Thirty years ago, Allen Aylett won a tight election to become president of the VFL. Doug Ackerly explains how different Australian football may have been had he not scraped in.

AS A dentist, Allen Aylett could claim expertise at biting off more than he could chew. And, in his honorary role as VFL president, breakfast meetings were part of the diet.

"I'd sometimes get home from VFL House in a taxi at one or two o'clock in the morning, hearing my name being called over the radio for someone to pick me up to go back in."

The former champion rover and North Melbourne premiership president had a vision for the development of Australian football and was relentless in the pursuit of his goals.

"Allen forced people to come with him," said former Kangaroos secretary Ron Joseph. "He'd say, 'This is the way we've got to go: let's win the support.'"

Over the next eight years, Australian football changed so much that many view Aylett as the father of the AFL. Yet, he was lucky to get the chance to implement his blueprint for what is now the nation's most powerful sporting body.

In early October, 1976, Sir Maurice Nathan announced that he would be stepping down after five years as president. There was a chance for generational change all around, with 47-year-old Jack Hamilton replacing Eric McCutchan as VFL general manager a week later.

North Melbourne coach Ron Barassi publicly encouraged his president to go for the job. But Footscray and Carlton immediately threw their support behind VFL vice-president, Graham Huggins, the 55-year-old company director who had been president of St Kilda for 17 years.

Essendon president Colin Stubbs pushed for retiring lord mayor Ron Walker. "The VFL has not got quite the depth of business expertise necessary." Although Stubbs persisted, Walker wasn't interested.

In late October, Huggins decided to stick with the Saints and Aylett declared his hand, along with Hawthorn president Phil Ryan. There would be an election for the top post for first time in the league's 80-year history.

Ryan had served as VFL vice-president for a decade under both Nathan and his predecessor, Sir Kenneth Luke. But, at 61, he was only a year younger than Nathan. Aylett was 42.

An assistant general manager of National Mutual, Ryan had been a Hawthorn player (52 games), chairman of selectors and treasurer for 15 years before becoming president in 1968, and was a VFL life member.

Aylett had been an acknowledged champion in his 220 games for the Kangaroos, had represented Victoria and was a long-time television panellist. He had demonstrated entrepreneurial flair as club president, recruiting Barassi and exploiting the 10-year rule to sign star players who would help bring the first flag to Arden Street.

The pair were chalk and cheese. Aylett wanted the game to go national and was concerned that the league had no long-term strategy in a time of escalating player payments in a parochial competition.

For Ryan, it was steady as she goes. "I thought the league was doing pretty well and I wasn't getting in there with any intention of changing it." His wife, Mavis, chuckled. "Under Phil, there would have been longer skirts on the Bluebirds."

But Ryan was well-liked and highly respected and he had the support of traditionalists. Carlton, Fitzroy, Collingwood, Richmond and the Melbourne Cricket Club (the Demons were merely a section) quickly fell in behind him.

The election would be held at the league's annual meeting on February 11. There was plenty of time for lobbying, but the Aylett push did not impress Collingwood president, John Hickey.

"They ran a very competitive campaign at the Old Melbourne Motor Inn. They invited me and as many committeemen as I could get. But that sort of electioneering didn't appeal to me. I told them they were wasting their time: we were committed to Phil Ryan."

Ryan wasn't sitting on his hands, either. Essendon director Neville Gay recalls a nice lunch at the Australia Club. But the Bombers were still looking for an outsider.

Stockbroker Stubbs led an informal delegation to the Australian tennis Open. He and two VFL directors, Tony Capes (Footscray) and Graham Williams (Geelong), approached Wayne Reid. The 39-year-old was stepping down after eight years as LTAA president.

A week later, Stubbs arranged a luncheon with Reid, which included representatives of four more clubs Fitzroy, Carlton, South Melbourne and Richmond.

So, by early January, it seems that the good dentist could count only on North Melbourne's vote.

Reid, who lived two doors away from Aylett in Pascoe Vale, eventually declined after checking that his neighbour was still determined to stand. "I would only take on the job if I had unanimous support because I'm not a football person."

Soon after, Aylett and his numbers man, Joseph, saw a chance to get Footscray on board. There was a social club challenge to the presidency of Dick Collinson.

The pair approached Aylett's good friend and Victorian teammate, Ted Whitten: tell Dick he's got your support if he backs "Mick" (Aylett) for the VFL presidency. The legendary E.J. retorted: "Geez, you blokes are red hot!"

Capes recalls that the deal was sealed beside Whitten's floodlit pool in Altona and Footscray nominated Aylett on January 28. Essendon seconded the nomination.

Stubbs recalled: "Our support grew for him because I think it became apparent that he had the enthusiasm and drive that was possibly required at that stage. He was very much a big-picture thinker and the game needed to go national and he had the ability to carry it forward."

The vote would be held at the VFL annual meeting in a fortnight. Joseph and Aylett then made their case to Geelong and were assured of the Cats' vote.

South Melbourne's Craig Kimberley was also young and progressive, but Graham Huggins remained a wildcard. On the day of the vote, Ron Carter reported in The Age that "St Kilda nominated Mr Ryan, but now the Saints are expected to switch and support Dr Aylett".

Huggins' widow, June, says he didn't discuss his vote with her, but that he was convinced that "the game wouldn't go forward if it didn't go national. I really think that Graham would have always gone for Allen".

