O’Donohue, 45, was selected from a strong list of applicants and will move from his position as AFL Victoria Country area manger into the role in mid-March.

Commission chairman John Byrne welcomed the appointment saying O’Donohue had a proven track record in regional football administration and a clear understanding of the aims of the newly established commission.

“We were very pleased with the quality of applicants we received for the role and narrowed it down to three during the interview stage,” Byrne said.

“At the completion of the process, the selection panel was unanimous in its choice of John for what will be a very challenging role.”

Byrne said the commission had been busy since its formation late last year in identifying the major challenges facing the sport and the individual leagues and clubs in the North East Border Region.

“There is certainly a lot of work to be done, but we are all very excited about what can be achieved, we now believe with John, we have the right person in place to meet these challenges,” he said.

O’Donohue had a long playing career which included stints with North Melbourne and eight years with Wangaratta Rovers.

He took on the role of VCFL North East area manger in 2004 and has been a key player in assisting clubs and leagues since.

“I’m excited about the commission model and its ability to take the game forward and we accept the responsibility of local decision making in the best interest of the growth of the game” he said.