Life’s all about change, and Youi’s the insurer for all the changes – big and small – that happen to you. That’s why the Brisbane Lions and Youi have teamed-up for the ‘Moments of Change’ series, where each week they’ll look back at some of the defining moments that have shaped the club you know today.

If he was so inclined Andrew Wellington would tell you he once won a Colts League Best & Fairest Medal in country Western Australia that has subsequently been won by West Coast champion Josh Kennedy and emerging Carlton star Jack Martin. And that more recently he was the first women’s coach in local junior football at West Juniors.

But he’s not. Not even remotely. The Brisbane Lions Chairman is an understated man if ever there was one. A devoted family man and an unabashed football fan who learned an invaluable lesson very early in life growing up on the WA wheatbelt.

It was a simple message and example from his father Jack …. get involved and do your bit. He’s never forgotten it and has always tried to do just that, adding his own riders which, paraphrased slightly, amount to ‘play to your strengths’ and ‘it’s never about you’.

An accountant by profession and a partner in PricewaterhouseCoopers, one of the world’s Big Four accounting firms, for going on 20 years, Wellington has been a member of the Brisbane Football Club since 1995.

He got involved after moving to Brisbane ‘for a couple of years’ because he loved football and because his original team, West Coast, was never on television in Brisbane. “I figured if I was living in Brisbane this is the team I should support,” he explained.

He has been a member of the Board since May 2014, when he was asked to fill a casual vacancy, took over as Deputy Chairman in December 2016 and followed Bob Sharpless as Chairman in December 2017.

His appointment to the top job was a significant ‘Moment of Change’ in club history. Not because he has driven a huge period of change but because he hasn’t.

He was worked tirelessly with other members of Board and the club executive to maintain the solidarity that was restored through the challenging Sharpless era and steered the club through a period like no other when the world was hit by the 2020 Coronavirus pandemic.

He has been a key figure in a Lions administration that has overseen the establishment of a world-class administration and training base at Springfield, which will guarantee the club’s financial position into the future and will now confront the challenging intervention and opportunity that comes with the 2032 Brisbane Olympic Games and the pending Gabba redevelopment.

The antithesis of some of the high-profile club presidents, quietly spoken and happy to work “off broadway”, Wellington is a ‘doer’. He is a face a lot Lions fans won’t even recognise – just as he is happy for it to be. And just as he learned from his old man.

Born in Geraldton, Wellington was one of three children and the only son to Jack and Jeanette Wellington. His father, a good country footballer, worked with the giant Australian conglomerate Westfarmers.

The family moved around a lot due to his father’s work, and he attended six different schools - one of which in Northam also counts Deven Robertson among its past pupils. He finished his education at Geraldton where he played football with St Pats.

In 1984 he won the President’s Medal as the best & fairest player in the Northern Football League’s Colts competition. It was a medal won in 1981 by Andrew Lockyer, a 78-game foundation player with the West Coast Eagles, and in 1993 by Troy Cook, a 193-game player with Sydney and Fremantle.

Josh Kennedy, the West Coast champion who sits 23rd on the AFL’s all-time goals list, won it in 2003 before Jack Martin, the former Gold Coast Suns priority signing now at Carlton, did so in 2010.

“My playing career peaked at 17,” quipped Wellington, who later played Colts with Subiaco in the WAFL, where his teammates included Karl Langdon, later a 100-game Eagles premiership player, and Stephen Hooper, the #1 pick in the 1990 AFL draft who played 21 games with Geelong. He also played in the WA amateurs.

Having graduated from the University of WA with an Honours degree in accounting and finance, he joined Coopers & Lybrand, one half of what is now PWC, and lived in the Bahamas from 1992-94 after choosing the Bahamas over a placement in Moscow, Warsaw or St.Vincent in the Caribbean.

He and wife Louise were keen to experience life in a different part of the world before starting a family, but it came with an unlikely extra life and sporting experience.

“I played two years of rugby union without knowing the rules - it was the closest thing I could find to Australian rules,” he quipped. “They just told me to catch it, run and release it when you get tackled. I had no idea what I was doing but it helped to meet people and have some fun. Again, it’s the example I followed from my father – get involved.”

Moving back to Australia, the young couple chose Brisbane because Louise’s family is from Beaudesert. “We thought we’d give Brisbane a go for a couple of years … and we’re still here.

“I was an Eagles fan but back then there was only ever one or two games a week on TV, and you could go 12 months without seeing the Eagles. We joined the Bears in 1995 and pretty quickly realised if we were living in Brisbane this was the team we should support.”

