AFL CEO Andrew Dillon has today announced a restructure of his Executive leadership team.

Mr Dillon said he had been reviewing his leadership structure since earlier this year, and now after his first 18 months in the CEO role and the recent announcement to appoint a Chief Operating Officer, the time was right to restructure his Executive team to ensure it was more closely aligned with its strategic priorities and was set up for the next phase of growth.

The AFL Football Department will be bolstered into two leadership functions – Football Operations and Football Performance, with each stream to have an Executive member reporting into the CEO.

Laura Kane will be responsible for Football Operations, while the AFL will appoint a new EGM Football Performance.

Football Operations, under Ms Kane, will be responsible for the operations of delivering the AFL, AFLW, VFL and VFLW competitions, and a newly formed AFL healthcare and medical team including the League's mental health response and ongoing concussion management.

Ms Kane will also be the Executive team member leading AFLW as it enters its tenth season.

Football Performance will be responsible for MRO, Umpiring, Game Analysis, Player Movement, Laws of the Game, Innovation and club engagement within football.

Both Ms Kane and the EGM Football Performance will form part of the new AFL Executive team.

The AFL talent and talent pathways team will move from the football department and form part of the Game Development team under Executive General Manager Game Development Rob Auld, ensuring the best possible and most connected pathways are available for boys and girls.

The AFL Integrity and Security function will move from the General Counsel into the new AFL Chief Operating Officer portfolio.

AFL General Counsel Stephen Meade will remain in the role of General Counsel and continue to report to the CEO, however he will come off the Executive leadership team. Mr Meade will lead the Legal, Insurance, Risk and Safety function, with risk and safety demands becoming an increasing focus across all levels of football.

Mr Dillon said due to the growth and reach of the game and the extended football calendar now being a 12-month proposition, the traditional football portfolio had now become a much bigger role for a single person.

"The game is the reason we exist; it is as big and as good as it has ever been, and the AFL football department must continue to evolve. It must be structured, resourced and led in a way that can ensure everyone - the clubs, players, coaches, umpires and officials can continue to perform at the highest possible level.

"Laura will continue to play a major leadership role within the AFL, but the overall responsibility has grown so much that the traditional leadership role for an individual executive in footy is no longer the best model.

"Her leadership, expertise and ongoing relationships within our industry is an important part of our next phase, including driving the growth of the AFLW competition, and leading the newly formed healthcare and medical team, in which so much work is undertaken behind the scenes with clubs and players.

"Footy is at the heart of everything we do, it has to be front and centre. It's the reason people care, the reason they're passionate, the reason they show up every week. My focus is making sure we keep working closely with our clubs, coaches and players to keep our game strong, and to ensure footy remains the number one sport in the country — by every measure.

"The games are competitive, anyone on any given day can win, and more people than ever are playing, participating and watching right across the country. That's a credit to the many people who've come before us, and my priority is to build on this into the future.

"In order to get to 10 million fans, two million members and one million participants, I need to set us up in the right way, and these changes announced today reflect that commitment.

"The game must always continue to be at the forefront."

In addition, AFL Executive General Manager Inclusion and Social Policy Tanya Hosch will depart the League after almost nine years as a member of the Executive team.

Following the decision to appoint a Chief Operating Officer and the recent resignation of Executive General Manager Corporate Affairs, Government and Communications Brian Walsh, Mr Dillon has taken the opportunity to restructure his Executive team.

Mr Dillon has re-shaped the Corporate Affairs portfolio to now include First Nations Engagement and Inclusion in addition to Media, Communications and Sustainability functions.

Joining the AFL in August 2016, Tanya Hosch was the first Indigenous person and second woman to join the League's executive ranks.

Mr Dillon said Tanya Hosch had been a champion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander initiatives, including leading the implementation of the AFL's enhanced Indigenous strategy. She was also responsible for the League's gender diversity and LGBTQI+ agenda.

Outside of Mr Dillon, she has been the AFL’s longest serving current executive.

Her work included advising the AFL National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Council as well as the review and ongoing maintenance of the Respect and Responsibility Policy and the AFL's first ever Gender Diversity Policy.

She oversaw the appointment of the first Indigenous Tribunal Member Peter Matera in 2019, and also championed the first Indigenous player statue of Nicky Winmar. She also instigated and completed a review of anti-vilification policy within the code, which was then updated and renamed the Peek Rule and advocated for the adoption of the social inclusion clause in the current broadcast deal.

Mr Dillon thanked Tanya on her contribution to the AFL industry and said that her leadership in advancing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and culturally-diverse Australians in our game and across the AFL Industry at all levels has been transformational.

"Tanya has been tireless in her work to ensure that inclusion has been a part of everything we have done, from encouraging more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples into the AFL industry, to supporting clubs at all levels of our game to navigate complex social issues and create policies to reduce vilification," Mr Dillon said.

"We have seen the benefit of Tanya's work this year as she was a consistent advocate for and a driving force behind the Indigenous All-Stars game in Perth and her leadership resulted in the AFL attaining Gold Status in the Pride in Sport awards for the first time – both achieved after years of hard work and advocacy.

"As an industry we are indebted to Tanya for making us better."

Tanya Hosch said she was extremely proud of what she has been able to achieve during her time in the AFL.

"I am extremely proud of what I have been able to achieve during my tenure with the AFL. Being in the organisation just ahead of the first bounce of AFLW was a huge and special honour that my entry coincided with.

"At the AFL, we say we are 'A game for everyone' and I always saw my role as part of that story. I have learned an enormous amount from so many skilled, passionate and talented people across the game. I consider myself fortunate to have had the opportunity to work closely with incredible people. I thank them all.

"I am grateful to the players, coaches, umpires and staff across the AFL and clubs for everything you have taught me. Invaluable lessons of what hard work and commitment can achieve and build.

"I acknowledge and thank the Chief Executive Officers I have worked under, Mr Gillon McLachlan who recruited me, and more recently Mr Andrew Dillon. I also thank and recognise the Executive team members I have worked alongside and thank them all for supporting the work I have led.

"I thank all of those in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Council for their wisdom, work and guidance. I thank the incredible Inclusion and Social Policy team that I led and grew over time. I thank all of allies inside and outside the AFL who gave of their time, passion and expertise to support me to do my best for the game.

"The game belongs to all of us that love it and serve it, and I have been humbled to have had the opportunity to be a steward for a time."

Tanya Hosch will officially depart the AFL on June 6.

The search process for both the COO and EGM Corporate Affairs was underway.

Mr Dillon said inclusion remained a priority for the AFL and the organisation would continue to invest heavily in people and programs to drive greater participation and engagement by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and people from diverse backgrounds.

He also reiterated that the AFL has many talented indigenous leaders in its organisation, across the clubs and the broader industry and only wants to bolster this.

"We are unified in the power that sport has to shine a light on issues and make tangible change, where diversity of our participants is welcomed and celebrated, not vilified. Specifically, there is no place for racism at any level of our game," Mr Dillon said.

Mr Dillon said with Denise Bowden recently joining the AFL Commission and becoming the new co-Chair of the AFL's Indigenous Advisory Committee, the IAC would also play an active role in continuing to provide advice, expertise and leadership in progressing the AFL’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander agenda.