New AFL COO Tom Harley reveals why he took the job and his take on footy’s biggest issues
He’s a footy fan from South Australia who became a premiership-winning captain, but Tom Harley describes himself as a role player. And he’ll be a vital cog in the AFL machine facing plenty of change.
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He’s the footy fan from South Australia who became a premiership-winning captain, a CEO of one of the most successful clubs in the country, and now, second-in-charge at the AFL.
But for outgoing Sydney Swans CEO Tom Harley, accepting the position of the AFL’s chief operating officer (COO) wasn’t just about the title. Nothing reminded him more of that than when he happened to be sitting next to his soon-to-be colleague Greg Swann at the Australian Football Hall of Fame on Tuesday night.
Harley still hadn’t signed on the dotted line for his new role by then, but conversing with Swann gave him the perspective of what his focus had to be.
Cultivating the joy that Aussie rules brought him, and making sure that as many people get to experience that as possible.
“Things weren’t done on Tuesday night, but we were just chatting away,” Harley said. “There’s nothing in the game he hasn’t seen.
“I know Greg as a peer, and certainly will now as a colleague, and he loves the game. He’s got the game at his heart, and I’m sure the contributions he makes will be really well-informed.
“I’m motivated by the game and absolutely love the game. The game’s been unbelievably good to me … so the prospect of taking a more macro view of the game and playing a role in enriching the lives of the fans of the 18, soon to be 19, clubs was really appealing.”
FAMILY FIRST
At Harley’s core has always been his family. His wife, Felicity, and their three children, Jimmy, Hugo and Arabella, have always been central to his decision-making, particularly in the 16 years since he’s been in Sydney.
Even in an interview with this masthead a decade ago, a quote from former Geelong CEO, Brian Cook, stuck out to him: “Only measure your success by the happiness of your family, the rest is just noise”.
That’s why even when it became obvious the COO role was there for the taking, discussing the role with Felicity and the kids came first.
“The AFL clearly ran a process, and I’m not sure the number of candidates, but the first decision was to put my hand up in the first place,” Harley said.
“It’s a point in time, a fork in the road if you want to place it, for my family, and a little bit of a case of if not now, never. The people who know me well, including staff and players, know how important family is to me.
“It does require a full family commitment. To be frank, if family is not supportive, it wouldn’t be happening. But I’ve just got unbelievable support from Felicity and my three beautiful children. We’re looking forward to the challenges and the unknowns of the next chapter down south.”
Even if Felicity, who originally hails from Sydney, tried to remind her husband of what the decision meant for the weather they had become accustomed to – “She did send me a side-by-side snapshot … the beautiful blue skies in Sydney and the juxtaposition of nine degrees and grey skies,” he said – in the end, he received overwhelming support.
But he also had to be conscious of his other family, the Sydney Swans. After more than a decade at the club in various roles, the former Geelong skipper had well and truly become part of the furniture.
And for Harley, even though he’s always been aspirational, he would never have accepted the role had he thought he was not leaving the Swans in a strong position.
“Football’s been really good to me, but absolutely, the Sydney Swans have been unbelievably good to me,” Harley said.
“It’s not without a heavy heart because of the people that are within these four walls and the 75,000 members outside, and the hundreds of thousands, millions of fans as well.
“Change is inevitable. And when you’re talking about the things that you weigh up as to whether this is the right move, (stability) is something I think about. But what gives me unwavering confidence is the quality of people we have internally … it’s a fantastic place to work, and it’s not rocket science. Great people do great work.”
THE ULTIMATE APPEAL
In his nearly 11 years at the club, Harley has been integral to their success. He oversaw three AFL grand final appearances, masterminded their rapid entry into the AFLW competition and was integral in the development of their new state-of-the-art headquarters in Moore Park, to name a few.
But the 46-year-old describes himself as a “role player”. That even goes back to his playing days as the most reliable cog in the champion Geelong machine. And he knew it was time to step up and take on his biggest role yet.
“It’s a unique organisation in the sense that it is responsible for the game at all levels,” Harley said. “We see the AFL and the AFLW at the elite level, but also through enshrining 10 per cent of industry revenues to reinvest in game development at entry level.
“Then there’s how far and wide it can spread. New fans, new communities, First Nations participation and talent, and multicultural participation and talent. The depth of the game is something that really appeals to me.
