John O'Neill (sport administrator)
Encyclopedia
John O'Neill is an Australia
n sporting administrator. He has been involved with both rugby union
and football (soccer)
at the national level, after being head of the NSW State Bank. He is also currently the Chair of Brand Sydney, a New South Wales Government project to promote tourism in Sydney
.
Current CEO of the Australian Rugby Union
, instrumental in staging the 2003 Rugby World Cup
. In 2004 O'Neill was appointed head of the newly created Football Federation Australia
by businessman Frank Lowy
, a position he remained in until 7 November 2006. He then Was returned to his former position as CEO of the ARU
between 1995 and 2003.
The 2003 Rugby World Cup was originally scheduled to be hosted by Australia
and New Zealand
. However in April 2002, the IRB decided that Australia would be the sole host of the tournament after the ARU, led by O'Neill, made a proposal to that effect.http://www.rugbyheaven.smh.com.au/articles/2003/08/18/1061059773153.html Upon visiting New Zealand, with the country upset with this decision, O'Neill described himself as "surprisingly well recognised" and that he "walked through the crowd at Eden Park at one point and that was an adventure. I used that old Paul Keating
bit of advice 'don't make eye contact'." He said further that he is "probably a better known face there (N.Z.) than I am here (Australia), which is terrifying."http://www.rugbyheaven.smh.com.au/articles/2003/08/18/1061059773153.html
Prior to the 2003 Rugby World Cup, after the International Rugby Board
decided that "no formal musical performance will be permitted other than the playing of the national anthems", O'Neill described the decision not to allow the singing of Waltzing Matilda
as a "half-pregnant situation where you can sing it but not when the players are on the paddock."http://www.rugby.com.au/news/waltzing_matilda_ruling_angers_aru,10281.html He attracted much media attention with the statement, even starting a media campaign which included Sally Loane and Alan Jones
. John Howard
even suggested that "its ridiculous".http://rl1908.com/Rugby-League-News/waltzing-wallabies.htm
O'Neill is credited with the successful organisation of the 2003 Rugby Union World Cup which made the ARU a handsome profit of over 30 million dollars. A genius of sport's organisation, O'Neill was named Sport Executive Of The Year 2003. O'Neill left the ARU just after the World Cup. ending his contract a year early. He was described as "flamboyant" by Tim Glover, a journalist http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4159/is_20031130/ai_n12747743.
In December 2003, O'Neill announced that he would not seek a renewal of his contract with the ARU. Andrew Stevenson
, a journalist for The Sydney Morning Herald
s Rugby Union website "Rugby Heaven", described the decision as having been reached at a board meeting with the ARU.
O'Neill "decided to move on earlier", as the rugby.com.au website described it, from the ARU in January 2004, instead of the end of his contract in December 2004. O'Neill described his decision thus"I said during the Tournament that I would take a family holiday and think about my future over the Christmas, New Year period. Since then, I have had the chance to reflect on the Tournament and its acclaimed success and my eight fruitful years at the helm and have decided that now is the best time for Australian Rugby (Union) and me to move on with Rugby (Union) at such a high point."
Bob Tuckey, chairman of the ARU said "On behalf of the Board I would like to thank John for the outstanding contribution he has made to Rugby (Union). We have just staged the best ever Rugby (Union) World Cup and John will leave the game with a much enhanced profile and a significant supporter base." O'Neill himself said "The Board and I have accordingly agreed to bring forward my departure. The ARU and Rugby are in great shape with excellent people and a very bright future."http://www.rugby.com.au/news/john_o%E2%80%99neill_decides_to_move_on_earlier,13520.html
In 2004, he defended the ARU over an argument between it and the NSWRU over rugby league footballer
Andrew Johns
.
Journalist Spiro Zavos
wrote in his weekly column with The Sydney Morning Herald arguing for the return of John O'Neill to the ARU in 2006 http://www.rugbyheaven.smh.com.au/articles/2006/07/31/1154198076004.html.
to help reorganise their game. The Australian Soccer Association had at that point debts of over A$
16 million a year and its national competition had an average attendance of little more than 4000. Its previous administration was overturned with Frank Lowy
taking over the reins to create a new national football competition. An early move by John O'Neill was to change the name of the organisation to Football Federation Australia
.
