Leadership and culture sit at the heart of every high-performing sporting organisation. In an environment as complex and scrutinised as elite Australian Rules Football, the quality of leadership off the field can be just as influential as performance on the field. Club CEOs and General Managers of Football operate in an environment where decisions are made under constant scrutiny, at speed, and with consequences that extend far beyond the club’s environment. One misstep can impact performance, people, reputation, and trust across the entire AFL system. In roles this complex, intense and visible, you can’t afford to truly “learn on the job”. The margin for error is too small – and the consequences are too great. The DRIVE program was built to help prepare current and emerging administrators face these challenges.
In response to this challenge, Sports Advisory Partners Australia (SAPA) partnered with the Australian Football League (AFL) to design and deliver ‘DRIVE’, an Advanced Leadership Program addressing the real-world strategic, governance, performance, regulatory and people challenges faced by modern football executives. The purpose is simple but powerful: strengthen the leadership capability behind the scenes to better protect clubs and improve decision-making.
The program combines contemporary leadership thinking with practical, face-to-face learning – supported by pre-work, reflection tasks and immediately applicable frameworks – to build capability in decision-making, culture, stakeholder management and issues response while being supported by program mentors and expanding their networks.
In 2025, DRIVE was introduced as the AFL’s first dedicated program for Club General Managers of Football (‘GM of Football’). The defining feature of the inaugural class was the strength of the cohort. Participants brought extraordinary energy and intent – embracing new ideas, collaborating openly and challenging each other constructively in a safe environment. This participant dynamic not only accelerated individual learning, but it also strengthened collaboration and trust across clubs – an increasingly critical factor in the health and effectiveness of the AFL system.
The 2025 DRIVE program was strengthened by guest contributions from across the AFL and broader sports industry – including AFL Club CEOs, senior AFL executives, and high-performance experts. Contributors included Andrew Dillon, Andrew Demetriou, Greg Swann, Peggy O’Neal AO, Brendon Gale, Laura Kane, Ameet Bains, Kate Hall and Sam Mitchell, among many others – each offering perspectives shaped by real-world leadership and decision-making at the highest level.
Alongside our lead facilitator, Shane McCurry, and guest contributors, program mentors and facilitators Geoff Walsh and Trevor Nisbett brought decades of AFL leadership experience. They helped set the curriculum and consistently challenged participants to think deeper, lead authentically, and apply learnings in practice. Across the program, participants developed stronger networks, built a shared AFL leadership language, and took away practical frameworks to strengthen decision-making, issues management and club operations.
Throughout the program, participants developed stronger networks, built a shared AFL leadership language, and took away practical frameworks to strengthen decision-making, issues management and club operations – capabilities critical to modern football leadership.
At its core, DRIVE is about impact. It helps build leaders who can:
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- Make clearer, faster decisions under pressure.
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- Navigate complex stakeholder environments with confidence.
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- Lead culture intentionally, not reactively.
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- Anticipate risk earlier and respond better when it matters.
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- Strengthen alignment across clubs and across the AFL system.
As DRIVE evolves into 2026, SAPA looks forward to continuing to support the AFL in developing the next generation of football leaders – strengthening leadership capability across the game for the long term.
