Kath McCann appointed executive director of Tassie AFL team only three months to the club’s launch
A marketing guru has been appointed as executive director of Tassie’s AFL team with only three months to prepare for its launch. Here’s why the club is “thrilled” by the appointment.
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Marketing and leadership specialist Kath McCann has been appointed Tasmania Football Club’s executive director with only three months to prepare for the AFL expansion team’s launch in March as well as get the ball rolling on construction of its $70m High Performance Centre.
The club plans to unveil team colours, guernsey design, branding and foundation memberships before the start of the 2024 AFL season.
Due to step into her role in January, Ms McCann, an inaugural TFC board member, will take up responsibility for getting work moving on the state-of-the-art training facility and administration centre.
It is slated to be built at either Clarence City Council’s vacant land on the former Rosny Golf Course, now a parklands, and the park next to Rosny College, or Kingborough Council’s Twin Ovals precinct.
An announcement is expected on Thursday or Friday.
“I haven’t heard anything yet but I suppose no news is good news,” said Kingborough Mayor Paula Wriedt.
Ms McCann was honoured to take on the vital role.
“To be able to work alongside the other members of the board, our current and future partners and the community as we work through the establishment phase of the club is an opportunity and responsibility that I am privileged to accept,” she said.
“I am deeply committed to this project and what it will bring to Tasmania.
“This club is so important to so many and I am looking forward to continuing the momentum that we have gained in the last 12 months into 2024.”
TFC Chair Grant O’Brien said to continue to support and build the momentum during this formation phase, the board identified the need for an executive lead of the club in the period leading through to the appointment of its inaugural CEO in 2025.
“This executive director role will be full-time, based in Hobart and is seen as both financially frugal and critical to the continuity of the initial work stream focus, that the executive lead be appointed from within the current board,” Mr O’Brien said.
“Following the internal process, the board ratified the appointment of Kath McCann as its executive director for a two-year period.”
Mr O’Brien said the executive director would provide on-the-ground leadership of the board’s identified work streams.
“Importantly, this arrangement will allow a smooth transition period for the club’s inaugural CEO, who is expected to be on-board within the next 18 months,” he said.
“We are thrilled that Kath has agreed to take on this role and feel very confident that it will be a critical part of delivering on our establishment plans.
‘The TFC board has developed a business plan that features several important work streams and it was clear we needed resources in the organisation to lead and drive implementation of this plan.”
Mr O’Brien said Ms McCann appointment brought several key advantages.
“Kath has a skillset that matches our priorities for the establishment phase of the club,” he said.
“She is also a proud Tasmanian who has been with the club from the beginning and can hit the ground running.”
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