Andrew Ireland (born 7 March 1953) is a former

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 ...

er who played for the

Collingwood Football Club The Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed the Magpies or colloquially the Pies, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's elite competition. The club w ...

in the

Victorian Football League The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football league in Australia serving as one of the second-tier regional semi-professional competitions which sit underneath the fully professional Australian Football League (AFL). It ...

(VFL). Ireland, who came to Collingwood from Ivanhoe, started his career as a forward and kicked 17 goals in his debut season before moving into defence. Usually playing on a half back flank, Ireland finished with 110 senior games and was a member of three losing Grand Final teams at Collingwood, 1977, 1979 and 1980. He represented Victoria in an interstate match against Tasmania in 1978. Following his premature retirement at the age of 27 Ireland went into football administration and from 1990 to 2001 was the CEO of the

Brisbane Bears The Brisbane Football Club, nicknamed the Bears, was a professional Australian rules football club based in Queensland on the Gold Coast (relocated to Brisbane in 1993). The club participated in the Victorian/Australian Football League (VFL/A ...

Lions The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large cat of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphic; adult ...

. He also served as the Director of Football at the

Sydney Swans The Sydney Swans are a professional Australian rules football club based in Sydney, New South Wales. The men's team competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), and the women's team in the AFL Women's (AFLW). The Swans also field a reser ...

References

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Profile
at Collingwood Forever website {{DEFAULTSORT:Ireland, Andrew 1953 births Living people Collingwood Football Club players Ivanhoe Amateurs Football Club players Brisbane Bears administrators Brisbane Lions administrators Sydney Swans administrators Australian rules footballers from Victoria (Australia)