AFL Chief Executive Andrew Dillon has today congratulated Nicole Livingstone on her leadership, advocacy and the enduring mark she will leave on the NAB AFLW competition and rapid growth of women’s football around the country.

Earlier today Livingstone informed the 18 AFLW Club Captains that she would be finishing up at the AFL as General Manager – Women’s Football after this weekend’s 2023 NAB AFLW Grand Final after seven seasons in the role.

Livingstone joined the AFL in November 2017, and has overseen the significant and swift growth of the NAB AFLW competition, taking it from the original eight teams to 10 in 2019, then 14 in 2020, before expanding to all 18 clubs being represented in the national competition in Season Seven in 2022.

Under her leadership for the last seven seasons the competition increased in length from seven rounds and one final to 10 rounds and a four-week finals series in 2023, with an additional rounds locked for future seasons.

During that time, multiple Collective Bargaining Agreements for the players were also delivered, which saw the players receive a 90 per cent pay rise in 2022 and then an additional 29 per cent pay rise in 2023 as well as the introduction of 12-month contracts and a world leading 12-month pregnancy policy.

The NAB AFLW competition is now the largest employer of female athletes in the country with 540 players earning an average of $60,000 in 2023 and rising to $82,000 by 2027.

Livingstone also played a significant role in the commercial growth of AFLW, specifically working with the AFL commercial team in the signing of new AFLW only partnerships and the continued growth of this area. She has championed and played an integral part in the introduction of ‘Workplay’ - the AFL’s industry-first careers platform that connects AFLW players with flexible employment, career, and educational resource, reimagining the future of women’s sport.

Since its launch in 2021, Workplay has connected more than 70 AFLW athletes to flexible work opportunities at partner organisations. In the last two years, the platform has grown to provide more than 150 jobs listings for players to pursue at more than 28 AFL and AFLW partner organisations including John Holland, rebel, Foxtel Group, NAB, Cotton On, and Telstra. The Workplay program recently won best Wellness Initiative in Sports Award at the 2023 Ministry of Sport Awards.

“Nicole has been not only an important person in our AFL team, but within the whole industry. She has been able to deliver and get expectational outcomes for our AFLW competition, our clubs, our players and our fans, which has AFLW and women’s football in the strongest position it has ever been,” AFL CEO Andrew Dillon said.

“When Nicole first joined the AFL, we had just completed one season with eight teams, a seven-game season and only one final, we had a groundswell of support and Nic turned that energy into a growing, sustainable and successful national women's competition that we see today.

“Women and girls’ participation in Australian football has surged since the inception of AFLW. We now have more girls playing, coaching, umpiring and administrating our game and Nic has played a big part in that growth.

“On behalf of everyone at the AFL ,we thank Nic for her leadership and her passionate advocacy for our AFLW competition and more broadly women’s footy. Nic leaves our code having made a lasting impact, we wish her all the best and we look forward to seeing what she does next.”

“After six years and on the eve of the completion of our best AFLW season to date, the time feels right for me to step away and support the AFLW competition from a different perspective,” Nicole Livingstone OAM said.

“When I sat with Gill and Steve Hocking and Andrew Dillon in 2017 before taking on this role, we spoke about aspirations for AFLW. We wanted a league that was pride of place in the Australian sporting landscape and was respected for what was being created.
 
“We wanted to create an opportunity for every one of our 18 clubs to experience what having an AFLW program would bring to their club; athletically, culturally and commercially. Most importantly I wanted opportunities for girls and women to play, coach, umpire, administer and even broadcast our game.
 
“Australian Football looks different from when I started. Women involved in all areas of our game is now normal and no longer a pleasant surprise.
 
“My support and advocacy for AFLW won’t change, and I’m looking forward to what the future of the competition brings. Thank you to Dills, Laura, everyone at the AFL for the opportunity to play a role in a sport that means so much to so many people. 

“I want to thank all the players, the ones before my time, the ones during, and the ones yet to come, your drive, your passion, your relentless push to make our competition the best it can be is something I have admired and respected. You are an inspiration to everyone.”

Post the NAB AFLW Season the AFL will go to market and advertise for a General Manager – Women’s Football.