Our Team
Dr Kate Hall, Head of Mental Health and Wellbeing
Dr Kate Hall is a clinical psychologist, senior academic and the Head of Mental Health and Wellbeing at the AFL. She leads the team’s delivery of the industry wide Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy. Her role focuses on building mentally healthy environments across all levels of football, targeting AFL and AFLW players, staff, coaches, umpires, talent pathways and community. Her clinical research track record focusses on the mental health of adolescents and young adults and she has a national reputation in translating research into policy and practice to ultimately improve mental health and wellbeing outcomes for individuals and communities.
Emma Harris, National Wellbeing Manager
Emma Harris is the National Wellbeing Manager at the AFL and is a Sport and Exercise Psychologist. She is responsible for the strategic direction of the Wellbeing Program in the Talent Pathways and leads the governance and policy of Mental Health and Wellbeing resourcing in AFL and AFLW Clubs. Emma brings high performance experience working across different elite sports from both Olympic and Professional codes, with practice leadership in mental health, performance, wellbeing, and player development.
Shaun Vance, Ahead of the Game Program Manager
Shaun Vance leads the program management and national roll-out and delivery of Movember Ahead of the Game - an evidence-based youth mental fitness program across community football. A former school teacher, Shaun has been in the AFL industry for fourteen years primarily in the sports media space with AFL Digital, leading AFLW content and being heavily involved in commercial and editorial projects. For the past four years, Shaun has led the scaling of the AOTG to be now a truly national program.
Associate Professor Suzie Cosh, Mental Health and Wellbeing Research Lead
Dr Cosh is a psychologist and Associate Professor in psychology. She leads the mental health research and innovation strategy and oversees the continuous improvement pillar of the Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy. She leads research, evaluation and evidence translation to promote mental health and wellbeing across elite, Talent, and community football for players, umpires and staff and ensures that AFL mental health and wellbeing initiatives are based on the latest evidence. She brings over 15 years of experience and research track record across sport, public health and mental health.
Nioka Tyson, Social and Emotional Wellbeing Lead
Nioka Tyson is a Yuwalaraay and Gamilaraay woman and an accredited Senior Social Worker with a Master of Counselling who leads Social and Emotional Wellbeing (SEWB) across the AFL industry. She leads the delivery of SEWB initiatives across elite football, talent pathways, and community programs for First Nations players, staff, and communities. Her work spans preventative and responsive approaches to support wellbeing across the football system. She brings extensive public health leadership experience across complex and vulnerable populations, with expertise in holistic care coordination and a commitment to advancing equity-oriented, culturally safe models of health and wellbeing support for First Nations peoples.
Josh Ranger, Mental Health Practice Lead
Josh Ranger is a clinical psychologist and the Mental Health Practice Lead at the AFL. He is responsible for the implementation of mental health services for AFL players and coaches, including the mental health referral network and the Play On crisis service. He also oversees the performance psychology and mental health support that the AFL umpires receive. Josh brings high performance experience from the Olympic system, working in the AIS mental health team. He also brings community experience from running a private practice, specialising in athlete mental health, suicide prevention and burnout.
Sarah Godfrey, Talent Wellbeing Lead
Sarah Godfrey leads a team of Wellbeing Coordinators across Talent Pathways football, who are working with young athletes on enhancing their mental fitness as a key element of their football performance. This work translates the strategic objectives of the Mental Health and Wellbeing team into impactful learning and growth experiences for young footballers in Talent Pathway regions and State and National Academy programs. Sarah brings extensive experience in education settings and student wellbeing to this role. She is also an accredited Mental Health First Aid facilitator, has worked in inclusion and diversity spaces, and has a genuine passion for the power of AFL and sport more broadly to drive positive social change.
Pippa Temperley, Talent Wellbeing Lead
Pippa Temperley is the Talent Wellbeing Lead at the AFL, responsible for the delivery of wellbeing initiatives across the Talent Pathways. She leads a team of embedded Wellbeing Coordinators and ensures consistent, high-quality wellbeing support for pre-draft athletes navigating high-performance environments and key transitions. Pippa brings experience from the Olympic and Paralympic system, with a background in athlete wellbeing and development, and focuses on building self-awareness, managing challenges, and strengthening identity beyond sport.
Nikita Kedar, Mental Health and Wellbeing Research Officer
Nikita Kedar is the Mental Health and Wellbeing Research Officer. She leads Mental Health and Wellbeing priority projects spanning across all pillars of the strategy. She is also responsible for the AFL Research Board, including the governance, operations and improvement processes. Nikita is a qualified physiotherapist and highly skilled healthcare project manager with over 15 years of experience working across Public Health services. She also has post graduate qualifications in Health Professional Education and Project Management.
Janet Baird, Social and Emotional Wellbeing Coordinator
Janet Baird is a Yolngu and Tiwi woman from the Northern Territory who has an extensive knowledge of Social and Emotional Wellbeing (SEWB) through lived experiences as an Indigenous AFLW athlete. She is a former AFLW player having played at Hawthorn and the Gold Coast Suns. Her role within the Mental Health and Wellbeing team is the Social and Emotional Wellbeing Coordinator, responsible for servicing and delivering culturally safe AFL content within the junior pathways particularly the NT Talent programs, Indigenous Programs and AFLW and AFL Combines, where she is the SEWB support for Indigenous players. She services the talent pathways as the wellbeing support working closely with young athletes enhancing th eir mental fitness in elite sports.
Ashleigh McCall, Ahead of the Game Program Coordinator
Ashleigh McCall is a Movember Ahead of the Game Program Coordinator, leading delivery across Queensland, New South Wales and the ACT. She brings over 10 years’ experience in community sport, with a background in operations and sport development. Her experience across participation and competition environments has shaped her understanding of club settings and the broader community sport landscape.
James Rice, Ahead of the Game Program Coordinator
James Rice has a Bachelor of Exercise Science and practiced as an exercise physiologist. After some experience in sports performance at the collegiate level, James’ interests lead him to mental health and suicide prevention at the community club level. He oversees the delivery and growth of Movember’s Ahead of the Game programs across Tasmania, Western Australia, and the Northern Territory. James is also the AFL’s Mental Health First Aid training facilitator.
Molly Eastman, Ahead of the Game Program Coordinator
Molly Eastman coordinates delivery of the Movember Ahead of the Game program across Victoria, South Australia and the Northern Territory. She brings experience from her time as an AFLW player with Richmond and Sydney, alongside her health background as a final-year Doctor of Physiotherapy student. Molly’s combined experience in elite sport and health underpins her passion for mental fitness, athlete wellbeing, and creating positive, supportive sporting environments.
Wellbeing Coordinators
Wellbeing Coordinators (WBCs) provide wellbeing education and individual wellbeing development planning to young players in the AFL Talent Pathways. The Wellbeing Coordinator team are a multidisciplinary team of wellbeing and education facilitators, who embed wellbeing for performance practices into Talent League Regions and State Programs.
