Football Federation Australia (FFA) has today announced that Damien de Bohun has resigned as Head of Hyundai A-League.
De Bohun has confirmed that he will be returning to Melbourne for family reasons at the end of the current Hyundai A-League season.
Having performed the top job for four seasons since July 2012, de Bohun is the longest-serving Head of A-League in the competition’s 11 year history. He will oversee the remainder of the Season 11 and ongoing planning which is underway for Season 12 before departing in June.
FFA CEO David Gallop said de Bohun’s commitment to work collaboratively with A-League clubs and the league’s stakeholders has been the hallmark of his tenure.
“Damien brought incredible energy and dedication to the task, which spans a huge range of sporting, business and regulatory issues,” said Gallop.
“Running the A-League is a seven day a week undertaking. Damien did that while travelling across the nation and New Zealand to be on the ground with clubs to better understand their key issues and environment.
“I totally understand his decision to return to Melbourne and wish him all the best.”
De Bohun joined FFA from Cricket Australia and was Head of the A-League during a period of sustained growth.
“What is most important is that the Hyundai A-League has become a part of the mainstream of Australian sport over the last four seasons,” said de Bohun.
“From the outset this role has been exhilarating, with some of the early highlights being the Wanderers taking the A-League by storm and winning the AFC Champions League, and the marquee players like del Piero, Heskey, Ono, Kewell and Villa giving the competition genuine star quality.
“The real focus, though, has been to work closely with the ten clubs and the vast array of other key stakeholders including broadcasters, A-League players and coaches, sponsors, stadiums, media and most importantly fans to create a stable and sustainable competition. We have achieved that today and I am very pleased that the Hyundai A-League is in a solid position heading into a new period of opportunity and growth.”
De Bohun listed other highlights:
• Establishment of the Westfield FFA Cup.
• Significant development and growth in the Westfield W-League, including the expansion of the Westfield W-League competition and matches being broadcast nationally live on both the ABC and Fox Sports.
• Negotiation of economically responsible CBA agreements.
• The introduction of all nine Australian Foxtel National Youth League teams in the state based PlayStation4 National Premier League competitions, creating a comprehensive pathway for Australia’s future football stars.
Football Federation Australia have appointed Sports Recruitment International (www.sportsrecruitment.com) to undertake a detailed search to identify a replacement Head of Hyundai A-League.
