Australian Football League GM of People, Customer & Community Dorothy Hisgrove is "working to bring gender equality to all aspects of the game," according to Hamish Bidwell of the DOMINION POST. From a corporate background that included BHP Billiton, AXA, National Australia Bank and Australia Post, Hisgrove took over her position with the AFL two years ago. In "lay terms, the Irishwoman is responsible for broadening and diversifying the AFL's business." Because the "better they do that, the more bucks they can make." Hisgrove said, "If women look up and see our code as a code that is welcoming of women and promotes women and isn't just putting up with women, I think women then start to see our code as a code that they want to follow and play and, more increasingly, purchase our products. ... It's a huge fanbase and it's a fanbase that you want supporting your game for all sorts of reasons" (DOMINION POST, 4/22). In Melbourne, Jon Ralph reported the AFL Commission on Tuesday kickstarted "more changes to the father-son and academy bidding system as two NSW midfielders emerge as the cream of this year's draft crop." The commission is expected to consider a "complicated points system which will ensure clubs pay a fairer price for academy and father-son picks like Isaac Heeney and Tom Liberatore" (HERALD SUN, 4/22).
