Ferrari named finalist for Emerging Leader Award
AFL NSW/ACT is proud to announce that Anika Ferrari from the Greater Western Sydney office in Blacktown has been named as one of four finalists for the prestigious Bondi Sands Emerging Leader Award which will be announced in Melbourne at the 2019 Fujitsu Grand Final Comedy Debate.
Last year, AFL Canberra’s Development Officer Amy Dwyer won the coveted award, and Anika joins Jess Burger from Collingwood FC, Madison Hurley from Adelaide FC, and Kara Donnellan the Freemantle AFLW captain as a finalist for this year’s award.
Each year, the Essendon Women’s Network runs a series of awards for Women in Football endorsed by the AFL and in 2019, the Football Woman of the Year Awards are in their 21st year.
The award recognises young women who play an active role within the Australian Football community and who have demonstrated a visible leadership through their talents and positive contribution to the game.
Anika joined AFL NSW/ACT on a traineeship after completing High School in 2017. From the beginning of her career at the AFL, Anika displayed a skillset and maturity that excelled her ahead of other trainees and resulted in her leading a number of key projects and competitions and her promotion to a full-time Development Coordinator role at AFL NSW/ACT.
Over the past 18 months, Anika has led the critical development area of North-West Sydney for AFL NSW/ACT and oversees a large participation sector of participants across community clubs, schools and social AFL competitions/programs. Anika leads a team of 16 development staff to deliver on growth targets for the region while playing a key mentoring and development role to the team.
A key aspect of her role is the support and growth of community clubs, including upskilling and motivating volunteers in a key area of growth for AFL. The ability to manage the expectations and motivations of volunteers often senior to her in age and career experience is an outstanding aspect of Anika’s skill set and she has gained.
The winner of this award will be announced at the Fujitsu General Grand Final Comedy Debate on Thursday, September 26 at the Crown Palladium in Melbourne.
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