AFL Commissioner Gabrielle Trainor today presented East Pilbara Regional Manager at Swan Districts Football Club Chelsea Randall with the 2016 Jill Lindsay Scholarship.
The annual Jill Lindsay Scholarship is awarded to the female graduate with the most potential to become an industry leader from the AFL SportsReady program.
The Scholarship is named in honour of the AFL’s longest serving employee Jill Lindsay, who lost her battle with cancer 2011.
Lindsay was considered a trailblazer in the football industry, having completed 41 years at the AFL in various roles including VFL Park match day manager and VFL membership manager, before being appointed grounds operations manager in 1991.
While tipped to be one of the stars of the inaugural National Women’s League next year, Randall is also dedicated to developing and growing our game through her role at Swan Districts Football Club.
After starting as a receptionist at Swan Districts, she has since completed various roles and now delivers female football programs that provide opportunities for girls to play football in remote and regional communities.
Despite her busy schedule, Randall has commenced a Bachelor of Education and has ambitions to assume a Female Football High Performance role.
As the 2016 recipient, she will receive $20,000 to contribute to further education and be provided with a laptop to assist with her studies.
In addition, Andi Pert, a HR consultant specialising in leadership development and executive coaching, will mentor Randall for the next 12 months. Andi played softball in teams coached by Jill Lindsay.
The Scholarship was presented at the AFL Women’s Industry Lunch in Melbourne, which recognises the contribution of women to the broader football industry.
As the AFL’s official employment and training partner, AFL SportsReady is dedicated to helping all young Australians kick-start their careers through traineeships and educational opportunities.
With offices across Australia, the not-for-profit company works in partnership with organisations across a range of industries including sport, business, arts, finance and education to provide real opportunities for both athletes and non-athletes.
AFL SportsReady has been providing training and career opportunities for AFL footballers for over two decades.
In total there are 160 trainees currently working in the AFL industry across the country.
AFL SportsReady is a leading education provider in sport and business management courses and has supported more than 12,500 young Australians gain the skills they need to develop a successful career.
2016 JILL LINDSAY SCHOLARSHIP NOMINEES
Chelsea Randall
East Pilbara Regional Manager at the Swan Districts Football Club
Maddison Steel
Marketing and Game Day Coordinator at the Essendon Football Club
Bridget Hanson
Event Executive at the Melbourne Football Club
Rachel Clohesy
Corporate Services Executive at the AFL
