AFL NSW/ACT CEO Update

To our Valued Football Community,

I hope this note finds you and your family safe and well in an incredibly challenging time for us all.

Firstly, I wanted to take this opportunity to introduce myself. I have recently been appointed as acting CEO for AFL NSW/ACT as Sam Graham transitions to a national role as Head of States and Game Development. I have been at AFL NSW/ACT for the last three years, working across the region as State Manager, leading marketing, development and growth for our game.

With announcements over recent days in relation to COVID-19 and its impact on the AFL, I’d like to provide you with a further update. We understand there is a growing level of uncertainty with the postponement of our season across all levels of the game. These are most certainly unprecedented and constantly changing times.

The AFL, and by extension AFL NSW/ACT, have now begun the difficult process of restructuring our business operations to ensure the ongoing viability of our sport. This has meant the difficult decision of temporarily standing down many of AFL NSW/ACT’s staff from Monday, 30 March 2020 until Sunday, 31 May 2020. We have such a dedicated and passionate team right across the State and Territory, which has made these necessary steps extremely hard.

Temporarily from Monday 30 March, our team will be comprised of a small core group who will be working on a part time basis. These staff are critical in this period acting as the conduit between AFL NSW/ACT, our football community and key stakeholders. In the coming days, we will provide contact details for AFL NSW/ACT staff members that can assist should you have any questions during this temporary stand-down period.

During the stand down period (Monday 30 March – Sunday 31 May), our staff will be working remotely, and all AFL NSW/ACT Offices across the State and Territory will be closed.

Our leagues and clubs are the lifeblood of our game and the AFL national team will be providing tools and guides to assist our football community in the coming days as a priority. And we are committed to continuing to provide regular updates as well as new and unique content to engage our football family.

Right now, we ask for you to focus on the health and well-being of your family, teammates, staff and volunteers as your number one priority. We all have a role to play in stopping the spread of the COVID-19 virus and while we all love football, the health of the community is our priority.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation. Please look after yourself and your family and friends in these times, and we look forward to updating you further as soon as possible.

Kind regards,

Tiffany Robertson
Acting Chief Executive Officer – AFL NSW/ACT