Australian football has made substantial progress, especially during the transitional period after the retirement of top names like Tim Cahill, and the football Federation has awarded its chief executive with an extension until the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

David Gallop was brought in as the chief executive of the Australian football Federation just under three years ago. During this period, Australia has made several progress including featuring of the recent World Cup 2014 and winning the latest edition of the Asian cup. Chairman Frank Lowy says that the work done by Gallop deserves recognition and this contract fits into that category.

Even though Australia qualified for the World Cup 2014 finals, they did not exactly cover themselves in glory after being knocked out of the group stages. Admittedly, Australia faced a difficult chance to even get into the knockout stages since they were in the same group as two former world champions. Gallop was someone new to football when he was first appointed as the chief executive of the Australian FA. Prior to this role, he was involved with the National Rugby league. Despite this, Lowy says that the way in which Gallop accustomed himself to the new environment was deserving praise in itself.

“David’s tenure has coincided with a period of stability, growth and innovation in Australian football, driven by initiatives that the CEO and his team have managed with great skill and care. The major achievements of launching the FFA Cup, A-League All Stars and the National Premier Leagues are highlights, while the growth in the A-League gives the game a thriving weekly showcase. The contract extension is worthy recognition for David’s hard work and will give all FFA’s stakeholders certainty and confidence for the years ahead,” said Lowy. Gallop came to the role by replacingBen Buckley in 2012.