Allen Aylett
Encyclopedia
Dr. Allen Aylett is a former Australian rules football
player and administrator. He was the chairman/president of the North Melbourne Football Club
during the 1970s (1971-1976) and then again from 2001–2005. In between, he had been the chairman of the then Victorian Football League (VFL) which is now known as the Australian Football League
from 1977 to 1983.
. He still played 11 first-class matches in the 1950s for domestic cricket side Victoria
as a batsman, but was not successful, finishing with a poor batting average
of just 16.
rover that Aylett first made his mark. Aylett played 220 games and kicked 311 goals in a career spanning 1952–1964. He won North Melbourne
's Best and Fairest
award from 1958–1960, was All-Australian in 1958 and 1961, won the Tassie Medal in 1958, and was captain of his side from 1961–1964. He was selected in the North Melbourne Football Club
's Team of the Century
,
president in the 1970s he became president of the VFL and led the expansion of the VFL into the tough Sydney market, along with then-Sydney Swans
president Geoffrey Edelsten
.
Aylett signalled the end of his administration career after a final stint as North Melbourne Kangaroos
president from 2001–2005.
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
player and administrator. He was the chairman/president of the North Melbourne Football Club
Kangaroos Football Club
The North Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Kangaroos, is the fourth oldest Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League and is one of the oldest sporting clubs in Australia and the world...
during the 1970s (1971-1976) and then again from 2001–2005. In between, he had been the chairman of the then Victorian Football League (VFL) which is now known as the Australian Football League
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
from 1977 to 1983.
Cricket career
Aylett had a brief cricketing career that he never fully pursued due to his interest in Australian rules footballAustralian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
. He still played 11 first-class matches in the 1950s for domestic cricket side Victoria
Victorian Bushrangers
The Victorian cricket team, nicknamed the Bushrangers, is an Australian cricket team based in Melbourne, that represents the state of Victoria. It is administered by Cricket Victoria and draws its players from Melbourne's Premier Cricket competition...
as a batsman, but was not successful, finishing with a poor batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
of just 16.
Australian rules career
But it was as an Australian rules footballAustralian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
rover that Aylett first made his mark. Aylett played 220 games and kicked 311 goals in a career spanning 1952–1964. He won North Melbourne
North Melbourne Football Club
The North Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Kangaroos, is the fourth oldest Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League and is one of the oldest sporting clubs in Australia and the world...
's Best and Fairest
Best and Fairest
Best and Fairest is the term commonly used in Australian sport to describe the player adjudged to have had the best performance in a game or over a season for a given sporting club or competition while not receiving a suspension for misconduct or breaching the rules during that season.In the...
award from 1958–1960, was All-Australian in 1958 and 1961, won the Tassie Medal in 1958, and was captain of his side from 1961–1964. He was selected in the North Melbourne Football Club
North Melbourne Football Club
The North Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Kangaroos, is the fourth oldest Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League and is one of the oldest sporting clubs in Australia and the world...
's Team of the Century
Team of the Century
Team of the Century and Team of the Decade are terms used in team sport to name a hypothetical best team over a given time period.For the century team, it can be either 100 years, or for a century...
,
Administration career
It is what he did later in his career however, as an administrator for the VFL (now known as the AFL)in the 1970s and 1980s, that he is most well known for. After holding the position of North Melbourne Football ClubNorth Melbourne Football Club
The North Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Kangaroos, is the fourth oldest Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League and is one of the oldest sporting clubs in Australia and the world...
president in the 1970s he became president of the VFL and led the expansion of the VFL into the tough Sydney market, along with then-Sydney Swans
Sydney Swans
The Sydney Swans Football Club is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Sydney, New South Wales. The club, founded in 1874, was known as the South Melbourne Football Club until it relocated to Sydney in 1982 to become the Sydney...
president Geoffrey Edelsten
Geoffrey Edelsten
Geoffrey Walter Edelsten is an Australian medical entrepreneur. He was the first private owner of a major Australian football team when he bought the Sydney Swans Football Club in 1985. Edelsten was formerly a general practitioner, but was deregistered in New South Wales in 1988 and also in...
.
Aylett signalled the end of his administration career after a final stint as North Melbourne Kangaroos
Kangaroos Football Club
The North Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Kangaroos, is the fourth oldest Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League and is one of the oldest sporting clubs in Australia and the world...
president from 2001–2005.