Wellington played a little football with the University of Queensland before work and then family took over. Michael (26) is doing a PhD in Agricultural Science at Australian National University in Canberra, daughter Peta (24) lives in Brisbane and works with ‘the enemy’ at KPMG, and daughter Abby (20) is still living at home while studying journalism at the University of Queensland.

Michael did Auskick with West Juniors at Toowong, thereby beginning his father’s long association with the club based at Oakman Park on Moggill Road. He was a long-time volunteer, serving as the club’s treasurer and helping out wherever needed.

He remembers once filling in as a boundary umpire one Saturday morning and pinging a hamstring in front of a lot of amused eight-year-olds and their parents. Many years on, when daughter Peta was looking to play with a group of her school friends, he was a coach with the club’s first women’s team. It was a joint venture with the Jindalee Jaguars, whose players included new Lions AFLQ vice-captain and 2021-22 All-Australian Nat Grider.

Wellington’s time at Oakman Park coincided with that of former Lions chairman Bob Sharpless. He ran the canteen with Bob’s wife Belinda and remembers well trips out to the old Campbell’s Cash ‘n Carry wholesale grocery store at Virginia to stock up.

Adamant the best thing he did during his canteen days was to buy a cappuccino machine, Wellington also manned the Friday night BBQs at Oakman Park with Sharpless, whose other important job was the umpiring roster.

As his family out-grew Wests Juniors his football focus became more about the Bears and then the Lions. He was at the Gabba for the famous game in 1995, when they came from a record 45 points down at three-quarter time to beat Hawthorn and launch a charge to the finals for the first time.

He rarely missed a game at the Gabba and was at the MCG when the Lions won their first premiership in 2001. “Louise was about five months pregnant. We flew down and stayed out at Windy Hill somewhere. It was incredible.

“The next year we drove down in a convoy with a bunch of people. I remember the first morning we had breakfast in a park at Inglewood (150km south-west of Toowoomba). Everyone was wearing Brisbane gear and had Lions flags on their cars. As we drove through rural Victoria the following day, even the stop-go man on traffic duty was saying ‘go Lions’.”

Wellington’s football friendship with Sharpless at Wests Juniors grew into a critical partnership for the Lions when, needing to fill a couple of vacancies on the Board of Directors, Sharpless called Wellington to ask if he’d be interested.

It was a time of significant instability at Board level, and Sharpless went to somebody he knew he could trust, and who had already been involved with the club, helping Lions premiership ruckman turned corporate sales executive Jamie Charman to launch the ‘Lions in Business’ breakfast series.

“I was finished at Wests Juniors by then and I thought ‘why not?’. But I wanted to be satisfied the environment I was getting involved with was one where people could work effectively for the greater good. I was convinced it was so I got on board.”

A partner at PWC since 2003, Wellington filled a casual vacancy on the Board at the same time Sarah Kelly joined the Board as an expertise director.

They worked with Sharpless and his team to steer the club through the challenging times of 2014-16 before Wellington became Deputy Chair in December 2016. Then, after Sharpless stepped down, he took over as Chair in December 2017 and Kelly became Deputy Chair.

Now eight and a half years on the Board, Wellington is Chairman of the Lions Finance Committee and a member of the List Management Committee and has a simple and clear-cut set of beliefs on the role of a good Chairman.

“First and foremost you’ve got to make sure we’ve got good people in the right jobs, let them run the club, and stop everyone else from interfering. You’ve got to uphold standards, make sure we are spending our money wisely, and always look to the future while concentrating on the present,” he said.

“You’ve got to be clear on where you want to go and why you are doing something. Like everyone, I question myself at times, and sometimes it’s two or three years down the track before you know if you’ve made the right decision. You’ve got to be patient, stick to your course, and give things time to work.”

There are no half measures for the Lions chairman – he is all in. During his time in the top job he has been at virtually every Lions game – AFL and AFLW. He has missed just three – one when he was overseas and two due to Covid.

“I think it’s important that you show your support so that you’re not just another name. It’s an effective way to meet the presidents of other clubs and to understand what’s going on across the competition.

While he doesn’t always travel on the same flights as the Lions teams, he enjoys spending time with them on the road and has established an excellent rapport with them individually and collectively.

Oscar McInerney, who has an accountancy degree, even did a one-month work experience stint with him at PWC and, as Wellington couldn’t help but remember, is one of the few footballers who thinks that running a business like the accountancy and finance giant is ‘cool’.

“I’m a big believer in sitting and listening – you learn a lot that way,” said Wellington, who is known for spending time one on one with players, especially those keen to tap into his vast knowledge.

