Gillon McLachlan reveals he wants to coach a footy team when he finally steps down as AFL CEO
Outgoing AFL supremo Gillon McLachlan reveals he wants to coach when he finally steps down – as his lavish and star-studded vacation plans come to light
- CEO stepped down last April
- Retires in October
- Has a surprising plan for next season
Outgoing AFL boss Gillon McLachlan has revealed he wants to stay in footy after finally stepping down from his position – coaching a junior team.
The 49-year-old is expected to have a loose end when he finally walks away from leading the league in October, having announced his resignation in April last year.
There has been much speculation about his next career move, with reports that he is a leading candidate to captain the 2032 Brisbane Olympics – but his first priority after leaving the job is to see if he can make it by running a side for his local club in Melbourne.
“I want to coach a football team. Don’t be alone [a] runner or a substitute coach, but be a real coach of a junior team and actually spend more time at the club with my kids,” he said at Melbourne Cricket Club’s Norm Smith Oration night on Thursday.
McLachlan (pictured with his wife Laura and their children Sydney, Edie, Cleo and Luna after announcing his resignation last April) is keen to see if he can make it as footy coach
The 49-year-old wants to take charge of a youth squad near his home in Melbourne’s posh inner-southeast, not least to spend more time with his kids.
‘[I want] to see if my passion and privilege of having been able to influence the game translates into being able to influence a team of 25 boys or girls from the harsh environment of [upmarket Melbourne suburbs] Prahran, Toorak and Armadale.
“Anyway, football and I will still be on good terms, just in a different form, watching my kids experience the same joy I first knew when I kicked heads off the rosebush years ago.”
A handy player as a young man, McLachlan played for Pleasant Valley in South Australia’s Hills Football League before joining the Melbourne University Blues in the Victorian Amateur Football Association and joining Carlton’s supplementary roster in 1996 and 1997 .
But before he picks up a coach’s clipboard, the long-time league boss takes a short break from the game on a lavish European vacation.
McLachlan and his wife Laura are headed to Paris next week where he will be a groomsman at the star-studded wedding of celebrity chef Guillaume Brahimi and Tamie Ingham, of the famously wealthy Ingham chicken family.
Next week, McLachlan and his wife are on their way to Paris where he will be a groomsman at celebrity chef Guillaume Brahimi’s wedding (pictured)
Brahimi will tie the knot with Tamie Ingham (pictured) and McLachlan will be joined by media mogul Lachlan Murdoch at the star-studded event
Other guests include Lachlan, son of Rupert Murdoch, and Paul Bassat, member of the AFL committee, who founded the Seek job search website, according to Fairfax newspapers.
He originally planned to take an extended break, assuming he would now be out of the game, but instead he will split his vacation in half and return to Australia before leaving again to spend time in Israel in July, the publication reported.
McLachlan has had a very busy and controversial few weeks, presiding over Tasmania’s successful bid to become the league’s 19th team and announcing the results of the AFL’s inquiry into racism allegations against Hawthorn.
The league has made no negative findings against former Hawks coaches Alastair Clarkson and Chris Fagan, and senior staffer Jason Burt, all of whom have maintained their innocence despite bombshell allegations.