The Brisbane Lions are proud to announce Danny Daly as the new GM of Football.
Daly enters the role after six seasons on the Club’s coaching panel, the last four as Senior Coach Chris Fagan’s right-hand man and head of strategy.
The 54-year-old has filled a variety of roles in his 20 years in the AFL industry from opposition scout and welfare manager to a range of different coaching positions.
His previous experience includes stints at Collingwood, North Melbourne and Richmond.
Prior to entering the AFL system, Daly enjoyed a successful 16-year career in banking with Westpac and The Bank of Melbourne where he served as an accountant, branch manager and company relations manager.
The Lions undertook a thorough process to find the replacement for outgoing footy boss David Noble, speaking to a range of candidates from across the industry and within the Club.
As a Club the Lions take pride in encouraging the professional advancement of its people and CEO Greg Swann said he was thrilled Daly had been the successful candidate.
“We knew what we needed and believe Danny’s experience and skillset is exactly what we are looking for,’’ he said.
“He’s done just about every job in footy, so he knows the industry inside and out.
“And he has a terrific relationship not just with Chris and our coaches and players, but our entire staff and we believe he will do a terrific job.’’
Daly said he couldn’t wait to get back to Brisbane and get stuck into the next chapter of his career.
“I’m very excited about being given the opportunity to lead our footy department,’’ he said.
“I am filling some big shoes and hopefully I can put my stamp on the role.
“There’s a great bunch of people at the Lions and I want to work closely with everyone to ensure we continue to build on the recent growth we’ve had as a Club."
He said while he loved the tactical side of coaching it had always been his ambition to take on a senior football operations role.
“It is interesting when you are a coach, people always wonder if you want to be a senior coach but I have always wanted to be a footy manager, that’s always been a dream of mine,’’ he said.
“I believe I’ve had a pretty good grounding not just with my time in footy but also the banking roles, I think the skillsets I gained there were transferable to coaching and I’m certain they will be very valuable in this new role. ‘’
