AFL Darling Downs to take on new structure

AFL Queensland will take over operations of the league in an attempt to help grow the game on the Darling Downs.

New Competition & Club Development Manager - AFL Darling Downs, Mitch Simpson

AUSSIE RULES: AFL on the Darling Downs is set to undergo a change in management, with AFL Queensland set to undertake operations.

It follows the lead of Capricornia and Mackay who underwent the change this season.

Under the new structure the competitions will be fully governed by AFL Queensland, however, they will be supported locally by an advisory board.

As the local area experts, the advisory board's role is to provide strategic advice and support to AFL Queensland ensuring the growth and sustainability of the game in the region.

Similarly, they will also share their skills and experiences to assist the local competition manager.

Current competition manager Mitch Simpson said the changes would help boost the profile of the sport on the Downs.

"Basically there's been a 12-month transition this year with AFL Queensland putting myself in as an operative, and allowing us to work with leagues and clubs towards full AFLQ governance in 2020," Simpson said.

"It will bring a level of professionalism to the sport and not burden volunteers on running the league, which is becoming more and more difficult, and we hope this allows us to use our resources professionally across the region.

"We want to both focus on protecting what we've got in terms of sustainability and growth. There are certainly some big focus areas we want to improve on in the next couple of years and to improve football in general.

"The new advisory board is very portfolio based, with some local experts in their areas," he said.

"They'll make some positive moves in the region."

With the new structure in place, the league will no longer continue as an entity, and subsequently will not have the traditional elected officials to fill positions such as president and secretary.

The new advisory board will be chaired by Charlie Aston, who is the owner of a Bank of Queensland branch in Rangeville.

AFL Queensland senior football state manager Barry Gibson said that Aston's business intellect and previous experience as a coach in the sport would put him in good stead to lead the region forward.

"Due to the geographical location of clubs, the Darling Downs region is a challenging one for our game in terms of community competitions, however under Charlie's guidance we are confident that the experience within the advisory board can provide a genuine insight into the region's challenges and help guide us in how we take the game forward," Gibson said.

The new board had it's first meeting last week, and will meet again in the new year.

AFLQ DARLING DOWNS ADVISORY BOARD

Chair: Charlie Aston

Community Engagement: Cr James O'Shea

Events and Marketing: Andrew Foley

Indigenous and Diversity: Andrew McDonagh

Partnerships: Dimity Sullivan

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