The FFA has today confirmed CEO David Gallop will step down from his position in December.
Gallop was contracted until the end of next year, but it is understood he tendered his resignation and will leave the role a year early.
The news comes just weeks after the New Leagues Working Group (NWLG) reached an in-principle agreement with the FFA to secure commercial autonomy and independence for the A-League, leading to speculation the at-times maligned CEO would step down.
Joining after failed expansion attempts into North Queensland and the Gold Coast, Gallop oversaw the sale of the Western Sydney Wanderers – easily the league’s most successful expansion venture – to private owners in 2014.
He also introduced the FFA Cup competition in 2014, as well as overseeing the latest expansion process that added Western United and Macarthur Bulls to the A-League.
His relationship with football fans was often rocky, however. Active support groups often felt unfairly targeted by venue security and virtually unsupported by FFA during Gallop’s reign.
Gallop was previously the CEO of the NRL, having joined as legal affairs manager of the Super League in 1995. He left rugby league in 2012, joining football just months afterwards.
As NRL CEO, he oversaw the re-expansion of the league to 16 teams with the addition of the Gold Coast Titans in 2007. His time in charge was marred by two notable salary cap scandals.
In 2002, his first season in charge, the NRL docked the league-leading Canterbury Bulldogs of all their competition points following systemic cap breaches. The Bulldogs would have topped the ladder by seven points that season and would’ve been unbackable favourites to take home the premiership.
In 2010, he stripped the Melbourne Storm of their 2007 and 2009 premierships following salary cap breach revelations there, although he came under scrutiny over allegations the penalties were enforced before a proper investigation was completed. He also fell out of favour with Storm fans after crudely comparing them to terrorists after they booed him in 2011.
FFA will make the announcement official later this afternoon.
MORE TO COME
Barca4life
Guest
Gallop and the FFA in general have stuffed up our youth development, balls it up actually! As someone who has seen the demise of the quality of our national team this has been very disappointing and Gallop has to take a blame for this given he did not want the national TD reporting to him and the removing of the FFA COE as a cost cutting measure. I look at Japan and they starting to produce players to some of the biggest clubs in the europe which include Real Madrid and Barcelona, how does Australia respond to this? This is what we are now up against, big challenge ahead for Aus football and the future of the national team.
Jippy
Guest
Football has survived and will always survive.
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
These are true figures. Even as the learned person above says about some leagues losing players AFL is a clear winner. All ages, Football (Soccer) is the clear winner. I DON'T make up figures. Disabuse yourself of that idea.
oldpsyco
Guest
Cant speak for everyone, but this Liverpool fan watches their games, their U18's 7 womens games via LFCTV streamed via membership! That won't show in your famed Ratings!
Oldpsyco
Guest
If the new CEO can knit Australian Football back together as a cohesive unit, they will achieve something that many have given up even dreaming about! Footballs desperately needs to become united, after the divisive days of the past decade!
oldpsyco
Guest
Strange you apportion some blame to clubs when the vast majority of "Clubs" in this country have NO input due to the structure currently in place! Perhaps you meant "Franchises"
chris
Guest
Responding to someone who dedicates his whole time to attempt to derail sensible discussion is a lost cause jb.
chris
Guest
Rowdy you need to stop making figures up. Your statement that over 18s in AFL is played by more than the others combined is embarrassing to say the least.
jbinnie
Guest
Mr Football -In Gallop''s first year at the helm 2012,it appears you may have forgotten that a player also made his debut for Sydney FC, a player,of whom it could rightly said ,put "bums on seats" at every ground he visited resulting in every "away" game club, Adelaide excepted,having their record "home crowd" for that season. Add to those figures the effect he had on Sydney's home games and I think you would find Del Piero had a much greater effect on "gates" for 2012 than did the hiring of Gallop to his job.To back this up Sydney's average home crowd for 2012 jumped from 11,800 to 16,600,and in Del Piero's second season that average again jumped from 16,600 to 19.600., an increase of nearly 8000 in 2 years. The other factor you appear to have ignored is the introduction of WSW into the mix and in the two years you have highlighted, they had average crowds of 11,600 and 14,800 ,figures which greatly aided in the HAL average increasing in those two seasons for WSW were replacing GCU who had contributed an abysmal 3000 "home gate average to the overall HAL figures for 2011/12. Gallop is not a magician by profession,he is a lawyer, and started work for the FFA in 2012,and the FFA Cup,the establishment of WSW, and the above figures all were caused not by his hire.but fortunately for him , DURING his first year in office. Cheers jb.
