Australian Football League chairman Mike Fitzpatrick is heading a consortium that has taken control of Sydney's ANZ Stadium.

The consortium has spent US$24 million to acquire ANZIS, the infrastructure arm of ANZ (Australia and New Zealand Banking Group), the fourth largest bank in Australia. Fitzpatrick will take a 50 per cent stake in ANZIS, but has vowed to sit out of any AFL discussions related to the stadium.

"I will absent myself on any issues relating to ANZ Stadium, at either ANZIS or the AFL and will receive no papers on the ANZ Stadium," he said.

The stadium hosted the 2000 Summer Olympics and the 2003 Rugby World Cup final.