• 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

Brendon Gale, Richmond CEO: "He (Demetriou) has been a massive contributor to the growth and prosperity of the code and he will be missed. Personally I have a great deal of respect for Andrew. He is a fair minded person, which gets overlooked a little bit and he is always good to do a deal with because everyone needs to walk away with something and he has got a great sense of humour. His legacy is a very powerful one."

Trevor Nisbett, West Coast CEO: "Obviously Andrew has made an enormous contribution to the game. He will leave a long lasting legacy  in probably the toughest job in Australian sport. The emphasis he has placed on integrity has been at the forefront throughout his tenure, and that is what stands out with what Andrew has tried to do. He is tough and resilient and does not accept excuses. We have had our moments with head office over the journey but we always respected the role that the Commission and Andrew played. The game is in great shape. Most things are on the up. I'm not sure how long the numbers can grow but we are still in pretty good shape."

Travis Auld, Gold Coast CEO: "For me I've experienced his vision first hand. It's interesting when you wind the clock back, the most difficult time to make a courageous decision is when the game is in really good shape which many would argue it was when the AFL made the decision to expand the competition from 16 to 18 games. I think Andrew had a significant role to play in the vision and the support behind it. He has the ability to sell a vision and he was able to inspire others to put his collective effort behind that."

Dr Harry Unglik, AFL Medical Director, long-time friend of Demetriou: "He's an amazing thinker on his feet. No other CEO in Australia faces more public scrutiny than he does, running an enormous organisation. He's a great delegator who always selects really good people to work around him. He's driven big innovative things like rules around racial vilification, respect and responsibility to women, illicit drugs - these are social issues he has always been concerned about and have been important to him. He wants to be responsible for change. He has survived because he is just bright. He is good at what he does. He is a great friend, a great father, a fantastic husband and a great son. They are the things people don't see and they are the things that make him an important friend to me."

David Matthews, Greater Western Sydney CEO: "He championed the development of the game nationally, he was always looking for new ideas and showed great loyalty to his staff. I am sure the Giants' development in Western Sydney and the ACT will be one of many legacies that he will deserve to enjoy for years to come. I have personally enjoyed his energy, humour and support and wish him, his wife Symone and their family all the best for the future."

Richard Colless, former Sydney Swans chairman: "I've always been pretty supportive of Andrew, when it was often not the fashionable thing to do. I felt he had a very strong awareness of the importance of growing and consolidating the game in this part of the world (Sydney). It's hard to argue, did he have the hardest job or the easiest job of the last three CEOs? By that I mean so much was in place. But to keep the order of growth going, to keep stakeholders' expectations going, was pretty challenging and I thought he did that pretty well. The development of new stadia with very little AFL money, increasing media rights, mean I'd give him a tick."

Matt Finnis, CEO AFL Players' Association: "While he has been a tough CEO to negotiate with, [Andrew] has always cared a great deal about the welfare of players. He worked very hard to help the Association protect the rights of players through issues like the Illicit Drugs Policy. When the AFL could have given in to ‘naming and shaming’, Andrew advocated strongly for the medical model of managing the illicit drug issue. On the big issues like expansion, new stadiums, and now on the critical issue of equalisation, Andrew has been able to bring people together to find the best solutions for the competition. The AFL and the AFL Players’ Association have had a successful partnership on a number of key initiatives and we have a lot of respect for his professionalism and integrity."

Steven Trigg, Adelaide CEO: "There's no doubt that some people will look at the last 12 months and they'll pass judgment, that's a very normal thing to have happen. But I think if you have a look at that long list of achievements and progress that the AFL's made over the last 10 years, it's really substantial. There's been a lot of progress made in expansion and in game development, in facilities and the like. People should broaden their horizons, they should look back over that period of time and they should understand that that job clearly carries with it a lot of attention, a lot of focus – they should probably lift their eyes and have a little look further back."

Malcolm Holmes, Brisbane Lions CEO: "Andrew has driven an incredible amount of change for good in his time in the game’s top job. He has been a champion of developing our game across the nation, especially in non-traditional AFL markets such as Queensland. The massive growth in the number of people playing the game across Queensland is testament to Andrew’s passion for spreading the AFL “word” across our state. Andrew’s incredible commitment places him in a special echelon of administrators to have made a real and enduring impact on our great game.

Keith Thomas, Port Adelaide CEO: "I know that Andrew has already publicly declared returning football to the Adelaide Oval as one of the greatest achievements in his professional career and it was particularly important to our club. For not only did Andrew stabilise our club with his words of support but he was a principle member of the team that negotiated the opportunity for us to take footy back to the Adelaide Oval which in turn changed the financial model for us and ensured our long-term financial security. Andrew has certainly been a great friend of Port Adelaide and an outstanding administrator for the AFL. We are all significantly better off for his contribution to our national game.”

Peter Jackson, Melbourne CEO: "You can only judge a person on the results of the organisation and by any measure, the AFL has never been stronger. The statistics around increased crowds, TV ratings, club membership and participation is proof that Andrew has overseen unprecedented period growth in the game."
 
Kevin Sheedy, coaching legend and GWS board member: "I called him Vladimir Demetros but he never took offence and in the end probably saw the humour in it. A lot of people in NSW and Queensland are probably saying wow, thank god that man is giving us rest for a while. He has made NRL and soccer think seriously about their codes."

Colin Carter, Geelong president and former AFL Commissioner: "Andrew Demetriou has made a major contribution to the game over his lifetime, most particularly over the past 15 years in roles with the AFLPA and the AFL. During that period the game and the AFL have grown to levels beneficial for all. Clubs, players and supporters have all benefitted, as have the other key stakeholders. The competition has obviously expanded, ensuring new supporters, and the reach of football, both as a game and as an agent for social change, has been significant."