Do you have a passion for football &/or helping people? Fancy being a key driver for change to help local footy clubs thrive.

With an attractive remuneration package in place, the Essendon District Football League (EDFL) and the Northern Football Netball League (NFNL) are seeking interest in a Club Development Lead in each league.

Applications are sort for each role. You can apply for either the EDFL OR the NFNL OR both.

Purpose – why is this role important
The AFL Victoria supported Essendon District Football League (EDFL), and the Northern Football Netball League (NFNL) Club Development Lead (“CDL”) will work collaboratively with the respective league and their affiliated clubs to help make it easier for local club volunteers to have self-sustainable quality practices in place that lead to consistent quality experiences for all people connected to local clubs across our League.

1. Provide leadership & guidance to clubs across our League including, but not limited to:

  • Club culture, planning, strategy and governance
  • Volunteer recruitment, retention and recognition initiatives
  • Finances: Grants / fundraising opportunities, financial management
  • Quality safeguarding children’s practices
  • Strategies to reduce the likelihood and impact of incidents, vilification, discrimination, conflicts
  • Enhanced inclusivity – including recruitment & retention of more Women & Girls as well as engaging diverse groups within the local community
  • Education and resources available to assist clubs – including physical resources and on-line systems such as play.afl/clubhelp, PlayHQ, ASC Game Plan etc.
  • Other quality environment initiatives introduced by the League, AFL and/or AFL Victoria e.g.o Themed “Rounds” and focus areas such as - Mental Health, Critical Incidents, Crisis Management, Good Sports, TAC, Responsible Gambling, Anti-Violence
  • Coach Accreditation / Education
  • Growth of Club Umpire numbers

2. Targeted pro-active time / support for the most “in-need” clubs addressing one or more of the above elements - including face to face meetings with Club Committees. Priority clubs to be determined by League CEO and CDL in collaboration with AFL Victoria.

3. Regular collaboration with AFL Victoria and other Metropolitan & Regional CDLs to share best practice and seek continuous improvement.

KPIs will be set by League CEO in collaboration with AFL Victoria.

Success will be realised through:

  • Targeted improvements realised by “in-need” clubs
  • Feedback from clubs and league CEO regarding the quality of assistance provided by the CDL
  • Meeting agreed communication & engagement targets – e.g. newsletter circulation, media /social media, club visits/contact etc.
  • Regular reports to AFL Victoria and the League regarding CDL activity and insights to further support local clubs

Required skills / attributes

  • Highly developed communication and presentation skills
  • Stakeholder management – including the ability to build relationships and impact change
  •  Demonstrated personal initiative and ability to work effectively unsupervised - whilst also being a team player
  • Combined use of data and insights to influence decision making

Desirable

  • Experience in volunteering in a community sport / Not for Profit environment

Child Safety Standards

The AFL, AFL Victoria and the Essendon District Football League (EDFL) and the Northern Football Netball League (NFNL) has a commitment to ensure we provide professional, safe and enjoyable environments to children and young people who participate in our game.

The executive and management of our respective organisations are responsible for undertaking recruitment and ensuring that our processes and systems are robust and thorough, as well as being communicated and understood internally.

As part of our comprehensive recruitment process, we ensure that all safety and legislative checks such as working with children checks, Criminal background checks, employment and personal reference checks are completed to ensure anyone working for the Essendon District Football League (EDFL) and Northern Football Netball League are fit for the role they are employed in, prior to commencing employment. The Essendon District Football League (EDFL) and the Northern Football Netball League (NFNL) takes the safety of children and young people very seriously and reviews all process and procedures in line with current state and federal legislation.Your application should be sent to:

Applications should include a cover letter and accompanying CV of no more than 5 pages.

Sports People Link

For further information please contact:

EDFL CEO Andrew Johnston (03) 9373 2700

NFNL CEO Martin Stilman (03) 9435 8228