AFL finalise investigation into partner’s role at Gold Coast Suns

The Gold Coast Suns found themselves under investigation after rival clubs raised questions over the employment of the coach’s partner.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - September 24, 2023. AFL . Brownlow medal night at the Crown Casino in Melbourne. . Australia.. New Gold Coast Suns coach Damien Hardwick and partner Alexandra Crow. Photo by Michael Klein.

The AFL has reportedly ticked off the Gold Coast Suns employing coach Damien Hardwick’s partner Alexandra Crow at the club after rival clubs raised questions.

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The league this week investigated the appointment of Crow, who previously worked at West Coast and Richmond - where she met Hardwick - in consumer and marketing roles.

The Age reports the league is satisfied with her employment at Gold Coast as an adviser on membership and marketing strategies.

Suns CEO Mark Evans said Crow was being paid at “market rates” according to the report, which also said the role was short-term.

Gold Coast Suns coach Damien Hardwick and partner Alexandra Crow. Photo by Michael Klein.

“The scope of the role is small,” Evans said.

“We use her expertise strategically around consumer and commercial categories.”

Hardwick and Crow moved to the Gold Coast in late 2023, when he joined the club as senior coach, where she operates a consulting firm.

Restrictions on football department spending have tightened since Covid, playing a role in rival clubs questioning the league over the hiring.

Each club this season has a soft cap of $7.7 million, with 20 per cent of a senior coach’s salary permitted to be paid outside the cap.

Hardwick and his partner were given the all clear. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)

The investigation into Hardwick and his partner comes after the AFL launched a probe in Geelong coach’s Chris Scott and his role with a finance firm.

It was announced in October Scott had accepted the position as chief of leadership and performance at Morris Finance, a company that also happens to be a major, long-term sponsor of the Cats.

While Scott laughed off any suggestion of an issue with AFL headquarters, the league looked into the arrangement.

Scott was investigated by the AFL over his role. (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

In February it was announced the AFL had reportedly closed its investigation into the third-party arrangement, but its findings remain unclear.

SEN’s Sam Edmund reported the league’s review was complete but, the AFL has chosen not to disclose whether it has forced the Cats to intertwine the sponsorship money involved into its soft cap.

Edmund said that the AFL’s reason for non-disclosure was that if it was to reveal its findings on Geelong, every player, coach or staff member with a commercial arrangement would need to have their club’s cap position made public.

Scott’s new role is believed to have given him a change in title, but not a change in salary.

A rule introduced at the back end of 2024 allows senior coaches to have one-fifth of their salary paid outside of the soft cap.

Originally published as AFL finalise investigation into partner’s role at Gold Coast Suns