Melbourne local football’s most influential people revealed
Local footy is the heartbeat of the game but it requires countless hours of expertise and dedication from thousands of people. Here are those who are having the biggest impact on the grassroots.
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Local footy has gone from strength to strength in recent years despite facing many challenges during and after the Covid period.
A number of figures have had a major impact on the metro community football landscape and we’ve listed those who currently sit among the most influential from presidents and executives to players, coaches, volunteers and sponsors.
Here they are in alphabetical order.
Aaron Bailey, Yarra Junior Football League CEO
He heads up Australia’s largest junior football league – a post he’s held for two years following six as CEO of the Outer East competition after roles with the Eastern league and the Eastern Ranges. And he’s the coach at VAFA club Old Carey, lifting it to the flag in Premier C this year – also named coach of the Team of the Year.
Taylah Black, South Croydon player
The brilliant Bulldog this year became the first Eastern league women’s player to earn legend status following a third senior competition best and fairest – her second in Premier Division in three seasons – after claiming the Division 1 honour in 2019. Black also topped the goalkicking with 49 majors this season, helping South to the premiership.
Greg Bowman, Montmorency president
One of the longest serving presidents in the Northern league, the 2024 season was his 11th at the helm of Division 1 power Montmorency.
Matt Clark, Boronia coach
Prior to 2018, Boronia hadn’t won a senior flag since 2000. Fast forward six years and the club has won three under Clark’s watch – 2018, 2023 and ‘24 – having to win it three times in the league’s third tier to earn a long-awaited promotion to the second division. Clark also led Wantirna South to a Division 3 premiership in 2014 and was Jason Heatley’s right hand man when the Devils lifted the Division 2 cup in ’08.
John Coburn, Frankston YCW administrator
Has given the Stonecats over 40 years of loyal service, as player, president, secretary and treasurer as the club won 13 premierships to become a powerhouse of the MPFNL. YCW’s ground at Jubilee Park is named after him.
Andrew Dillon, AFL CEO
The once VAFA premiership hero and now AFL CEO still has a huge impact at the grassroots level. The decisions made in the top comp filter all the way down to junior footy. Dillon remains in contact with some local league CEOs and has pushed some innovative ideas for their grand finals … watch this space in 2025.
Jordan Doyle, RDFNL CEO
The 2025 season will be Doyle’s eighth season leading the Riddell District league. Negotiated the competition’s exit from the troubled AFL Goldfields to become a metropolitan league and now an AFL Victoria Premier League. Oversaw the creation of the league’s women’s competition in 2023.
Billy Geurts, Dromana player
The champion ruckman is the most influential player in the MPFNL. Tied for the league medal this year and has played a starring role in much of the Tigers’ success in the past six years.
Lee Hartman, SFNL CEO
Hartman has followed his decorated playing career with a number of administrative roles. He has spent time working in AFL Barwon, Geelong, Northern and now oversees the rising Southern league. The Southern league has turned into one of the biggest football-netball leagues in Victoria under his guidance as CEO.
David Jennings, WFNL CEO
Appointed midway through 2023, Jennings arrived at his post after a stint at the Southern league. He oversaw the re-establishment of two divisions, down from three for the 2024 season.
Paul Johnson, Balwyn director of football
The central figure to one of the state’s powerhouse clubs with a knack for making big signings on and off the field, Johnson’s 20-year stint as director of football has yielded six Eastern league top-division premierships – including this season under ex-AFL coach Brenton Sanderson – after the club’s switch from Southern at the end of 2006.
Andrew Johnston, EDFL CEO
Has overseen the EDFL for the last two years after being appointed after a decade-long stint with AFL Victoria. He’s also a former Calder Cannons coach.
Rikki Johnston, Mt Eliza coach
A former professional baseballer in the US, Johnston’s influence in local footy has been profound since 2004. He had a stellar playing career (four best and fairests at Dromana) but his leadership, as captain and now a coach, has set him apart. A premiership coach at Dromana, he joined Mt Eliza 12 months ago and steered the Redlegs to their first senior flag in 19 years in September.
Laura Kane, Executive General Manager of the AFL
Kane’s impact on the game quickly falls to the local level. She has seen changes in umpiring, concussion protocols and facilitated the ever-growing presence of female footy.
James Kenworthy, Surrey Park playing-coach
He heads up one of the Eastern league’s rapidly rising clubs – taking it on a climb many may have once thought was impossible. And it began just under Two-and-a-half years ago. Taking over as coach in June 2022 of a club which had not even a decade ago weathered a 67-game losing streak, Kenworthy’s coaching has helped the Panthers to back-to-back premierships across 2023 and ’24 in separate Eastern league divisions (Division 4 and Division 3) in one of the rarest feats.
Grant King, Northern Bullants
Has arguably one of the hardest jobs in local footy, recruiting for the Bullants. There’s rarely an off-field move that King doesn’t know about across metropolitan football to Coates League and the VFL.