“I’m a fan, and the thing that brought me to the game will be felt differently by different people, but at the end of the day, it’s an amazing magnet for people to connect and belong to something, and ultimately, we should never lose sight of that.”
Harley’s position will specifically oversee the AFL’s strategic and growth plans. That includes looking after the clubs, competition structure, operations, projects such as Gather Round and Tasmanian expansion, as well as integrity and security.
It’s a massive portfolio that will see Harley become one of the most influential figures in the game. But as he prepares to get his feet under the desk, which he will do officially at the end of the current AFL season, his number one priority is bringing his experience to the table, bouncing off the talented minds around him, and listening and addressing the immediate concerns of stakeholders.
“I’ll be taking an open-ears policy to all of it before jumping to any conclusions,” Harley said. “I’ve got really rich club relationships and networks, so I’ll be spending a lot of time externally with the clubs. Then, it’s understanding who’s who in the zoo and seeing what value I can add.
“I’d like to think that the experiences I’ve had from growing up in South Australia, to playing in Victoria, to the most recent experience up here in Sydney will be valuable to the conversations I have.
“I’ve known Andrew Dillon for a long time now. I was one of his direct reports way back when I was at AFL NSW, and can only speak extremely highly of him. I’ve got utmost confidence in our values alignment, we see the game the same way, but at the same time, we’ve seen it from different angles.
“I want to make sure that I do my absolute utmost to complement him, support him, work with him to ensure that he leads the organisation that he wants to lead. So, I’m looking forward to that role too.”
THE TASSIE QUESTION
Harley remains confident that the organisation is “committed to Tasmania” amid political turmoil potentially impacting the state’s AFL license.
While Harley does not commence his new position until after the conclusion of the AFL season, he has been involved in discussions around the impending expansion club from the perspective of Sydney Swans CEO.
And in the most recent communications with the AFL, the need for the Tasmanian Government to provide a stadium for the Devils remains clear.
“As recently as Tuesday, we discussed the Tasmania Devils and what that looks like,” Harley said. “And the AFL has been absolutely unequivocal on the stadium being imperative and unconditional, so that’s where that sits.
“It’s not for me to get into the politics and those sorts of things, but the 18 clubs absolutely support Tasmania coming into the competition, on the proviso that they set up for success. One of the key tenets for being set up for success is the stadium.
“There’s obviously a bit to play out there, but from my personal point of view and the Swans’ point of view, we look forward to seeing that unfold, but the game is committed to Tasmania under those circumstances in the deal.”
The AFL confirmed on Thursday, when Harley was announced as the new COO, that Tasmania would be part of his portfolio. That means he will oversee the 19th team’s introduction into the competition if it is to continue down that path.
Following a successful vote of no confidence motion on the current Liberal government, Tasmanians are set to go to the polls on July 19. Both Liberal and Labor, the two major parties vying to be elected, remain adamant that they will support the policy for a new stadium to be constructed at Macquarie Point.
It means any vote to approve the project in parliament will now have to wait until after the election.
The introduction of the Devils will leave the AFL with an uneven number of teams, and while there have been calls for a 20th club to be fast-tracked, Harley said it was too early to speculate.
“It has constantly evolved, so let’s cross the Tassie Bridge first and work our way through what the future might hold,” Harley said.
BATTLING THE NRL
Harley remained optimistic about the health of the game across the nation, particularly in states like NSW and Queensland, where it faces plenty of competition from rugby league.
Although the NRL’s expansion into Western Australia with the Perth Bears is a sign of their strength, Harley is looking forward to contributing to an AFL executive that ensures Aussie rules remains “the sport of choice” for the majority of Australians.
“The NRL is an elite competition,” Harley said. I have nothing but respect for what the NRL are doing, and one of the perspectives you get living up here is that it is part of the fabric of Sydney, and I don’t have the Queensland experience, but I’m assuming it’s the same.
“So, it’s respecting that. But they’re the things you look at to make sure our backyard is right.
“We have an absolutely brilliant game where athletes do amazing things, we should never lose sight of that is part of the magnet. But the other part is the reach to communities through participation and fandom.
“We’re lucky to live in Australia, where we can access lots of really great sports, and we need to make sure that our sport is the sport of choice for the majority, and I’m looking forward to contributing to that.”
