ABSTRACT

Rationale/Purpose:

The Australian Football League's (AFL) governance structure is largely unique in the context of professional sports leagues, yet it has rarely been studied. This paper analyses the various components of the AFL’s “Independent Commission” governance structure and draws comparisons with European football’s “club-run” leagues.

Method:

This is a primarily conceptual paper that involves documentary analysis of constitutional documents and governance reports relating to the AFL.

Findings:

The AFL’s governance structure is characterised by a Commission of independent members that, in stark contrast to European football, has near complete powers to run the league through the CEO. While the AFL is “owned” by its clubs, they have limited constitutional power to influence decision-making, but are able to hold the Commission accountable through their ability to elect and remove its members. A policy of “active engagement” exists within the AFL with the intention of promoting harmony between key stakeholders.

Research Contribution:

This paper contributes to sport governance research by presenting new insight on how the AFL’s distinctive governance structure works from a constitutional perspective and highlights the efficiencies the structure (or elements thereof) may yield in other league contexts.

Practical Implications:

The paper provides practitioners across the sport industry with an in-depth look at an under-researched and seemingly effective league governance structure, which can inform their debates on sport governance reform.

中文翻译：

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分析澳大利亚橄榄球联盟 (AFL) 的治理结构：它与欧洲的“俱乐部运营”联赛相比如何？

摘要

理由/目的：

澳大利亚橄榄球联盟 (AFL) 的治理结构在职业体育联盟的背景下非常独特，但很少有人对其进行研究。本文分析了 AFL“独立委员会”治理结构的各个组成部分，并与欧洲足球的“俱乐部运营”联赛进行了比较。

方法：

这是一篇主要是概念性的论文，涉及对与 AFL 相关的章程文件和治理报告的文件分析。

发现：

AFL 的治理结构的特点是一个由独立成员组成的委员会，与欧洲足球形成鲜明对比的是，该委员会几乎拥有通过 CEO 管理联盟的全部权力。虽然 AFL 由其俱乐部“所有”，但它们影响决策的宪法权力有限，但能够通过选举和罢免其成员的能力使委员会承担责任。AFL 中存在一项“积极参与”的政策，旨在促进主要利益相关者之间的和谐。

研究贡献：

本文通过从宪法角度提出关于 AFL 独特治理结构如何运作的新见解，并强调该结构（或其要素）在其他联盟背景下可能产生的效率，从而为体育治理研究做出贡献。

实际影响：

该论文为整个体育行业的从业者提供了一个深入研究未充分研究但看似有效的联盟治理结构的机会，这可以为他们关于体育治理改革的辩论提供信息。