Former Labor senator Stephen Conroy has been confirmed as the new chairman of Australian Professional Leagues.
Conroy replaces Western Sydney Wanderers owner Paul Lederer in becoming the first independent chairman of the APL, which runs the men’s and women’s A-League competitions.
“I have never seen greater opportunity for the immense potential of Australian and New Zealand professional football to be realised than I do today,” Conroy said in a letter to fans.
“The Matildas and the Socceroos showed the world the heights they could reach in the past year, and the A-League men and the A-League women – the competitions where almost all of those stars were made – were proven to be the foundry of world-class footballers.
“As they continue to rapidly develop, our leagues will produce an ever more exciting conveyor belt of Australasian talent that will sit at the heart of our game’s future international successes and deliver even more competitive and hard-fought domestic fixtures.”
Conroy also confirmed that another independent director would soon join the APL board.
“With a talented, hard-working and passionate executive team in place, APL is an organisation intent on delivering on its responsibilities to the whole game,” he said.