WHILE sad to see Greg Swann leave Brisbane, premiership captain Harris Andrews says the Lions CEO's impending move to the AFL is a big win for the competition.

League boss Andrew Dillon announced on Monday Swann would join the AFL's executive in the newly created role of football performance boss, where he will oversee the Match Review Office, umpiring, game analysis, laws of the game and football engagement with clubs.

It will bring to an end Swann’s 11-year stint with the Lions as CEO, helping to oversee a transformation that took the club from cellar dwellers to last year’s premiership.

Speaking on Tuesday morning, Andrews said Swann would be a great addition to the competition’s leadership.

“It’s just his perspectives of how the game’s going,” he said.

“He’s a fan of the game, so he thinks about things like that. For the AFL to get someone in that position to think about what’s going to be best for the fans as well is important.”

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Swann arrived at Brisbane just four months before Andrews was drafted in late 2014, following stints at Collingwood and Carlton.

Since then he has overseen the appointment of Chris Fagan, helped establish the powerful women’s team, watched membership triple to almost 64,000 and driven the approval of the club’s $80 million training and administration base at Springfield.

“Obviously sad to lose him,” Andrews said.

“He’s been a real rock for us as a club. He’s overseen some unbelievable projects. Where we’re standing right now (Springfield) probably doesn’t happen if he’s not there.

“He’s just brought so much to us as a club, and someone that you know you can have a good laugh with.

“He comes down to the footy department area and always brings a bit of energy, so he’ll be heavily missed, but at the same time, it’s exciting for the AFL to get someone that’s so accomplished and with such great perspective."

When Swann winds up at the Lions on July 18, current chief operating officer Sam Graham will become the club's new CEO.