AFL removes paintings of Code’s founding fathers from boardroom at league headquarters in awake redeco aimed at “preventing men from staring” at people
- The ‘Imposing’ painting on AFL House in Melbourne has been removed
- Featured Andrew Demetriou, Gill McLachlan and Mike Fitzpatrick
- The 2014 paint removal has raised many eyebrows
- Perception that the trio were ‘people watching’ at AFL House
A supposedly intimidating painting depicting a trio of prominent football personalities has been removed from the boardroom at Melbourne’s AFL House.
Strangely, the image featuring former CEO Andrew Demetriou, current boss Gill McLachlan and former Chairman Mike Fitzpatrick, from 2014, was removed from the wall due to the perception that the founding fathers are ‘staring at people’.
According to 7News reporter Tom Browne, the league’s think tank felt the boardroom painting was ‘imposing’ and would be better adorned in a different area of AFL House.
“I asked the AFL why they did this… there was a suggestion that they didn’t want these types of older men looking into the boardroom,” he stated on a Triple M podcast.
“It’s a robust image that you would often find on a golf club.”
A 2014 painting featuring former CEO Andrew Demetriou, current boss Gill McLachlan and former chairman Mike Fitzpatrick was removed from the wall at AFL House due to a perception that the founding fathers are “people watching”.
The AFL Brains Trust felt the painting was ‘imposing’ and would be better adorned in a different area of the building (pictured AFL House in Docklands, Melbourne)
Browne commented on how diverse the sport is these days, pointing to the AFLW competition that was introduced in 2017.
The competition now numbers 18 teams and has already drawn rusty fans, with the next season rumored to kick off in September.
When asked if the decision to remove the painting was excessive, Browne felt it was a “politically correct” move on the part of the AFL.
“It reflects diversity,” he added.
‘They [paintings] they were commissioned during the centenary, but the idea has gotten a bit dated.
‘You could say it’s a little stiff for these guys who have been knocked down and helped shape the game.
It’s not his fault, but times have changed.