Gale confirmed as first CEO of Tasmanian Devils

Brendon Gale will leave Richmond at the end of the season to become the first chief executive at the Tasmanian Devils AFL expansion club.

The announcement on Friday confirms weeks of speculation about Gale’s future and means a homecoming for the Burnie native.

The 55-year-old is a highly respected AFL club administrator who played a crucial role in the Tigers emerging from their premiership wilderness to win flags in 2017, 2019 and 2020.

“Not only have we got a highly successful and proven AFL club CEO, we have also tempted home a proud son of Tasmania,” said Devils chair Grant O’Brien.

“This is an enormous vote of confidence in our club.”

AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon also congratulated Gale on the appointment.

“His proven experience in establishing and leading high-performing environments will see him as a perfect fit as the first CEO for the Tasmania Devils and will see the club set up for success from the start,” Dillon said.

Gale leaves the Tigers after 15 years as their chief executive. The center half-forward and ruckman also played 244 games for Richmond from 1990-2001.

He had repeatedly been linked to a move back to his home state since the Devils were granted the 19th AFL license, but previously dismissed the rumors as “speculation”.

“I have spent half my life at this club as an administrator and player. It is time for me to embark on a new challenge, and for the club to write the next chapter,” Gale said.

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“I’ll remain absolutely focused on the job at hand for the coming months. It is an exciting and challenging period for us on and off the field.

“The breadth and depth of our leadership is a real feature of our club, and we are all getting on with the job at hand, and that is where my energies will be focused.”

Along with other club figures such as president Peggy O’Neal and football boss Neil Balme, Gale was crucial in leading the club back to the top of the ladder.

Gale guided Richmond out of debt and into financial stability, and boldly predicted in 2010 that the club would claim three flags by 2020.

His words would eventually ring true when, after taking out the 2017 flag, the Tigers and coach Damien Hardwick also claimed back-to-back premierships in 2019 and 2020.

Gale was a staunch defender of Hardwick, backing the coach as the right man to lead the club to their first premiership since 1980 despite shortcomings in the early days of his tenure.

The Tigers’ administration held firm at the end of 2016 when they dropped out of the top eight, seeing off a board challenge and bringing in Balme as a key appointment.

Richmond, now led by first-year coach Adem Yze, sit 17th on the ladder with a 1-7 record.