Respected AFL industry figure Brett Burton has been appointed as Adelaide’s new Head of Football.

Burton was the standout candidate after a wide-ranging process, and will step up from his current role of General Manager High Performance. The former Crow replaces David Noble, who left West Lakes to take up the position as Brisbane Lions General Manager of Football in September.

Since returning to the Club a year ago, Burton has overseen a successful fitness, strength and conditioning and medical program, which produced the League’s lowest injury count in 2016.

Burton, who played 177 games for Adelaide from 1999-2010, offers a wealth of administrative and high performance experience, having previously worked at the Brisbane Lions and served as President of the AFL Players Association.

The 38-year-old is also a current member of the AFL’s Laws of the Game Committee.

Burton welcomed the greater responsibility, saying he felt well prepared for the role.

“Recent results have shown the Club’s football program is in good shape and I look forward to building on the solid foundations,” Burton said.

“It is an advantage to have already worked closely with the coaches, players and staff and we want our systems and programs to be at the forefront of elite sport.

“The industry is embarking on an exciting period and I feel privileged to have such an expansive role which offers both rewards and challenges.”

Crows CEO Andrew Fagan described Burton as a strategic and innovative thinker, who had forged strong relationships inside the Club and across the League.

“Brett has an incredible work ethic, outstanding communication skills and a thorough understanding of the industry from a playing, high performance and administrative perspective,” Fagan said.

“We worked our way through a long and talented list of prospective candidates from across the AFL and beyond, and quite simply Brett presented himself as a compelling option for the role.

“He is widely regarded as having the attributes to be one of the industry’s leading football administrators.”

AFL General Manager Football Operations Mark Evans congratulated Burton on his appointment.

“The industry needs talented individuals coming into key administrative roles and this is a great opportunity for Brett to make a strong contribution,” Evans said.

“Brett has built an excellent grounding to step into this senior position with a diverse range of off-field roles since his playing days.

“My direct interaction with Brett was during his work with the Laws Committee and he was extremely impressive with the energy and diligence he brought to the role.”

Matt Hass, who originally joined the Crows as Strength and Conditioning Coach last month, will move into the role of General Manager High Performance vacated by Burton.

Hass worked at the Brisbane Lions for nearly a decade, including five years alongside Burton. He most recently served as the club’s Physical Performance Coordinator.

Burton said he was keen to bring Hass to the Crows after being impressed with his work at Brisbane.

“We brought Matt here with the clear understanding that he had the capability to be able to step into a high performance role down the track,” Burton said.

“Matt’s been through a variety of roles and is well positioned to be able to step up. We offered him the role with plenty of confidence, knowing that he not only had the capabilities but that he could add his own twist as well and take it to another level.”

“It’s a really good fit.”

The Crows are in the process of searching for a new Strength and Conditioning Coach to replace Hass.