AFL chief takes FFA role

[Blue Boy]

BEN Buckley, the AFL's chief operating officer, will be unveiled as the successor to outgoing Football Federation Australia chief executive John O'Neill later today.

Staff at football's headquarters have been informed of their new boss, who comes from Australian rules football to the FFA at a crucial time in the game's development Down Under.

FFA chairman Frank Lowy believes Buckley, a former Kangaroos Australian rules football star turned sports administrator, is the best man to capitalise on the world game's post-World Cup gains after an exhaustive search both at home and abroad.

A former Nike marketing executive in Japan, Buckley was the brains behind the AFL's record-breaking TV deal with Channels 7 and 10.

O'Neill, meanwhile, has been appointed to the board of Tourism Australia today.

"John O'Neill is an enormously qualified person," Tourism Minister Fran Bailey said today.

"With a strong commercial background and years of experience as a CEO, I am confident John will make an excellent contribution."

O'Neill has previously also been chief executive of the Australian Rugby Union, and oversaw the Rugby World Cup of 2003.

Successor Buckley played 74 games for the Kangaroos between 1986 and 1993 before becoming a bachelor of applied science and embarking on a high-flying post-footy career.

He returned to Queensland as general manager and vice president of Australasia operations for video game company EA Sports's after 1996 and joined the AFL in 1999.

Buckley is thought to have beaten some big-name competition to the high-profile post.

International Olympic Committee consultant Craig McLatchey, former English Football Association chief executive David Davies, and former National Rugby League boss David Moffett were all believed to have been on the FFA's hitlist.

The FFA has called a press conference this afternoon at it's Sydney headquarters to officially unveil its new boss.

[Blue Boy]

The AFL will miss him - he was highly touted to get the top job @ the AFL when Andy D finally decides to move on.

He was probably the AFL's best administator !!!

[GWW]

Good riddance to him, they can take Demetrious and Angry Anderson too while theyre at it.

[RoosterMarty]

Hopefully he does a good job with the FFA.

[dinglinga]

good luck to ben he will do a good job....

as nathan probably said on his reference the AFL is only big enough for one buckley

[Wedgie]

His one success was negotiating TV Rights but as I understand it the soccer in this country has already a contrct till about 2010 so he'll be a waste of space.

[Mr66]

Proof postive that soccer still has imbeciles throughout
its adminstrative system if it can't find someone from within.
John O'Neill -> Rugby Union
Ben Buckley -> Football

[Squawk]

Ben Buckley's AFL salary - $700k
His FFA salary - $1.4 m.

worth the move plus gets a ceo's gig.

[sydney-dog]

why why why could it not have been Anderson