What is he most proud of during his time as Chairman?

“The first thing to say is that so many people contribute in so many ways – and my contribution is maybe 2%. To be a good club you need a lot of people doing a lot of hard work together.

“An AFL club is a fascinating place. It’s first and foremost a football club and we can never lose sight of that but it has to be run as a commercial operation. We need to deliver for the people associated with a club, and ensure we care about our people and everyone involved.

“Overall, just being able to get the club back to a point where people want to come and play here is very gratifying, and more specifically I’m really proud of the way we’ve embraced the women’s program. We’re not just fielding a women’s team – we’re all in and like to think we’re leading the way in that space.”

“I think we’ve re-earned the trust of the AFL, which is very important, and it’s pleasing to see football in Queensland is in great health. After all, that’s what we’re all about.

“The first Covid season (2020) was incredibly tough, with the office at the Gabba shut for going on six months. We had some unavoidable staff stand-downs and others working from home.

“We’ve said it before but I’ll say it again – we are eternally grateful to all those people plus the sponsors, members and supporters for their loyalty during that time. Like it was across the entire competition, the support was incredible.”

Wellington, who has shared a lot of football-related conversations with Carlton president and former PwC CEO Luke Sayers, says there is no end date on his time at the club’s helm, but recognises it’s also important not to stay beyond a time where you bring a lot of energy to the role and are prepared to explore new ideas. While the now and the near future are obvious priorities he is also strongly focussed on the challenges that will come in the lead-up to the 2032 Brisbane Olympics.

“I want to see the Springfield development through – that’s been a massive thing and will be so important to the club. It’s so exciting that we’re getting close to completion, and the club will be in before Christmas.

“Then there’s the very big question of what happens for three or four years during the Gabba redevelopment ahead of the Olympics. We’ve got to get that right because we cannot afford to lose contact with members and supporters.”

At face value, there are two options – a proposed new stadium built by the Government at the Exhibition Grounds, or Brighton Homes Arena, the club’s new training and administration base at Springfield, which would need to have an increased capacity to accommodate AFL matches.

“We want to make sure we maintain a homeground advantage for our teams, and that we can continue to meet the wants and needs of everyone connected with the club. And of course there are strong financial conditions. We don’t want to be saddled long-term with something which we then have to maintain when we don’t really need it. It’s imperative we get all that right.”

But while big-picture things like the pre-Olympic disruption are crucial, Wellington also has a special place for community-related activities. Like the Long Walk from Southbank to the Gabba one match day to support Indigenous Australia, and the partnership with Multicultural Australia under which the club has hosted a string of citizenship ceremonies for interested parties.

The Multicultural Australia partnership was in place at the time of the horrendous Christchurch massacre in New Zealand in March 2019, when terrorist attacks on two mosques linked to white supremacy killed 51 people and saw a further 40 injured.

The following week, with Multicultural Australia, the Lions sent staff to each mosque in Brisbane and invited 500 people from the Islamic community to the Round 1 game against West Coast.

More importantly, he says, is the fact that the club has maintained and built a strong relationship with Multicultural Australia. “It’s all very well to say ‘how can we help?’ at a time of crisis, but it’s important that what do in these areas has a plan and a purpose. We are in a privileged position whereby we can be a great vehicle and can make a significant contribution to the community but it’s got to be done in an organised and meaningful fashion. The incredible messages of gratitude we received from both the Islamic community and Lions members post that West Coast game reinforces that.”

Ismail Mohammed, who had never been to an AFL game prior to the invitation, was one who had his first taste of the Lions that way and got such a taste for it he ended up attending multiple games that season. He later applied for and received a Bachar Houli scholarship to work in football and is now on the club staff as the club’s Community Program Officer. 

Last Saturday, immediately prior to the Q-Clash, a citizenship ceremony was held at the Gabba where 30 people from 14 different counties became Australian citizens. In addition to their Citizenship certificate and a native Australian plant presented to them by the Australian Government, each new citizen received a Lions cap and scarf and were hosted at the Gabba for the Q-Clash .

“It’s a simple game plan – good people doing good things with and for other good people. That’s the sort of football club we want to be. Not just a club respected for what we do on the field, but a club that stands for something and makes a difference.”

They are the words of the ever-measured and thoughtful chairman, who has played a role more significant than he lets on.  He’s got involved, he’s played to his strengths, and he’s shared the credit. And yet beneath all that he’s just like every other Lions supporter. He wants to see the club win another flag. And preferably before Carlton, so he’ll have bragging rights over his good mate Luke Sayers.

Thanks to our friends at Youi for helping bring this series to life.