John Hennessy, later the VFL's corporate planner for five years, confirms Huggins' position.

"He said to me that, when Phil Ryan was going into the meeting that he would have thought that he had the numbers. But, as it turned out, Graham did actually support Allen Aylett. I think Graham was a progressive thinker and I think he was more culturally and philosophically aligned to the Aylett camp."

This left the vote tied at 6-6. But the retiring president had a vote. Where did Sir Maurice stand?

Hickey recalled: "I didn't like the way Nathan was lobbying for Aylett. It was perceptible: he chatted to me about the need for change and young people. I thought he was in Aylett's camp."

Indeed, when he announced that he was stepping down, Sir Maurice had suggested it was a full-time job and recommended "a younger man". He had seen what Aylett had done at North Melbourne.

The 13 men voted together and the scrutineers, Hamilton and Nathan, never revealed the numbers. But there is little doubt that Aylett won a cliffhanger by the barest possible margin. He would waste no time in implementing his agenda.

The new president expanded the VFL properties division, introduced the grand final parade, pre-match entertainment and a live telecast into Victoria of the big game in 1977. He then proudly handed out the premiership medallions to his beloved Kangaroos.

Earlier in the year, the former Sheffield Shield cricketer had driven a lucrative deal that led to World Series Cricket being played under the new lights at Waverley.

His new corporate planner wrote a report on ground rationalisation and the need to expand into the nation's biggest market. But Hennessy deflects the credit.

"The Sydney thing was really Aylett's idea: there was no other person in the organisation who was really even pushing it at all." South Melbourne played in the harbour city from 1982.

Regular seminars and informal think-tanks were the forums for new ideas, challenging traditional thinking. Alternate Melbourne director Dick Seddon appreciated Aylett's invitations.

"He was never worried about opening himself up to criticism, and making what he did totally transparent if it was going to benefit the VFL. He was terrific: not too many people are like that."

Escalating transfer fees and restraint of trade were brought to a head with the Silvio Foschini case and Seddon's law background led him to heading a delegation to the US in mid-1983. The benefits of a salary cap (introduced under Aylett), franchising and a draft were manifest.

"Without those three major planks, the competition wouldn't have survived and it wouldn't have been able to grow the way it has," he said. So we owe everything to Mick because even though I might have been the architect of them, I was very much nurtured in this Aylett environment and encouraged by Mick to do these things."

But Aylett's push for Sunday football and shifting the grand final to VFL Park put him offside with the government of John Cain and undermined his position at the league. There was also a move for a breakaway national competition, excluding poorer Victorian clubs, headed by Carlton president John Elliott.

As president of the National Football League, Aylett had revived the Gaelic connection with the first international rules series in Ireland, but soon after was overlooked for a place on the new VFL Commission.

The new independent decision-making body that he had long advocated became a reality on his last night as president in February, 1985.

The draft was introduced the following year and West Coast and Brisbane were licensed to compete in a truly national competition in 1987. According to Hennessy, the AFL we have today is the legacy of the man who scraped into power 30 years ago.

"There is no doubt in my mind that if Allen hadn't become the president, the establishment of the national competition and all those associated issues may have occurred much, much later or have occurred a la Packer, in a different format and form with other people becoming the drivers."

These days, another former North Melbourne man, Andrew Demetriou, heads up a truly national competition funded by a $780 million television deal that ensures the survival of our favourite code.

"He was very much a big-picture thinker, and the game needed to go national and he had the ability to carry it forward."
COLIN STUBBS, former Essendon president.

"There is no doubt in my mind that if Allen hadn’t become the president, the establishment of the national competition and all those associated issues may have occurred much, much later or have occurred a la Packer in a different format and form with other people becoming the drivers."
JOHN HENNESSY, former VFL corporate planner

"He was never worried about opening himself up to criticism, and making what he did totally transparent if it was going to benefi t the VFL. He was terrific: not too many people are like that."
DICK SEDDON, alternate Melbourne director.

UNDER AYLETT

(VFL president, February 1977-February 1985)

1977
• First grand final parade.
• Pre-match entertainment for grand final introduced.
• Grand final telecast live into Victoria for the first time.
• Premiership medallions introduced.
• $825,000 three-year deal for World Series Cricket to use VFL Park.

1978
• Expanded the VFL brand to include VFL Insurances.
• Home-and-away attendances passed three million for the first time.
• Brownlow Medal count moved to grand final week. 1979
• Australian football championships national night series inaugurated.
• Reserve grade matches played on Sundays.
• VFL matches for premiership points played in Sydney (on Sunday, and telecast live in Melbourne).

1980
• Phil Ryan appointed players’ payment commissioner to control player payments.

1981
• First match played in Brisbane for premiership points.
• First Sunday matches trialled. 1982
• South Melbourne relocates to Sydney.
• New VFL headquarters opened in Jolimont Road.

1983
• First Friday night match (played at the SCG) for premiership points.
• New player payment and transfer rules adopted (for implementation in 1984).

1984
• Independent VFL Commission established.
• North Melbourne plays first home games at the MCG.
• First finals match played on a Sunday.
• Salary cap introduced for use in 1985

A tribute night organised to honour Allen Aylett was held last week in the MCC members’ dining room.