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Allen James Aylett
OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
(24 April 1934 – 16 September 2022) was an
Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...
player and administrator. He was the chairman/president of the
North Melbourne Football Club The North Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed the Kangaroos, is a professional Australian rules football club. The men's team competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), and the women's team in the AFL Women's (AFLW). The Kangaroos also ...
from 1971 to 1976, and then again from 2001 to 2005. In between, he had been the chairman of the then Victorian Football League (VFL) from 1977 to 1984. Aylett worked as a dentist throughout his career and into his eighties.


Early life

Aylett was born in Melbourne on 24 April 1934. He attended
University High School University High School may refer to: Australia * University High School, Melbourne, Victoria Canada * University Hill Secondary School, Vancouver, British Columbia United States Arizona * University High School (Tolleson) * University High S ...
in his hometown. He made his debut for North Melbourne at the age of 17 while he was still in secondary school, a rare feat at the time.


Playing career

It was as an
Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...
rover that Aylett first made his mark. He played 220 games and kicked 311 goals, in a career spanning 1952–1964. He won North Melbourne's
best and fairest In Australian sport, the best and fairest award recognises the player(s) adjudged to have had the best performance in a game or over a season for a given sporting club or competition. The awards are sometimes dependent on not receiving a suspensi ...
award from 1958 to 1960, was All-Australian in 1958 and 1961, won the Tassie Medal in 1958 (the first player from Victoria to win), won the Simpson Medal in 1960, and was captain of his side from 1961 to 1964. He was selected in the
North Melbourne Football Club The North Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed the Kangaroos, is a professional Australian rules football club. The men's team competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), and the women's team in the AFL Women's (AFLW). The Kangaroos also ...
's Team of the Century. Aylett also had a brief cricketing career that he never fully pursued due to his interest in
Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...
. He played as a batsman in 11 first-class matches in the 1950s for domestic cricket side Victoria but was not successful, finishing with a batting average of just 16. He played district cricket for Carlton (two seasons) and University (six seasons), averaging 27.


Administration career

Aylett is best known for his career as an administrator in the 1970s and 1980s. He was elected to the position of
North Melbourne Football Club The North Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed the Kangaroos, is a professional Australian rules football club. The men's team competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), and the women's team in the AFL Women's (AFLW). The Kangaroos also ...
president in 1971, and his innovative off-field leadership in securing sponsorship and running corporate entertainment – including the rise of the North Melbourne Grand Final Breakfast as one of the Grand Final's most prominent events – followed by his aggressive recruitment of star players, particularly through the use of the short-lived "ten year rule" in 1973, turned North Melbourne from perennial also-rans to a professionally run powerhouse of the 1970s, and the club contested five consecutive Grand Finals between 1974 and 1978, winning the
1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...
and
1977 Events January * January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democratic R ...
games. Aylett was elected president of the VFL in 1977. He continued his aggressive efforts to push the game's administration towards professional and business-driven success. His actions in setting up the VFL's Night Series in 1977, as a direct rival to the
NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...
's Night Series, delivered both sponsorship opportunities and laid the platform for the VFL to supersede the NFL for control of football in Australia. Under his guidance, the league expanded into the Sydney market, making preparations for an expansion team before opted to relocate there; Aylett subsequently sat on the Swans' board of directors. Additionally, during his tenure, the VFL began to establish regular Sunday matches in Victoria; and he fought the Melbourne Cricket Club and the Victorian Government to move the Grand Final to VFL Park, ultimately failing to make the move, but securing a better financial deal for the VFL and better ticket access for VFL members. Aylett stepped down in December 1984 following the establishment of the
VFL Commission The AFL Commission is the official governing body of the Australian Football League Limited (AFL), its subsidiaries and controlled entities. Richard Goyder has been chairman since 4 April 2017, replacing Mike Fitzpatrick. It was formed in 1985 ...
. Aylett also served as president of the National Football League from 1978 until 1985. He subsequently returned for a second and final stint as North Melbourne Kangaroos president from 2001 to 2005.


Honours

In the
1979 Birthday Honours The Queen's Birthday Honours 1979 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The appointments were made to celebrate ...
, Aylett was appointed an
Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
(OBE) for services to Australian Rules football. On 24 October 2000, he was awarded the Australian Sports Medal for his contribution to Australian Football. On 1 January 2001, he was awarded the
Centenary Medal The Centenary Medal is an award which was created by the Australian Government in 2001. It was established to commemorate the centenary of the Federation of Australia and to recognise "people who made a contribution to Australian society or go ...
for service to Australian society through the sport of AFL football. He was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame as an administrator in 2006.


Later life

Aylett was married to Marjorie "Marj" Wapet for 71 years until his death. They met while studying at University High together. Together, they had four children: Tony, Rick, Julie and Sam. He continued working as a dentist into his eighties. Aylett died on 16 September 2022 at the age of 88.


See also

* List of Victoria first-class cricketers


References


External links

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Aylett, Allen 1934 births 2022 deaths Australian rules footballers from Melbourne North Melbourne Football Club players All-Australians (1953–1988) Syd Barker Medal winners VFL/AFL administrators North Melbourne Football Club administrators Australian Football Hall of Fame inductees Victoria cricketers Australian cricketers Australian dentists Australian Officers of the Order of the British Empire Recipients of the Australian Sports Medal Recipients of the Centenary Medal Sport Australia Hall of Fame inductees Cricketers from Victoria (Australia)