Ross Oakley | |||
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Personal information | |||
Full name | Ross Oakley | ||
Date of birth | 30 September 1942 | ||
Original team(s) | Wesley College | ||
Height | 178 cm (5 ft 10 in) | ||
Weight | 81 kg (179 lb) | ||
Playing career1 | |||
Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
1962–1966 | St Kilda | 62 (38) | |
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1966.
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Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com |
Ross Oakley (born 30 September 1942) is an Australian businessman and former Australian rules footballer with St Kilda in the VFL. He is CEO of the Victorian Rugby Union and was appointed CEO of the new the Melbourne Rebels rugby union franchise in September 2010.
Oakley attended Wesley College, Melbourne and began his senior VFL footballing career with the St Kilda Football Club in 1962. He went on to score 38 goals in 62 games. His career was marred by unfortunate knee injuries; the first came in 1965 in St Kilda's semi-final victory, which meant Oakley missed the Grand Final. He suffered déjà vu in 1966, missing not only the Grand Final, but St Kilda's first VFL premiership. Following a further injury before the start of the 1967 season, Oakley retired at the age of 24.
Oakley was appointed Chairman and CEO of the then troubled Victorian Football League in 1986, taking over the role from Jack Hamilton, remaining in the role until the end of the 1996 season. Over the decade that followed Ross oversaw the transformation of the VFL into the Australian Football League. Under Oakley's guidance, five new clubs from outside Victoria — Brisbane Bears and West Coast Eagles (1986), Adelaide (1990), Fremantle (1994) and Port Adelaide (1996) — joined the more professional, national competition. In 1993, he oversaw the transfer of administrative control of the league from the clubs to the AFL Commission, as well as the formal transfer of control of the sport as a whole from the National Australian Football Council to the AFL Commission.