Painting of AFL’s three founding fathers removed so the trio aren’t ‘staring down’ at people

A supposedly intimidating painting featuring a trio of prominent footy identities has been controversially removed from the boardroom at Melbourne’s AFL House.

Bizarrely, the image featuring former CEO Andrew Demetriou, current boss Gill McLachlan and former chairman Mike Fitzpatrick, from 2014 has been taken off the wall due to a perception the founding fathers are ‘staring down at people.’

According to 7News reporter Tom Browne, the league’s brains trust felt the boardroom painting was ‘imposing’ and would be better served adorned in a different area of AFL House.

‘I asked the AFL why they did this….there was a suggestion they didn’t want these sort of older men staring down at the boardroom,’ he declared in a Triple M podcast.

‘It is a robust picture you would often find at a golf club.’

A painting from 2014 featuring from left former CEO Andrew Demetriou, current boss Gill McLachlan and former chairman Mike Fitzpatrick has been taken off the wall at AFL House due to a perception the founding fathers are ‘staring down at people’

The AFL’s brains trust felt the painting was ‘imposing’ and would be better served adorned in a different area the building (pictured, AFL House in Docklands, Melbourne)

Browne went onto state how diverse the sport is these days, pointing to the AFLW competition that was introduced in 2017.

The competition now features 18 teams and has already attracted rusted-on fans, with the next season rumoured to be starting in September.

When pressed on whether the decision to remove the painting was excessive, Browne felt it was a ‘politically correct’ move by the AFL.

‘It reflects diversity,’ he added.

‘They [paintings] were commissioned during the centenary, but the idea has become a little bit antiquated.

‘You could say it’s a bit stiff for these blokes that have been taken down who helped form the game.

‘It’s not their fault, but times have changed.’