition.

The Australian football, also called the Australian Rules football or Aussie Rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground.

The Sydney Swans are a professional Australian Rules football club based in Sydney, New South Wales (Australia). They compete in the Australian Football League (AFL). The 48,000-capacity Sydney Cricket Ground in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, serves as their home arena.

‘abc.net.au’ further stated that the above follows the Australian Rules football club Brisbane Lions boss Greg Swann joining as the Football Performance Executive as the league tries to address a feeling of disconnect between the clubs and Dillon and his football operations boss Laura Kane.

Harley’s portfolio includes AFL operations, integrity and security and dealings with the clubs including funding, the upcoming Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) and the salary and soft caps.

In Australian Rules Football (AFL) a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) is a legally binding agreement between the AFL (Australian Football League) and the AFL Players’ Association (AFLPA) outlining the minimum terms and conditions of the players’ employment. It’s a framework for how the players, the clubs and the league operate covering aspects like player payments, the game structure and funding for the past players.

Dillon said in a statement, “When we first announced the COO position we were clear – this was about bringing strong club experience to the AFL’s leadership. Tom Harley is the right person to do exactly that. Tom has a deep understanding of the game – from his time as a two-time premiership captain to leading the AFL New South Wales (NSW)/Australian Capital Territory (ACT) to steering the Swans through a period of significant on- and off-field growth. His ability to lead the people, build trust and drive long-term outcomes is exactly what we need at this moment in our journey and I am thrilled he is joining our executive leadership team.”

The former Australian Rules football club Geelong Cats captain Harley has been the Sydney Swans head honcho since 2019 after joining the club as its football boss in 2014 and believed the time was right to move to the AFL.

Added Harley, “I am deeply passionate about our sport and committed to doing whatever I can to support its continued growth. The Sydney Swans has been my home for many years now and I am incredibly proud of everything the club has achieved along the way. I am energized by the challenge ahead and excited to keep working to grow our great game.”

It leaves the Sydney Swans, which over the off-season had to manage the departure of Coach John Longmire and a handover to Dean Cox, in a search for their next chief.

Added Andrew Pridham, Sydney Swans Chairman, “On behalf of everyone at the Swans I want to thank Tom for more than a decade of service. He will leave our club in the strongest off-field position in its history and with solid foundations for future success. Tom leaves the club with our absolute blessing as we know what he is capable of and know that he can make an enormous contribution at the AFL level. Indeed, we are excited to see him continue to impact the growth of our game.”

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