THE AFL Commission will be transformed under the watch of new chairman Craig Drummond, with commissioners' terms to be capped for the first time since its 1985 inception.
A nominations committee for commission candidacy would also be re-established in coming months, according to Drummond, who was officially installed as Richard Goyder's replacement as chairman in March.
In a wide-ranging interview with AFL.com.au, Drummond, the former president of Geelong Football Club and chair of Transurban, also said:
- There was a continued "strong intent" for Tasmania to enter the national competition in 2028,
- There would be "no rush" to add a 20th team, with an exhaustive industry-wide debate to determine whether there would be 24 or 22 matches to be played in a home and away season after the addition of the Devils,
- He would encourage debate over the length of games,
- The continued public fallout to a lewd social media photo on former Carlton president Luke Sayers' account was "not good for the game",
- The AFL was cognisant of cost of living pressures and that "fans will be listened to" in all debate,
- International expansion plans would not be rushed and would initially be focused on India and the west coast of the United States.
The planned capping of tenure for commissioners would require a change to the AFL constitution, which will be put in motion when canvassed with the 18 clubs this month.
"Essentially, if you look at my experience in corporate business, maximum terms are between eight and 10 years, and it makes a lot of sense to introduce a limit, and we will go to the clubs to change the constitution," Drummond said.
"Eight to 10 years is a long time and if you can't achieve what you need to achieve in that period, you are not trying. Also, we will build succession around an agreed set of skills to take the game forward … what does the game need to go forward? Being well planned and succession planning is important, to make sure when people have served their term that there is someone right behind them, and if the chair is to leave to make sure there are two or three (commissioners) who could step up to be the chair. That doesn't mean they would get it, but to stack up against the external.
"We will reconstitute the nominations committee where we have a bunch of (club) presidents and a bunch of commissioners, and that committee will put forward and receive nominations for new commissioners.
"Given that, a range of the current commissioners have been on there for an extended period, there will be quite a bit of change going at the commission over the next one or two years."
The commission currently comprises Drummond, CEO Andrew Dillon (commenced as a commissioner in 2023), Paul Bassat (2012), Robin Bishop (2017), Denise Bowden (2025), Matt De Boer (2023), Andrew Ireland (2023), Andrew Newbold (2016), Gabrielle Trainor (2016) and Simone Wilkie (2015).
"It won't be everyone, but people who have done an extended period of time … we won't take everyone off at the same time for obvious reasons but there will be a meaningful group come off at the next AGM, and then another group after that.
"We instituted term limits at Geelong. It is important to get fresh thinking, fresh ideas."
Asked if it was guaranteed that Tasmania would formally become the 19th licence in 2028, Drummond said: "That is our strong intent, that Tasmania will be in the competition in 2028. The VFL team and the support around the VFL team is a very encouraging aspect of the support the Devils are going to get."
When pushed that "strong intent" was short of a guarantee, Drummond said: "Nothing is guaranteed in life, but I have seen nothing and have heard nothing and have no reason to think that it won't be anything but 2028."
Tasmania's addition to the competition will mean at least one team will not be playing each weekend, and while there have been 23 matches played per season by the 18 teams since 2023, the permutations around a 19-team competition will require a season of either 22 or 24 matches.
"When we get to 2028, there needs to be 22 or 24, it can't be 23, and I would like to see the data first and would like to speak to the AFLPA to see what is possible - I won't express a view unless I've seen the data," Drummond said.
On the possibility of a 20th licence being added soon after Tasmania, Drummond said: "The commission is not considering it, and it is not a conversation at the moment.
"We have a lot to do around getting Tassie settled and also what we need to do in Sydney. The Giants have done a very good job around footy and the footy program and the commercial and corporate side, but there is a lot of work to do around the consumer and the fan in that Giants business."
A year after Sayers stood down as Carlton president after the publishing of the lewd picture, the saga moved into the Victorian Supreme Court when Sayers' wife Cate sued him for defamation.
An AFL investigation in 2025 into the matter "determined that Mr Sayers did not breach AFL rules in connection with the posting of the image".
"I have seen nothing at this point to suggest there is a problem with that department (integrity), I followed the Sayers thing and others from afar but I would say, honestly, nothing is wrinkling me the wrong way in relation to the integrity department," Drummond said.
"My experience with Tony Keane and his team has been nothing but professional."
On the specifics of the Sayers matter, Drummond said: "It happened before my time and I am not deeply engaged in that process. I will let the legal process play out. The whole thing is disappointing, to be frank."
AFL.com.au: "Disappointing from an AFL perspective?"
Drummond: "I think for the game's perspective. None of it is good for the game, we need to be focused on our athletes, the game and our fans, not ourselves, we cannot be focused on ourselves, as individuals."
AFL.com.au: "Would it have been dealt with differently if you were in charge?"
Drummond: "I don't know enough about the history to make that statement."
Drummond attended the Gold Coast-St Kilda game on Saturday night in Darwin.
"My 31st game this year," he said. "I feel I understand the product but you need to be very contemporary on the product and the nuance in the game is such that it changes every week, every month. Get to the footy, talk to a lot of people, and spend the second half of games in the crowd, talking to the punters. I've probably spoken to a couple of hundred people doing this."
AFL.com.au: "Do they know who you are?"
Drummond: "Not particularly, until I introduce myself. I like that element of it, I love that element of it, I love getting out to hear the views. These are passionate, rusted-on fans who have strong views, and it disappoints me that often our industry is too quick to move to the negative on issues.
"The fan is everything, if we lose the fan we are done."
On the AFL's international plans, Drummond said:
"We have aspiration to move and look at some very select international markets but we need to be careful, we have a lot we need to get right in our core. I have seen it in business, you can get distracted on doing a whole lot of stuff that is nice to do and you can't take your eye off the key and critical things that drive your business.
"But this product is an attractive product and one I think if we educated properly, and distributed at an affordable rate, I think there are a couple of markets we would be interested in trying down the track.
"The fact Andrew Dillon has gone to India would give you one sense, and I think there is a possibility also of one market in the US. If we go down that track, we would take a different approach to just dumping games into the market. You have to get the market well prepped, get it educated and the product distributed and understood before you've got a chance of getting a sustainable base in those markets."
Asked his most pressing initiative as he begins his role as AFL chairman, Drummond said: "The game is in strong shape, it has a healthy base, and this is not about me, I am part of a team.
"I am focused on the fans, we have by and large a very engaged and passionate group of fans, (but) one third of Australians were not born here and have no affinity for our game.
"We see this in some of the challenges in western Sydney, where one in two people in western Sydney were not born in Australia, and have limited affinity for our game … we have a much bigger job to do in engaging that cohort of people.
"Take a 20-year view and probably one in two Australians won't have been born here because you have to assume immigration will continue at a pace. So what does that look like? I don't have all the answers but it looks like having champions, Indian, Chinese, African champions, playing our game, commentating on our game, sitting in the audience and us connecting with them in a stronger way digitally.
"If you look at our business it has very strong and capable digital assets that engage with all Australians and our game is for all Australians and we need to invest and turn that around.
"The fans piece and the non-Australian born fans piece is a very big priority."