Tara Murray
The Essendon District Football League has a new boss with the league appointing a new chief executive.
The league announced on Monday that Andrew Johnston had been appointed to the role.
Johnston is no stranger to the area, having been involved with football in Melbourne’s north and north-west.
Johnston arrives at the league with a wealth of knowledge and experience in football, while most recently leading a national sporting organisation.
“After spending nearly a decade at AFL Victoria, Andrew was instrumental in the establishment of the inaugural Gold Coast Suns Academy during the early iterations of the club’s history, before assuming the head coach position at the Calder Cannons where he saw eight EDFL juniors get drafted into AFL senior ranks,” the league said in its statement.
“In between, Andrew has spent time in various coaching and mentorship roles within football, including in the EDFL.”
Johnston joins the EDFL from Little Athletics Australia where he was the general manager of operations.
EDFL chairman Bernie Shinners formally welcomed the new CEO on behalf of the EDFL board.
“We’d like to warmly welcome Andrew back to the EDFL who not only brings strong ties back into the league, but a vast array of experience,” he said.
“Andrew was the preferred candidate from a strong list of applicants, and in conjunction with our clubs and major partners, the EDFL has an exciting future that we believe Andrew, in this leadership role, will greatly contribute to the league.”
Johnston will commence on February 28.
