Essendon Football Club would like to congratulate Gillon McLachlan on his appointment as chief executive officer of the AFL.

Chief Operating Officer Xavier Campbell said the club looked forward to continuing to work closely with McLachlan in his new role.

“It is a well deserved and logical appointment – Gill clearly has the respect and support of the broader industry," Campbell said.

“We have no doubt it will provide confidence to the industry, in particular the Clubs, given his intimate knowledge of the game and his passion to further develop and grow our great game in the future.”

“We look forward to continuing to work closely with Gill and the AFL moving forward.”