| Andrew Welsh | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Welsh with theSeven Network in March 2017 | |||
| Personal information | |||
| Full name | Andrew Welsh | ||
| Born | (1983-02-11)11 February 1983 (age 42) Melbourne, Australia | ||
| Original team | Calder Cannons | ||
| Height | 188 cm (6 ft 2 in) | ||
| Weight | 87 kg (192 lb) | ||
| Position | Midfielder/Defender | ||
| Playing career1 | |||
| Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
| 2002–2011 | Essendon | 162 (32) | |
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2011. | |||
| Sources:AFL Tables,AustralianFootball.com | |||
Andrew Welsh (born 11 February 1983) is a formerAustralian rules footballer who played for theEssendon Football Club in theAustralian Football League. He is the current president of the club.
He was selected byEssendon with the 47th selection in the2001 AFL draft. He was a backline player who played halfback orback pocket for much of his career. However, later in his career he developed his game to play as tough, hard running midfielder.
His best individual season was in 2006 where he finished 5th in the club's Best & Fairest.[1]
In October 2011, Welsh who was vice captain retired fromEssendon Football Club due to several injury setbacks after playing 162 games with the club. The move was seen as quite selfless as he was only 28 years old at the time - "I didn’t want to be sitting on the sidelines taking up a spot on the list doing rehab. It was important to me to do the right thing by the club and give a young player a chance."[2]
In 2013, he became aboundary rider for theSeven Network.
Welsh is now a property developer with a net worth believed to be over $400 million.
Welsh joined the Essendon Football Club board in 2022 and was promoted to Vice President in 2023. In September 2025, Welsh was appointed as the President of the club.[3]
A week after taking on the Presidency, Welsh spoke at the 2025 Crichton Medal promising to galvanize the club into a new era - "We win together, we lose together. But we stick together – and when we stick together, we're a formidable club. All in, all heart."[4]
| Season | Team | No. | Games | Goals | Behinds | Kicks | Marks | Handballs | Disp. Av |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Essendon | 41 | 15 | 1 | 3 | 113 | 47 | 38 | 10.1 |
| 2003 | Essendon | 12 | 22 | 4 | 1 | 218 | 93 | 123 | 15.5 |
| 2004 | Essendon | 12 | 22 | 1 | 1 | 244 | 96 | 115 | 16.3 |
| 2005 | Essendon | 12 | 21 | 2 | 2 | 235 | 121 | 141 | 17.9 |
| 2006 | Essendon | 12 | 20 | 1 | 3 | 226 | 130 | 163 | 19.4 |
| 2007 | Essendon | 12 | 17 | 9 | 5 | 180 | 101 | 108 | 16.9 |
| 2008 | Essendon | 12 | 17 | 9 | 0 | 165 | 70 | 129 | 17.3 |
| 2009 | Essendon | 12 | 11 | 2 | 4 | 100 | 42 | 126 | 20.5 |
| 2010 | Essendon | 12 | 11 | 1 | 4 | 77 | 35 | 108 | 16.8 |
| 2011 | Essendon | 12 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 15 | 11 | 33 | 8 |
| Totals | 162 | 32 | 23 | 1573 | 746 | 1084 | 16.4 | ||
