COACH Paul Roos has praised outgoing AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou, after more than a decade in the top chair.

Roos said the game had undergone significant development under Demetriou’s watch and gave him a big tick for his reign.

“[There has been] a lot of changes. There is a huge amount of change in football and we’re now at 18 teams with nine games live a weekend. The TV rights are enormous and the average salary is $300,000 or thereabouts for players,” he told Dee TV’s Roos’ Views.

“The industry supports multiple coaches, recruiting staff and football staff, so it’s a really healthy, vibrant industry.

“You can nitpick at some of the things, as you can do with everything, but overall, I think he has to get a big tick for where the game started, when he first put his feet under the desk, and where it is now.”

Meanwhile, Roos said the competitive balance policy released by the AFL on Wednesday was critical for the future of the game. 

“Everyone acknowledges that something has to get done and it’s very, very difficult, particularly when scheduling is based around attendance,” he said.

“The big teams get Friday night and Collingwood do a great job raising revenue, but they also get some really big games, so everyone acknowledges that something needs to be done.

“I’m certainly not an expert in that field, but providing there is some compensation for the other teams – that’s all you can ask for.”