The AFL is pleased to announce newly promoted AFL Head of Strategy and Scheduling, Josh Bowler has been awarded the 2024 Ray Gunston Scholarship.
2024 marks the third year the annual Ray Gunston Scholarship has been awarded in honour of much-loved AFL executive, friend and mentor, Ray Gunston who sadly passed away in 2022.
Gunston had filled a range of senior roles across football, as well as a previous outstanding career in business life. Ray was an extremely valued member of the AFL, known for his leadership, negotiations and strong values. Ray was also a mentor and advocate of many rising stars and senior leaders within the AFL.
The Ray Gunston Scholarship is open to highly talented middle to senior leaders within the AFL who have the aspiration and the potential to progress to an AFL or Club Executive role.
Bowler has been involved in the football industry for more than 13 years, having held roles in game development, government relations and infrastructure, event management, broadcasting and scheduling and most recently progressed to his current role as AFL Head of Strategy and Scheduling.
Since commencing with the AFL in 2021, Bowler has been instrumental in the development and delivery of a balanced and compelling AFL and AFLW fixtures which has contributed to record breaking attendance and TV audiences in the last two years.
AFL Executive General Manager People Sarah Fair congratulated Bowler on his achievement.
“On behalf of the AFL, I congratulate Josh on being the well-deserved recipient of the 2024 Ray Gunston Scholarship,” Ms Fair said.
“Josh is someone who personifies all the traits synonymous with Ray. A respected colleague, a people-focussed leader and mentor, and a role model of our AFL values, all while delivering significant impact and having a clear focus on getting the best outcomes for our game, valued partners and industry as a whole.”
Bowler said he was honoured to receive the award and be part of Ray’s legacy.
“I’m extremely honoured to receive this award. I’ve sat in the audience each year when this award has been presented with pride and happiness for the previous winners, so I’m very grateful that I’m now part of this fantastic legacy that is in honour of a wonderful man in Ray,” Bowler said.
“I was fortunate enough to work briefly with Ray in my first 12months of being at the AFL and what I have seen since in the last few years is his ongoing legacy that continues to live on in his team, and the leaders across the football industry to whom I’ve had the privilege to learn from.”
Josh will receive $20,000 to invest in further professional development.
About Ray Gunston:
At the AFL, Ray Gunston worked as CFO and General Manager of Infrastructure, Major Projects and Investment, after previously having served as Interim Chief Executive Officer of the Essendon Football Club. At league headquarters, he chaired the AFL Investment committee, overseen all non-operational investments and negotiations and overseen the capital management and structuring of the AFL balance sheet.
Before working in football, his many senior roles had included Chief Financial Officer of the Tatts Group, executive roles with Westpac, Price Waterhouse, Aluminium Smelters of Victoria, Southern Cross Austereo and the Victorian Government. He was a non-executive director and Chairman of Sigma Pharmaceuticals, Hotel Property Investments and Melbourne Stadiums Limited. He was also a non-executive director of AFL Victoria and the Melbourne Renegades.
Ray played a leading role in the transformation of the privately owned Tattersall’s into the publicly listed Tatts Group as an ASX 100 listed national and global company, followed by initiating and implementing the $4 billion merger of Tatts and UNITAB. He also played a lead executive role in acquisitions for the Tatts Group.
While son Jack has carved out an exceptional AFL career, Ray was an outstanding player with Strathmore in the EDFL for the majority of his career and for three years with Brunswick in the VFA (1979-81). He began with Strathmore in 1967 at junior level, and was a member of the 1984 premiership team, and was honoured with Life Membership in 1989, with his parents also being life members at the club.
A dedicated club man, Ray said at the time, “I was very proud and honoured to have received Life Membership in 1989 from the Club that had honoured both my parents previously with Life Memberships given their dedication and love for the Club and the people they enjoyed being with.”
Previous winners:
2023 – Jennifer Macmillan, AFL TPP Audit & Club Soft Cap Manager
2022 – Jacob Atwood, AFL Group Financial Controller
