 The following year, Johnson was chosen from a group of 44 candidates for the position of secretary of the Melbourne Cricket Club. The position — previously held by Test cricketers Hugh Trumble and Vernon Ransford — is one of the most prestigious jobs in Australian cricket. During a time of "dramatic change", he helped to maintain the Melbourne Cricket Ground's ("MCG") pre-eminence as a sporting arena. Johnson managed the club and the ground through some major redevelopment, keeping a balance between the competing interests of Australian rules football and cricket. For services to sports administration, he was appointed an Officer in the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1976. He played a leading part in organising the Centenary Test, held at the MCG in 1977.