TPC
Roar Rookie
Please ignore my like on your comment MF, purely accidental
Midfielder
Roar Guru
nick thats not a bad lisit
Nemesis
Guest
ABS doesn't publish any sports participation figures any more. They haven't for several years. Sports Australia now publishes the National Statistics for sport participation. Regardless, the ABS figures would paint the same picture when they were last published. If you can provide a link to the ABS figures that validate our nonsense, I'll accept the ABS figures.
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
Argue with ABS figures. Not me. Are the ABS Fake news?
Nemesis
Guest
Norway were the better team against England, but Norway lost. Those of us who watch football know that can happen in knock out football. Fact: A-League rates higher on PayTV in Australia than EPL, or LaLiga, or Bundesliga, or SeriA. No doubt time zones influence this fact. But, it's still a fact. You can have your own opinions. You can't have your own facts. If you want to talk football, you better educate yourself or you will be exposed every time by football fans.
Nemesis
Guest
"However when go over 18 Australian Football is played by more players than FFA, RA & NRL combined." Fake News. ALT-Fact. Absolute rubbish. If you want the true figures for participation for adults, kids, men, women, nationally, each state Aussie Rules participation is falling so badly in places like regional Victoria & Tasmania clubs are folding & leagues are folding. Here is the source: https://www.clearinghouseforsport.gov.au/research/smi/ausplay/results/sport
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
Me saying popular (players, crowds, tv) is correct. You saying most played is also correct. However when go over 18 Australian Football is played by more players than FFA, RA & NRL combined
jbinnie
Guest
Freddie - Thank you for the corrections, though it is interesting to note they don't make much difference to the outcome of what I wrote. Re Lyall Gorman's actual position under Frank Lowy it would appear he was actually a "jack of all trades" in the job,having been brought from his CEO position at CCM to head office where it appears he was used as a "jack of all trades ", pushing good ideas sourced from outside the head office and putting out fires emanating out of that same source under Buckley. It is quite hard to allocate a position to Gorman for he was still present when the changeover from Buckley to Gallop was taking place and was actually part of the selected body (from FFA) to run WSW until a purchaser could be found. Isn't it rather strange to note that among the favoured nominees for the now vacated job, Gorman is being named as a strong possibility. If this did occur would it not be further evidence as to how our game has been governed these last 10 years?. That is not a dig at management,it is however a question as to what might have been had Gorman actually made the CEO position his own. Freddie,football management history in our game is rife with such gaffes,probably the greatest one affecting our game was a decision to cut funding to a junior coaching plan that took place in 1974, a gaffe that still has recriminations among grassroots people today, 45 years too late. Once again thanks. Cheers jb.
Punter
Roar Rookie
The most most playing football code is soccer in this country by a fair mile.
Nemesis
Guest
Here are the participation statistics for organised sport played in Australia, from data gathered by the independent, federal government body: Sports Australia. NSW: Adults: Football: 402k Touch football: 150k Aussie Rules, RU, RL don't have enough adult participants in NSW to be recorded. Kids (ages 0-14 yrs): Football: 280k Australian football: 81k RU, RL don't have enough kids' participants in NSW to be recorded. So, in NSW, more kids are now playing organised Aussie Rules than RL.
chris
Guest
Adio you as a league tragic, have enough problems of your own without coming on here and sprouting this that and the other about football problems. Are you worried that the playing pool in league is down to such a puddle and that the msm that supports the game is dying a slow painful death?