O'Neill has been instrumental in creating a much higher profile for football. O'Neill oversaw the introduction of the A-League
which reduced the number of teams in the national competition to 8, representing the economically sound regions of Sydney
, Melbourne
, Brisbane
, Perth
, Adelaide
, Newcastle
, New Zealand
and the Central Coast of New South Wales
. The first year of the A-League saw the competition average over 10000 per game and the grand final sold out at Aussie Stadium
in Sydney.
Nationally, O'Neill had guaranteed Australia
coach Frank Farina's
job to the World Cup
, but after a poor Confederations Cup campaign he sacked Farina and was instrumental in securing Guus Hiddink
as the national team
coach. Under Hiddink's guidance, Australia did better than expected, not only qualifying for the 2006 FIFA World Cup
, but finishing 2nd in group F to progress to the round on 16. Australia was knocked after contentiously losing to Italy, the eventual world cup winners.
On 29 August 2006, O'Neill announced his decision not to seek a renewal of his contract, which was expiring in the following March. This was despite the fact that less than two years earlier he had said "I would not want to leave unfinished business, so I would be looking at least five years"http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/06/03/1086203562226.html?from=storyrhs. Citing personal reasons for his decision to step down, despite rumours in the media that there was tension between O'Neill and Lowy,http://www.smh.com.au/news/football/oneill-quits-as-football-boss/2006/08/29/1156816887813.html he described his involvement with "football" as "an exhilarating ride and while we’ve achieved so much, the potential to take the game even further is enormous". FFA chairman Frank Lowy said "John established the foundation for 'New Football' and he's achieved tremendous success during the past three years,".
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n sporting administrator. He has been involved with both rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
and football (soccer)
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
at the national level, after being head of the NSW State Bank. He is also currently the Chair of Brand Sydney, a New South Wales Government project to promote tourism in Sydney
Tourism in Sydney
Tourism in Sydney, Australia forms an important part of the city's economy. The city received 7 million domestic visitors and 2.7 million international visitors in year ending Dec 2010. The most well known attractions include the Sydney Opera House, and the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Other attractions...
.
Current CEO of the Australian Rugby Union
Australian Rugby Union
The Australian Rugby Union is the governing body of rugby union in Australia. It was founded in 1949 and is a member of the International Rugby Board the sport's governing body. It consists of eight member unions, representing each state and territory...
, instrumental in staging the 2003 Rugby World Cup
2003 Rugby World Cup
The 2003 Rugby World Cup was the fifth Rugby World Cup and was won by England. Originally planned to be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, all games were shifted to Australia following a contractual dispute over ground signage rights between the New Zealand Rugby Football Union and Rugby World...
. In 2004 O'Neill was appointed head of the newly created Football Federation Australia
Football Federation Australia
Football Federation Australia is the governing body for the sport of football in Australia. Before 1 January 2005, it was known as the Australian Soccer Association , which succeeded Soccer Australia in this role in 2003...
by businessman Frank Lowy
Frank Lowy
Frank Lowy, AC is an Australian-Israeli businessman. He is a co-founder of the Westfield Group, operator of over 100 shopping centres in Australia, New Zealand, the United States and Great Britain...
, a position he remained in until 7 November 2006. He then Was returned to his former position as CEO of the ARU
ARU chief executive
O'Neill held the position as chief executive of Australian Rugby UnionAustralian Rugby Union
The Australian Rugby Union is the governing body of rugby union in Australia. It was founded in 1949 and is a member of the International Rugby Board the sport's governing body. It consists of eight member unions, representing each state and territory...
between 1995 and 2003.
The 2003 Rugby World Cup was originally scheduled to be hosted by Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. However in April 2002, the IRB decided that Australia would be the sole host of the tournament after the ARU, led by O'Neill, made a proposal to that effect.http://www.rugbyheaven.smh.com.au/articles/2003/08/18/1061059773153.html Upon visiting New Zealand, with the country upset with this decision, O'Neill described himself as "surprisingly well recognised" and that he "walked through the crowd at Eden Park at one point and that was an adventure. I used that old Paul Keating
Paul Keating
Paul John Keating was the 24th Prime Minister of Australia, serving from 1991 to 1996. Keating was elected as the federal Labor member for Blaxland in 1969 and came to prominence as the reformist treasurer of the Hawke Labor government, which came to power at the 1983 election...