TOM HARLEY: THE MAN THE AFL WANTS AND DEFINITELY NEEDS
– Glenn McFarlane
Tom Harley is about to get his ear almost chewed off by the clubs when he takes over in October as the AFL’s chief operating officer.
But that’s precisely what the AFL wants – and needs.
For more than a year now there has been a gnawing undercurrent of clubs fuming at league headquarters for a variety of reasons.
Clubs have felt they have been unable to get the right answers to their questions and have been frustrated by what they saw as inconsistencies on a range of key issues.
Harley won’t fix that in an instant.
But the Sydney chief executive’s appointment, which was officially announced on Thursday, will go a long way towards simmering tensions at clubland.
That, too, and the splitting of Laura Kane’s executive general manager of football operation’s role, which saw AFL CEO Andrew Dillon poach Brisbane Lions chief executive Greg Swann to take on the league’s football performance position, with part of his stated portfolio being “increased engagement of clubs, coaches and players.”
Clubs believe these moves have not come before time.
These were two executive decisions that Dillon had to make, and given the clubland experience of Harley and Swann, it should ultimately make his job a little smoother.
The AFL has plenty of good stories to tell with the metrics in a range of game, growth and membership areas uber impressive.
But there have simply been too many ‘own goals’ emanating out of the league’s Marvel Stadium headquarters in recent times to capitalise on those other off-field wins.
The Lachie Schultz concussion management was ultimately the catalyst for dividing the football operations role into two – and chasing Swann.
The AFL spoke to no one else about the role. It was always his if he wanted it.
Harley’s appointment was far more strategic and took much longer to finalise.
Dillon had been searching for a COO for several months, with the AFL sourcing and speaking to a number of high profile candidates.
Stuart Fox had the job last Monday week if he wanted it, but was always keen to stay with the Melbourne Cricket Club as its CEO.
When the AFL actively came at him for the second time in six months, he recommitted to the MCC, long considered one of the plum jobs in Australia.
Harley is understood to have narrowly beaten Western Bulldogs chief executive Ameet Bains for the COO role, with his experience in the northern markets and his outstanding record at the Sydney Swans seen as the key reasons for his appointment.
It puts him in as Dillon’s 2IC as well as the man who could one day be groomed to take over the main gig in the future.
His footy journey has taken him to three states, and he knows intimately the challenges of the northern markets (having also worked for a time with GWS), the academies and the game’s national reach.
The Harley-Swann acquisitions haven’t come cheap for the AFL. Both come on $1m-plus salaries, and the size of the AFL executive team hasn’t changed, which leaves those in middle management more than a little twitchy about possible future cutbacks.
But several industry sources have indicated that some of the peeved clubs have initially been appeased, which was very much the vibe at this week’s Australian Football Hall of Fame function.
Both new additions have strong but collegiate leadership styles, with long backgrounds at club coal faces, though those same sources also conceded that the proof will very much be in the pudding.
Harley’s recruitment was one of the final pieces in Dillon’s administrative jigsaw puzzle, though there is still the need to find a replacement for Brian Walsh, who leaves his Executive General Manager Corporate Affairs role at the end of July.
Harley’s portfolio will focus on the macro, with the AFL saying on Thursday it would centre on “a mandate to help drive growth, deepen the alignment across the industry, and to strengthen relationships with clubs.”
The emphasis on that last part could hardly have been clearer.
Part of his role will be on the league’s strategic and growth plans, club funding, collective bargaining agreements, salary cap, football department soft cap, and competition structure.
Importantly, his brief will include key strategic initiatives, including Tasmania and Gather Round, and even the possibility of a 20th AFL franchise and where it could be based deep into the future.
Integrity and Security will also form part of his role.
Swann starts his executive general manager of football performance role on July 21, with his umbrella of tasks including match review, umpires, game analysis, player movement (including a proposed mid-season trade period), laws of the game, innovation and “increased engagement to clubs, coaches and players.”
Kane’s executive general manager of football operations will see her responsible for the operations of delivering the AFL, AFLW, VFL and VFLW competitions as well as the league’s mental health response and ongoing concussion management.
If this was the executive equivalent of an AFL trade period, then Dillon has scooped the pool.
But the only way to ensure future wins and success, is if the dynamic works and if the ‘own goals’ dissipate.
Originally published as New AFL COO Tom Harley reveals why he took the job and his take on footy’s biggest issues
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