Brenton Knott, RDFNL president
Took on the role at the end of the 2019 season and immediately had to steer the league through two Covid-impacted seasons and the loss of reigning premier Rupertswood and Broadford. The club has since left AFL Goldfields to become an AFL Victoria metropolitan league. While the RDFNL has lost Western Rams, it has added Kyneton and will welcome Melton South back to the fold and have Gisborne Giants step up to senior football in 2025.
Jack Love, Port Melbourne Colts
Port Melbourne Colts has signed its fair share of ex-AFL men in recent years and a lot of it is to do with Jack Love. Love has helped the Colts land Michael Hibberd, Tom Bellchambers, Josh Caddy, Billie Smedts and Dane Swan to name only a few.
Stephen McBurney, AFL umpiring boss
Football’s complex rule book is overseen by McBurney. The rules which stand between ecstasy and agony at local level start with McBurney and trickle their way down.
Matt McCubbin & Neil Winterton, Mitcham president and coach
It’s one of the most successful partnerships in Victorian local footy. Together, the pair has sparked a stunning revival of a club on the brink of extinction to one of the state’s powerhouses, winning flags through the Eastern league grades in 2015, ’19, ’23 and ’24 – lifting the once-battling Tigers back into the Premier Division. McCubbin became president at the age of 22 in 2006, later appointing Winterton at the end of 2014. McCubbin and his selection panel knew Winterton was the man for the job “within 15 minutes” of an interview. He was offered the gig in the carpark, and the rest, they say, is history.
Mick McGuane, Keilor coach
When Mighty Mick speaks, people listen. He’s been the senior coach of the Essendon District league powerhouse since 2008 but his reach extends well beyond it. He is often more than happy to take a call to help out other clubs and provide advice.
Greg Madigan, Head of AFL Victoria
Madigan is responsible for community football, its participation, facilities and growth. He has overseen just one local footy season, taking the important role in November 2023.
Kyle Martin, champion player
It would be nigh-on impossible to find a local football follower who doesn’t know of Kyle Martin. He has piled up accolades across his illustrious career and will be a coach players want to play under when he does retire.
Ricky Nixon
The former AFL player agent does more than you might think for local footy clubs. He is consistently connecting clubs with potential recruits through his various networks. His social media pages have become a business for local clubs.
John O’Donohue, AFL Victoria Community Football Manager
O’Donohue is one of the most crucial local football figures in Melbourne. He has worked on many projects, but most notable has had a key role in the salary cap and the player points system. O’Donohue O’Donohue has had three roles in his 12-year stay at AFL Victoria: Regional Manager, Country Football Manager and Community Football Manager.
Daryl Pitman, Kevin Murphy, Ian Bennett and Steve McCarthy, The Local Footy Show
The Local Footy Show has been on free-to-air television for 26 years, broadcasting close to 700 episodes. The program originally started covering the Southern Football League in 1997 before expanding beyond.
Gary Rees, Edithvale-Aspendale football director
One of the best recruiters in local footy, Rees got Kris Pendlebury to Ed-Asp … and a premiership followed. Former Adelaide Crow Jordan Gallucci is the Eagles’ latest signing. Rees works the phones like no other, and gets results.
Jason Reddick, VAFA CEO
The boss of Australia’s biggest football competition. Reddick took on the top job at the VAFA in June 2022 after previous stints with Carlton as the chief financial officer and Williamstown’s CEO for several years.
Michael Ryan, major sponsor
Was hugely influential as coach of Bundoora for three seasons before stepping away but remains a key figure off the field with his contacts at local and VFL level. Owner of Marbuilt, one of the Northern league’s major sponsors – holding the naming rights to all three under-19 divisions – as well as several football and cricket clubs.
Graham Sherry, MPFNL president, Red Hill FNC president
Sherry, a practising solicitor, serves as president of the Mornington Peninsula league and also Red Hill FNC and is one of the most important figures in the region. Has helped Red Hill become a strong entity in the top division. Sherry wants the league to grow, and is in favour of expansion to a third division.
Lynn Smith, pioneer of women’s football
Smith was the first to pioneer women’s footy when she put an advert in the Sun nearly 50 years ago. She’s still having a run too, playing in the AFL Masters last month.
Martin Stillman, NFNL CEO
Appointed last year, the experienced administrator has had a long career in footy from VFL general manager to coaching clubs in the Eastern, Southern and Outer East leagues.
Dane Swan, AFL Hall of Fame inductee
No one has been a better marquee player than Swanny. The Brownlow Medalist may not have been the first to explore the one-off match each week before the clearance deadline but he has certainly done it the most. He lifts clubs far and wide each week in the first half of the season before becoming a much-anticipated signature at the back-end of the season.
Paddy Swayn, MPFNL coach
The Pines premiership coach is one of the Mornington Peninsula league’s longest serving and most respected mentors. Swayn has also championed kids football — girls and boys — helping nurture the next generation in his many roles, including as coaching director of the Frankston and District junior league.
Daniel Watts, Karingal stalwart
“Digger” Watts has done it all at Karingal, where he’s a life member, across several decades; player, coach, secretary, president, club sponsor … and more. A loyal, big-hearted local footy person.
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