Departure of Chief Executive prompts management change at Australian Professional Leagues

The departure of Australian Professional Leagues Chief Executive Danny Townsend has seen the A-Leagues’ management body announce that Commissioner Nick Garcia and James Rushton, Managing Director of KEEPUP, will now lead the body.

Townsend announced on Friday that he would be departing his role at the Australian Professional Leagues (APL) with immediate effect to take up a new position with SRJ Sports Investments, the new vehicle created by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) to further grow the Kingdom's presence within global sport.

This was followed by the APL announcing that Garcia and Rushton would step in to head the Leagues’ operations, reporting to the Board and newly appointed Independent Chair Stephen Conroy.

Townsend (pictured), the former Sydney FC Chief Executive who was involved in unbundling the A-League competitions from Football Australia, formally joined the APL as Chief Executive in December 2021.

His achievements included guiding the leagues through the Covid-19 pandemic, signing a new collective bargaining agreement and securing the five-year broadcast deal with Paramount while also securing investment from Silver Lake.

During his tenure, the W-League was rebranded A-League Women with Wellington, Western United and Central Coast added to the competition which has expanded to home and away. The Leagues have since started the process for expansion in Auckland and Canberra in 2024/25.

However, his time in post also saw last December’s controversial and unpopular decision to sell grand-final hosting rights to NSW, which was reversed in favour of a ‘Unite Round’ this week.

In a statement, Conroy advised “the APL has undergone extraordinary growth in just a two-and-a-half-year period under Danny’s leadership, and we thank him for his service to football in Australia and New Zealand, both as CEO of the APL and before that as CEO of Sydney FC.”

Townsend noted “we’ve made incredible progress over the last three years and I am extremely proud of what we have achieved as independent leagues.

“I will always feel privileged to have had this opportunity to serve the game I love.

“I very much look forward to seeing it continue to grow at pace.”

Also in football, Sydney FC has announced the appointment of Mark Aubrey as its new Chief Executive, replacing Adam Santo, who stepped down after 10 years at the club.