bit of advice 'don't make eye contact'." He said further that he is "probably a better known face there (N.Z.) than I am here (Australia), which is terrifying."http://www.rugbyheaven.smh.com.au/articles/2003/08/18/1061059773153.html
Prior to the 2003 Rugby World Cup, after the International Rugby Board
International Rugby Board
The International Rugby Board is the governing body for the sport of rugby union. It was founded in 1886 as the International Rugby Football Board by the unions of Scotland, Wales and Ireland. England refused to join until 1890. The International Rugby Football Board changed its name to the...
decided that "no formal musical performance will be permitted other than the playing of the national anthems", O'Neill described the decision not to allow the singing of Waltzing Matilda
Waltzing Matilda
"Waltzing Matilda" is Australia's most widely known bush ballad. A country folk song, the song has been referred to as "the unofficial national anthem of Australia"....
as a "half-pregnant situation where you can sing it but not when the players are on the paddock."http://www.rugby.com.au/news/waltzing_matilda_ruling_angers_aru,10281.html He attracted much media attention with the statement, even starting a media campaign which included Sally Loane and Alan Jones
Alan Jones (radio broadcaster)
Alan Belford Jones AO is an Australian radio broadcaster, former rugby union and rugby league coach and administrator.Jones hosts Sydney's most popular breakfast radio program, on radio station 2GB...
. John Howard
John Howard
John Winston Howard AC, SSI, was the 25th Prime Minister of Australia, from 11 March 1996 to 3 December 2007. He was the second-longest serving Australian Prime Minister after Sir Robert Menzies....
even suggested that "its ridiculous".http://rl1908.com/Rugby-League-News/waltzing-wallabies.htm
O'Neill is credited with the successful organisation of the 2003 Rugby Union World Cup which made the ARU a handsome profit of over 30 million dollars. A genius of sport's organisation, O'Neill was named Sport Executive Of The Year 2003. O'Neill left the ARU just after the World Cup. ending his contract a year early. He was described as "flamboyant" by Tim Glover, a journalist http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4159/is_20031130/ai_n12747743.
In December 2003, O'Neill announced that he would not seek a renewal of his contract with the ARU. Andrew Stevenson
Andrew Stevenson
Andrew Stevenson was a Democratic politician in the United States. Educated at the College of William and Mary, he married three times. His second wife, Sarah Coles, was a cousin of Dolley Madison and sister of Edward Coles, a governor of Illinois...
, a journalist for The Sydney Morning Herald
The Sydney Morning Herald
The Sydney Morning Herald is a daily broadsheet newspaper published by Fairfax Media in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1831 as the Sydney Herald, the SMH is the oldest continuously published newspaper in Australia. The newspaper is published six days a week. The newspaper's Sunday counterpart, The...
s Rugby Union website "Rugby Heaven", described the decision as having been reached at a board meeting with the ARU.
O'Neill "decided to move on earlier", as the rugby.com.au website described it, from the ARU in January 2004, instead of the end of his contract in December 2004. O'Neill described his decision thus"I said during the Tournament that I would take a family holiday and think about my future over the Christmas, New Year period. Since then, I have had the chance to reflect on the Tournament and its acclaimed success and my eight fruitful years at the helm and have decided that now is the best time for Australian Rugby (Union) and me to move on with Rugby (Union) at such a high point."
Bob Tuckey, chairman of the ARU said "On behalf of the Board I would like to thank John for the outstanding contribution he has made to Rugby (Union). We have just staged the best ever Rugby (Union) World Cup and John will leave the game with a much enhanced profile and a significant supporter base." O'Neill himself said "The Board and I have accordingly agreed to bring forward my departure. The ARU and Rugby are in great shape with excellent people and a very bright future."http://www.rugby.com.au/news/john_o%E2%80%99neill_decides_to_move_on_earlier,13520.html
In 2004, he defended the ARU over an argument between it and the NSWRU over rugby league footballer
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
Andrew Johns
Andrew Johns
Andrew Gary "Joey" Johns is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer of the 1990s and 2000s who is considered by many to be the greatest player of all time. He was heralded as the world's best halfback for a number of years...
.
