The AFL has announced the best player on the ground in next week’s North East Australian Football League (NEAFL) Grand Final will be awarded the Andrew Ireland Medal.
 
The NEAFL was established as a second tier competition this year bringing together 17 clubs from across the ACT, NSW, Queensland and the Northern Territory to further stimulate the development of the game and build on existing competitions and Academy system.
 
AFL Chief Executive Andrew Demetriou announced the honour prior to tonight's semi final between Hawthorn and Sydney Swans at the MCG. He said it was a fitting recognition of the contribution Andrew Ireland had made to growing the game in emerging markets. 
 
"Andrew has been instrumental in the AFL's push to develop Queensland and NSW/ACT in particular. Among his many achievements he was the architect of the first premierships for both the Brisbane Lions and Sydney Swans which stimulated stronger interest in the code,” Mr Demetriou said.
 
“He has been a strong supporter of football at all levels and has helped develop the AFL's presence in the ACT by supporting AFL matches and the entry of the Swans Reserves into the AFL Canberra competition."
 
Andrew Ireland played 110 games with Collingwood in the VFL, including the 1977, ’79 and ’80 Grand Finals. He later played for Mayne in the QAFL and was the State Director of Coaching before becoming General Manager of the QAFL.
 
In 1990 he was appointed as Chief Executive Officer of the then Brisbane Bears FC and was instrumental in bringing the Bears from the Gold Coast to Brisbane and the Gabba in the early 1990s. He was CEO at the Lions in their first premiership year in 2001.
 
In 2002 he was appointed General Manager - Football Operations at the Sydney Swans and helped guide the club to its first premiership in over 70 years in 2005. At the end of 2009 he was appointed CEO of the Sydney Swans.