Danny Townsend named Chief Executive of Australian Professional Leagues

Australian Professional Leagues (APL) - the entity responsible for the operation, commercialisation and marketing of professional football - has announced that its current Managing Director Danny Townsend will take on the role of Chief Executive full-time in the first half of next year, transitioning from his dual role as Chief Executive at Sydney FC.

APL Chairman Paul Lederer described Townsend as a highly-regarded sports executive, who has brought an unrivalled period of success on and off the field to Sydney FC, as well as taking giant strides while in a dual role leading the first year of APL’s commercial, marketing and operational management of the A-Leagues.

Announcing the appointment, Lederer stated “in a year of significant developments and progress for APL, the transition of Danny Townsend as full-time CEO is one of the most important. Danny’s commercial acumen, passion for football and boundless energy stand him apart as the most dynamic leader in Australian sport.

“Danny and APL’s Executive Leadership Team have achieved significant results since professional football unbundled from football’s governing body in December 2020, including delivery of a new brand, a major broadcast rights deal with ViacomCBS and most recently the announcement of capital investment from Silver Lake. With this realised, and Danny Townsend leading APL in a full-time capacity, we can really accelerate APL’s digital transformation and support its continued momentum and ambitious vision for long-term sustainable and inclusive growth.”

Welcoming his new full-time role, Townsend (pictured) advised “I am proud to have led Sydney FC to an exceptionally strong position, with an exciting future and two world class facilities, Sky Park and the new Sydney Football Stadium, less than 12 months away. I have no doubt the club will continue to flourish both on and off the field.

“My role as APL CEO will enable me to put all of my efforts into ensuring Sydney FC

and every A-League club reaches their full potential. I look forward to building on the achievements of the past year and leading and delivering on the strategy to grow the game.”

Townsend’s transition to the APL will be completed once a full handover to the incoming Sydney FC Chief Executive is finalised.