Journalist Spiro Zavos
Spiro Zavos
Spiro Zavos is an Australasian historian, philosopher, journalist and writer...
wrote in his weekly column with The Sydney Morning Herald arguing for the return of John O'Neill to the ARU in 2006 http://www.rugbyheaven.smh.com.au/articles/2006/07/31/1154198076004.html.
Football (soccer)
Within a week of leaving the ARU, O'Neill was appointed chief executive of by what is now Football Federation AustraliaFootball Federation Australia
Football Federation Australia is the governing body for the sport of football in Australia. Before 1 January 2005, it was known as the Australian Soccer Association , which succeeded Soccer Australia in this role in 2003...
to help reorganise their game. The Australian Soccer Association had at that point debts of over A$
Australian dollar
The Australian dollar is the currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, and Norfolk Island, as well as the independent Pacific Island states of Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu...
16 million a year and its national competition had an average attendance of little more than 4000. Its previous administration was overturned with Frank Lowy
Frank Lowy
Frank Lowy, AC is an Australian-Israeli businessman. He is a co-founder of the Westfield Group, operator of over 100 shopping centres in Australia, New Zealand, the United States and Great Britain...
taking over the reins to create a new national football competition. An early move by John O'Neill was to change the name of the organisation to Football Federation Australia
Football Federation Australia
Football Federation Australia is the governing body for the sport of football in Australia. Before 1 January 2005, it was known as the Australian Soccer Association , which succeeded Soccer Australia in this role in 2003...
.
O'Neill has been instrumental in creating a much higher profile for football. O'Neill oversaw the introduction of the A-League
A-League
The A-League is the top Australasian professional football league. Run by Australian governing body Football Federation Australia , it was founded in 2004 following the folding of the National Soccer League and staged its inaugural season in 2005–06. It is sponsored by Hyundai Motor Company...
which reduced the number of teams in the national competition to 8, representing the economically sound regions of Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
, Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
, Newcastle
Newcastle, New South Wales
The Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
and the Central Coast of New South Wales
Central Coast, New South Wales
The Central Coast is an urban region in the Australian state of New South Wales, located on the coast north of Sydney and south of Lake Macquarie....
. The first year of the A-League saw the competition average over 10000 per game and the grand final sold out at Aussie Stadium
Aussie Stadium
Sydney Football Stadium is located in Moore Park, in Sydney, New South Wales. It was built in 1988, to be the city's premier "rectangular field" for rugby league, rugby union and football for major matches and domestic competition...
in Sydney.
Nationally, O'Neill had guaranteed Australia
Australia national football (soccer) team
The Australia national association football team represents Australia in international association football competitions. Its official nickname is the "Socceroos"...
coach Frank Farina's
Frank Farina
Frank Farina OAM is a retired Australian football player. He most currently coaches the Papua New Guinea national football team....
job to the World Cup
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
, but after a poor Confederations Cup campaign he sacked Farina and was instrumental in securing Guus Hiddink
Guus Hiddink
Guus Hiddink is a Dutch football manager and former player. He was the most recently manager of the Turkish national football team. He is considered to be one of the best managers of his generation and was the best-paid coach in international football in 2009...
as the national team
Australia national football (soccer) team
The Australia national association football team represents Australia in international association football competitions. Its official nickname is the "Socceroos"...
coach. Under Hiddink's guidance, Australia did better than expected, not only qualifying for the 2006 FIFA World Cup
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
, but finishing 2nd in group F to progress to the round on 16. Australia was knocked after contentiously losing to Italy, the eventual world cup winners.
On 29 August 2006, O'Neill announced his decision not to seek a renewal of his contract, which was expiring in the following March. This was despite the fact that less than two years earlier he had said "I would not want to leave unfinished business, so I would be looking at least five years"http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/06/03/1086203562226.html?from=storyrhs. Citing personal reasons for his decision to step down, despite rumours in the media that there was tension between O'Neill and Lowy,http://www.smh.com.au/news/football/oneill-quits-as-football-boss/2006/08/29/1156816887813.html he described his involvement with "football" as "an exhilarating ride and while we’ve achieved so much, the potential to take the game even further is enormous". FFA chairman Frank Lowy said "John established the foundation for 'New Football' and he's achieved tremendous success during the past three years,".