Know Your History with Shannon Gill
Oct 20, 2026 · 32 min · 16 segments
VFL ground rationalisation from the early 80's - Know Your History with Shannon Gill
So a few weeks back, we were contacted by someone who played a very, very important role, a man by the name of John Hennessy.
I won't read the full email, but he says, I have a story that may be suitable for Know Your History.
So I've subsequently had a good chat with John Hennessy, and he's also provided bits and pieces from that report and other elements that play into what happened, which is It is quite a tale, and it's amazing how many of these things have actually played out the way the league thought at that time.
There is – Alan Aylett becomes president of the VFL in 1977 – He's young and he's got a different view on things.
As some people say, jokingly, before Alan Aylett, nothing had changed for 80, 90 years at the VFL.
He comes in with a fresh set of eyes, wants to take the game national, all sorts of things subsequently change.
He creates the role of a corporate planner, which today the term corporate planner doesn't really mean anything to us, but it's the equivalent of today as a sort of head of strategy or something like that.
So a few weeks back, we were contacted by someone who played a very, very important role, a man by the name of John Hennessy.
I won't read the full email, but he says, I have a story that may be suitable for Know Your History.
So I've subsequently had a good chat with John Hennessy, and he's also provided bits and pieces from that report and other elements that play into what happened, which is It is quite a tale, and it's amazing how many of these things have actually played out the way the league thought at that time.
There is – Alan Aylett becomes president of the VFL in 1977 – He's young and he's got a different view on things.
As some people say, jokingly, before Alan Aylett, nothing had changed for 80, 90 years at the VFL.
He comes in with a fresh set of eyes, wants to take the game national, all sorts of things subsequently change.
He creates the role of a corporate planner, which today the term corporate planner doesn't really mean anything to us, but it's the equivalent of today as a sort of head of strategy or something like that.
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