Historic year looms: Demetriou

AFL Chief Executive Andrew Demetriou said 2011 would be a historic year for the AFL with the entry into the competition of the 17th club, the Gold Coast Suns.
 
Speaking at the launch of the 2011 Toyota AFL Premiership Season, Mr Demetriou said 2011 would also mark the start of an exciting new era as the AFL reached a new broadcast rights agreement, a new collective bargaining agreement with the AFL Players’ Association and set out its blueprint for the game for the next five years.
 
“Never before has our agenda been so comprehensive. Never before has it been so bold.  Never before has it been so important to the future of the game,” he said. “Indeed, 2011 will be one of the most important years in our history.”
 
He said the AFL would work closely with clubs to continue to deliver world class experiences for fans and ensure the game remained affordable and accessible to all.
 
“In 2011 we will set the bar higher than ever before to ensure we continue to have the best athletes in the country, playing in the best venues, and delivering the very best spectacle.
 
“We will leave no stone unturned to take our game to a new level. To make our game even greater.”
 
Mr Demetriou said the AFL would also continue to play an important leadership role in the community and to “tackle difficult issues, no matter how public or painful they may be”.
 
“A game as big as ours can’t shirk its responsibility to be a leader in the community,” he said. “We must remain true to our values. To be accountable, progressive and respectful.
 
“Especially when it comes to women who are such an integral part of our game. Such an integral part of our fan base. Such an integral part of our clubs, boards and administrations.”
 
Mr Demetriou thanked everyone involved in the football community, including supporters, clubs and players, for their efforts to help those affected by the recent floods in Queensland and Victoria.
 
“I, for one, am extremely proud of the vast majority of our players. Not just for what they do on the field but also off it. Young men who want to fulfill their talents as footballers but also fulfill their obligations as citizens.
 
“Young men who spend 20,000 hours a year in the community, many of those in schools. Young men who do it because they love doing it. And because kids loving having them there.”