- Gillon McLachlan is tipped to be new chairman of Racing Victoria
- The former AFL CEO left footy last October
- It would put him on a collision course with Peter V’landys
Former footy boss Gillon McLachlan has been heavily linked with a new gig with Racing Victoria after stepping away from the AFL following his nine-year stint.
McLachlan is understood to be RV’s top candidate to fill their chairman vacancy, while Victoria Racing Minister Anthony Carbines has earmarked McLachlan as his ‘preferred candidate’.
He was heavily linked with the role ahead of his expected AFL departure date of 2022, but several issues – including the need to finalise an AFL licence for a new team in Tasmania – meant he stayed until near the end of the 2023 season.
According to 7Sport, McLachlan has beaten a field of 10 other candidates to the position.
Gillon McLachlan is reportedly heavy favourite to become Racing Victoria boss
Should he accept, it would put him on a collision course with Peter V’landys again
He is a passionate horse racing fan and his great grandmother was the owner of the 1931 Melbourne Cup winner White Nose. McLachlan will replace former chairman Brian Kruger in the role.
While McLachlan has not yet accepted the position, his arrival in horse racing would see him once again go head to head with Peter V’landys, the NRL chairman also acting as the chairman of NSW Racing.
McLachlan was the CEO of the AFL from June 2014 to October 2023 and handed over the reins to Andrew Dillon after last year’s grand final, which Collingwood won.
His major achievements with the AFL include the seven-year, $4.5billion extension to the AFL’s broadcast deal in September 2022, the launch of the AFLW in 2017 and the newly-devised ‘Gather Round’.
McLachlan also steered the sport through the Covid-19 pandemic.
