By Michael Winkler

THE PREVIOUS general manager of AFL Central Australia stood 197cm and had rucked for Hawthorn. The new general manager is about 40cm shorter, enjoys social tennis and looks younger than her 30 years.

Kate Egan recently took on the challenging role of leading the newly unified competition based in Alice Springs. After a year as operations manager she was offered the top job after former Hawk Brett O’Farrell stood down in June.

“People suggest that it is an unusual thing for a woman to be general manager of a football league, but to me it isn’t about whether you’re male or female,” Egan says.

“It is about working with people to make AFLCA as strong as possible.”

Egan’s ascension is an example of the right person in the right place at the right time.

Her background is in hospitality management. In 2007 she went to Alice Springs for two weeks to organise a corporate event attached to a NAB Challenge match, and succeeded to the extent that she was asked to apply for the operations manager position.

“Football is so important in Central Australia,” she says. “It affects so many people’s lives. Working with football gives you contact with a broad spectrum of the community. Every day there are new work challenges, be they football issues or social issues.

“We have had a smooth and successful season so far. My goal is to get the season finishing as well as it started.”

If Egan can achieve this, it will be in stark contrast to last year. A positive 2007 season was marred by an ugly brawl after the Grand Final. Footage of the brawl was aired on computer file-sharing sites and there was local acrimony regarding the identity of those who were and were not sanctioned.

To her credit, Ms Egan welcomes discussion about an incident which delivered a hip-and-shoulder to the AFLCA.

“The issue cannot be ignored. It was especially disappointing because the year had been fantastic and the grand final (between West and Pioneer) was one of the best games I have ever seen.

“It is a shame it happened, but you deal with it.

“We have been proactive. This year we are no longer serving alcohol at games. This is a financial concern but the social responsibility and healthy lifestyles we are tyring to promote is a bigger issue.

“We have moved the teams’ benches further apart, and are holding courses for clubs on good sportsmanship. This has also been addressed by our new coaches group which operates with the fantastic support of Richmond Football Club.”

Egan’s connection with the game was forged in the years either side of Collingwood’s 1990 premiership. She went every weekend with her mother and grandmother, who “provided me with an insight at an early age into the passion people feel for footy.”

While she learned the game watching “Gavin Brown, Tony Francis, Peter Daicos of course, and I have to admit that I loved Charlie Manson – perhaps it was his unpredictability”, she has come to value the Central Australian brand of football.

“Footy in Alice is just so fast. It reminds me a little of the footy of old. The patterns of play are not as defined. There is a lot more jumping and high-marking.”

She believes that local passion for the game is the greatest strength of AFLCA. The biggest challenges are attracting sponsorship, crowds and volunteers.

At the beginning of 2008 the town-based competition amalgamated with the competition for outlying Aboriginal communities. Because all AFLCA games are played at Traeger Park in Alice Springs, this means that the Yuendumu and Papunya teams have round trips of about 700km each weekend.

Despite this, the merged competition has been a success. “It consolidates senior football in this region. Our juniors are strong so we believe this is the best way forward.”

At the end of this year Egan will inform the AFLCA Board of her future plans. She is uncertain if she will remain in the general manager’s role, but has no doubt that professional involvement in football is her preferred future path.

“Footy is an amazing way to connect with people. I feel lucky to be part of it.”