General view as Vera Blue performs the national anthem ahead of the 2023 AFLW Grand Final between North Melbourne and Brisbane at Ikon Park. Picture: AFL Photos

AFL Executive General Manager of Football Laura Kane is pleased to announce the appointment of experienced senior marketing and strategy specialist Emma Moore as General Manager AFLW.

Ms Moore will join the AFL after an extensive senior level career at NAB, where she held multiple roles including her most recent position as Senior Manager Enterprise Growth Projects, where she worked on business strategy development and execution, brand and marketing, and led stakeholder wide engagement across multiple projects.

Prior to her work with NAB, Ms Moore had a career in business development and strategy, encompassing go-to-market for new products, brand building and marketing communications, including bringing Clip ‘N Climb, to the Australian market.

Ms Moore's love of the game and strong connections to football are founded in her four daughters who play or have played footy, including a daughter who played in the Coates Talent League for the Oakleigh Chargers.

Kane said Ms Moore offered the AFL a unique opportunity to help drive the current and future success of NAB AFLW.

"AFLW is one of the best things to happen to our game," said Ms Kane.

"We are incredibly proud of what we have achieved in eight years – whilst the competition is still very young, we have all 18 clubs represented and are the largest employer of female athletes in the country.

"We have built the base and are now in a phase where growth is required. We wanted someone with the expertise, experience and a strategic approach to growing the game as strongly and as quickly as possible and Emma fits that role.

"Emma’s strong skill set and experience are transferrable into the role and, paired with her ability to work collaboratively but independently, means Emma is in a strong position to build on the solid foundations we already have with our internal and external stakeholders at all levels of the game.

"Our football department has an abundance of football knowledge and background, both from clubland and former players.

"What the AFL wanted in this role was someone who loves and understands our game but was an expert in connecting to our fans and growing the competition and Emma has this through her extensive customer growth experience, coupled with her passion for the game and strong connection to community footy through her four daughters all playing the game.

"Emma has also had a front row seat to women's football through her role with NAB, who have been an incredible major partner of the NAB AFLW since its inception. We are incredibly grateful to them for their support of Emma coming into this role and their ongoing commitment to the NAB AFLW.

"We were fortunate to interview a great number of high performing candidates, there was no shortage of interest in the role and after an extensive recruitment process, we are so glad to be welcoming Emma to the AFL team."

Ms Moore said she was thrilled to join the AFL and have the opportunity to influence the future of the NAB AFLW competition.

"It is humbling to have the opportunity to contribute to this great game of football and grow something that matters so much to millions of people, including me and my family," said Ms Moore.

"The NAB AFLW has already made incredible progress in the short time it has been around but our goal is to drive further growth, open it up to new audiences, increase crowds and fan engagement, get bigger TV audiences, whilst also ensuring our current audience remain passionate and engaged.

"My previous roles and expertise have been focused on developing strategies to grow, engage and retain customers in highly competitive markets through impactful communication and collaboration and those skills are transferrable into this role.

"Key to this will be working across lots of different groups that are pivotal to the success of the competition.

"So much has changed since I was young. I wasn't allowed to play football but my daughters are and I could not be prouder of how far the women’s game has come and cannot wait to be a part of its future and taking it to the next level."

Ms Moore will start in the position in mid-July, ahead of the NAB AFLW season.