Mike Fitzpatrick (footballer)
Encyclopedia
Michael "Mike" Fitzpatrick (born 28 January 1953) is an Australian businessman, sporting administrator and former Australian rules football
er.
He is the current chairman of the Australian Football League
having succeeded Ron Evans in the position in 2007. He has been an AFL commissioner since 2003.
with Subiaco
in 1970 and in 1973 was a member of Subiaco's first premiership in 49 years and won his first of two consecutive best and fairest
awards. He mainly played the key position of ruckman.
He managed to combine his football with engineering studies at the University of Western Australia
and in 1975 he was awarded a two-year Rhodes Scholarship
to attend St. John's College Oxford
, where he was involved in the Oxford University Australian Rules Football Club
. He also signed to play with the Carlton Football Club
in the then Victorian Football League
, but only managed a handful of games in these years. However, by 1979 he was fully committed to football and managed to win the Carlton best and fairest award in a premiership year. He was then named captain of Carlton in 1980 and led The Blues to consecutive premierships in 1981 and 1982.
He represented both Western Australia and Victoria in state representative football and was captain of the 1982 VFL Team of the Year.
government's Victorian Treasury Department.
His career then took him to New York where he worked for International Investment Banks - Merrill Lynch
and Credit Suisse First Boston
.
In 1994, he set up Hastings Funds Management, a successful superannuations funds company of which 51 per cent was sold to the Westpac Bank in 2002.
He is a current board member of the:
Among other positions held he:
each year awards several AFLPA Mike Fitzpatrick Scholarships to assist young football players financially to achieve excellence in both the education and football fields.
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...
er.
He is the current chairman of 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...
having succeeded Ron Evans in the position in 2007. He has been an AFL commissioner since 2003.
Football career
He made his debut in the West Australian National Football LeagueWest Australian Football League
The West Australian Football League is an Australian rules football league based in Perth, Western Australia. The WAFL is the second-most popular in the state, behind the nation-wide Australian Football League...
with Subiaco
Subiaco Football Club
The Subiaco Football Club, nicknamed the Lions, is an Australian rules football club in the West Australian Football League . It was founded in 1896, and admitted to the WAFL in 1901, along with North Fremantle...
in 1970 and in 1973 was a member of Subiaco's first premiership in 49 years and won his first of two consecutive 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...
awards. He mainly played the key position of ruckman.
He managed to combine his football with engineering studies at the University of Western Australia
University of Western Australia
The University of Western Australia was established by an Act of the Western Australian Parliament in February 1911, and began teaching students for the first time in 1913. It is the oldest university in the state of Western Australia and the only university in the state to be a member of the...
and in 1975 he was awarded a two-year Rhodes Scholarship
Rhodes Scholarship
The Rhodes Scholarship, named after Cecil Rhodes, is an international postgraduate award for study at the University of Oxford. It was the first large-scale programme of international scholarships, and is widely considered the "world's most prestigious scholarship" by many public sources such as...
to attend St. John's College Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
, where he was involved in the Oxford University Australian Rules Football Club
Oxford University Australian Rules Football Club
Oxford University Australian Rules Football Club is an Australian rules football club representing the University of Oxford. The Club operates under the auspices of Oxford University Sport...
. He also signed to play with the Carlton Football Club
Carlton Football Club
The Carlton Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club competes in the Australian Football League, and was one of the eight founding members of that competition in 1897...
in the then Victorian 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...
, but only managed a handful of games in these years. However, by 1979 he was fully committed to football and managed to win the Carlton best and fairest award in a premiership year. He was then named captain of Carlton in 1980 and led The Blues to consecutive premierships in 1981 and 1982.
He represented both Western Australia and Victoria in state representative football and was captain of the 1982 VFL Team of the Year.
Business career
At the end of the 1983 season he surprisingly retired from football and established a career working as an adviser in the John CainJohn Cain II
John Cain , Australian Labor Party politician, was the 41st Premier of Victoria, holding office from 1982 to 1990.-Biography:...
government's Victorian Treasury Department.
His career then took him to New York where he worked for International Investment Banks - Merrill Lynch
Merrill Lynch
Merrill Lynch is the wealth management division of Bank of America. With over 15,000 financial advisors and $2.2 trillion in client assets it is the world's largest brokerage. Formerly known as Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc., prior to 2009 the firm was publicly owned and traded on the New York...
and Credit Suisse First Boston
Credit Suisse First Boston
Credit Suisse First Boston was the former name of the banking firm Credit Suisse.-History:In 1978, Credit Suisse and First Boston Corporation formed a London-based 50-50 investment banking joint venture called the Financière Crédit Suisse-First Boston...
.
In 1994, he set up Hastings Funds Management, a successful superannuations funds company of which 51 per cent was sold to the Westpac Bank in 2002.
He is a current board member of the:
- Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical ResearchWalter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical ResearchThe Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research is Australia's oldest medical research institute.In 2011, the institute is home to more than 650 researchers who are working to understand, prevent and treat diseases including blood, breast and ovarian cancers; inflammatory diseases such as...
. - Rio Tinto GroupRio Tinto GroupThe Rio Tinto Group is a diversified, British-Australian, multinational mining and resources group with headquarters in London and Melbourne. The company was founded in 1873, when a multinational consortium of investors purchased a mine complex on the Rio Tinto river, in Huelva, Spain from the...
.
Among other positions held he:
- was previously a director of TelstraTelstraTelstra Corporation Limited is an Australian telecommunications and media company, building and operating telecommunications networks and marketing voice, mobile, internet access and pay television products and services....
, Australian Infrastructure Fund Limited and Pacific HydroPacific HydroPacific Hydro is an Australian company that specialises in electricity generation using renewable energy. Its focus is on hydroelectricity and windpower. It was a public company listed on the Australian Stock Exchange until July 2005. It was subject to a successful takeover offer by a subsidiary of...
. - was a former chairman of the Australian Sports CommissionAustralian Sports CommissionThe Australian Sports Commission is the governing body responsible for distributing funds and providing strategic guidance for sporting activity in Australia. It is an agency of the Government of Australia within the portfolio of Health and Ageing...
. - is chairman of the Victorian Funds Management Corporation and Treasury Group Ltd.
- was a director of several of Hastings' Managed Investments.
Legacy
The AFL Players AssociationAFL Players Association
The AFL Players Association, or AFLPA, is the representative body for all current and past professional Australian Football League players....
each year awards several AFLPA Mike Fitzpatrick Scholarships to assist young football players financially to achieve excellence in both the education and football fields.