Football operations manager Adrian Anderson announced on Wednesday that the former Carlton captain and current chairman of the Match Review Tribunal had been appointed to the newly created role.
Anderson said it was vital for the AFL to maintain close contact with the AFL clubs to assist in making sure the game remains exciting to watch and safe to play.
"The AFL Commission and the AFL is committed to maintaining AFL football as the most exciting game to play and watch," Anderson said.
"We are delighted to have someone of Andrew's standing within the game to work closely with the AFL clubs and other stakeholders to gather their feedback on key areas within the game -- the operation of the Tribunal and Match Review Panel, Laws-related issues, game evolution and the consultation process."
Anderson noted that the AFL was seeking further feedback on two specific areas that had emerged from those raised by the clubs in the first round of feedback earlier this year.
The first is the recalling of "off-line" bounces by field umpires. Anderson noted that the AFL will examine whether umpires should recall bounces that result in a clear advantage to one team.
At present, umpires are only able to recall bounces that are smothered or do not reach head height. The feedback may result in umpires being able to recall off-line bounces, such as the one that landed in the hands of Adam Simpson in the North Melbourne v Collingwood match earlier in the season.
The position of the goal line is another area that will be examined to aid goal umpires making potentially contentious decisions relating to when the ball has fully passed the goal line.
Goal umpires use the goal line as a reference when the ball is on the ground, but the back of the padding on the goal posts as a reference when the ball is in the air.
The AFL will look at two possible solutions: either increasing the width of the goal line to equal the width of the padding on the goal posts; or marking the goal line at the back of the padding rather than in the middle of the post.
