Author(s): Ross Oakley

Football

In 1986, Ross Oakley was appointed Chairman and CEO of the troubled Victorian Football League. Over the following 10 years he oversaw the transformation of the VFL into the Australian Football League, and the powerhouse League that we have today was born.Oakley's tasks were to create a national game and oversee the expansion of the competition, as well as to bring the business of football into modern times. This included attempts to merge Fitzroy and Footscray, which elicited widespread criticism and gave birth to the catchphrase "Up Yours Oakley!" (Fitzroy and the Brisbane Lions eventually merged in 1996.)The Phoenix Rises describes the genesis of the AFL, drawing together the personal and historical accounts of the time, combined with anecdotes from the people who played an integral part in footy's most transformative time.