About vicsport

Mark McAllion - Chief Executive Officer

With 18 years of sports administration experience behind him, Mark joined vicsport as CEO in January 2009.  Mark’s administration background is predominately in the community sport and Game Development areas having worked with Cricket Victoria, Cricket Australia and Tennis Australia.  Most recently Mark was the CEO of Softball Australia.

Major highlights of Mark’s career include the management of Softball Australia’s constitutional reform, initiatives which significantly increased cricket participation, the introduction of National Insurance Programs, the establishment of Cricket Victoria’s Game Development Department and the creation of the Victorian Cricket Pathway.  Mark’s work has also seen him organise the Prime Minister’s XI vs ATSIC Chairman’s XI match at the Adelaide Oval in 2003 and hold the roles of Secretary of the Australian Country Cricket Committee and Match Day Team Manager for the Western Bulldogs Football Club.

Mark lists his sporting highlights as coaching and playing in club cricket premierships, coaching the Victorian Under 17 Cricket Team and witnessing some amazing Australian sporting performances live including Australia’s 2008 Softball Bronze Medal, Shane Warne’s 700th Test wicket and Kerryn McCann’s Commonwealth Games Marathon Gold Medal.

Married with two children, Mark is now actively involved with his kids’ sport, coaching and volunteering at the junior level.  Keen to watch any sport at the elite level Mark is a passionate supporter of the Western Bulldogs and the Victorian Bushrangers cricket team and in his spare time plays social tennis and golf.

Anthony Bowd - Business Operations Manager

Anthony started at vicsport in January 2006.  His role is to ensure the delivery of projects (excluding Coaching and Officiating), oversee submissions to Government Inquiries and assist in the administrative management of vicsport.

Current projects include maintaining a watch on industry issues for reporting to key stakeholders including Sport & Recreation Victoria and VicHealth, Women's Leadership, Women on Board's, Supporting rollout of the Victorian Government's Volunteering Portal and assistance to Bushfire affected clubs, as well as the Gaze Sporting Conduct Award.

Previous projects completed and overseen include Sport Injury Risk Management, Expanding Participation in Masters Sport, Amalgamation of Sporting Structures, Spectator Behaviour and Access to and Utilisation of Sports Facilities.

Government submissions completed include The Future of Sport in Australia (Crawford) report, Henry Tax Review, reviews of the Associations Incorporations Act & Model Rules, Regulatory Reform, Sharing of Government Facilities, Planning and Local Government Regulations and Strengthening Community Organisations.

Anthony has been involved in local sport (cricket and Australian Rules football) as a player and committee member and also enjoys sport and recreational activities socially including golf, squash and bushwalking.

Anthony has an undergraduate degree in Business (Applied Economics and Marketing) and has also completed his post graduate studies in Masters of Business (Sport Management), both at Deakin University.

Max Binnington – Sport Education Manager

Max’s role includes ensuring our member sporting associations in Victoria have the capacity to deliver coach and official education courses that comply with the National Coach and Official Accreditation Schemes established by the Australian Sports Commission to bring Australian coaches and officials to the highest standards. vicsport works closely with the Commission, Sport and Recreation Victoria and our member organisations to provide the opportunities for our member sports to present or undertake courses and develop their own policies.

Last year Max celebrated 40 years as a member of the famous Glenhuntly Athletics Club but has had a life time of interest in sport having played representative basketball at the junior level and many years of junior hockey. He has represented Australia at the 1976 Olympics and is a 3 times Commonwealth Games representative in hurdles. He currently coaches sprinters and hurdlers covering the age range from juniors to a 40 year old, from Club through to national level.

He has worked in local government recreation and community services, had an HR consulting business since 1989 and spent 4 years as Athletics Australia’s National Performance Manager. He has experience in sport as an athlete, coach and team manager from Club to Olympic levels. He considers himself an educator and mentor and looks forward to assisting people across sport in Victoria achieve their ambition.

Max has qualifications in education and business.

 

Fiona Kuilboer - Women's Sport Manager

Fiona is responsible for the management of the Women’s Leadership initiative projects. These initiatives include the Female Administrators Network, the Professional Development and Mentoring Program and the coordination of the Women’s Sport Advisory Group.

Over the past four years she has been working in the Sport and Recreation sector most recently at Basketball Victoria as the Health Promotion & Marketing Officer (4 years) and prior to this, spent time assisting with administration of the Australian Sports Commission’s Women in Sport Leadership Grants.

Fiona studied at Ballarat University, graduating with a Bachelor of Applied Science (Human Movement) and Bachelor of Management (Marketing). It was during her time at university that she began to develop a keen interest in women’s sport.

Fiona has been involved in sport as a participant, coach, referee and administrator from an early age, taking up various positions within her local basketball association. Over the years, she has also enjoyed playing competitive Netball and Hockey, though never at an elite level and continues to play basketball on a weekly basis.  Fiona also enjoys keeping fit at her local gym. Outside of sport, her interests lie in music and food – even more so when they are combined!

Kate Don – Women in Sport Project Officer

Kate is responsible for the Women on Boards - Good Governance Project which is aimed at working with a number of State Sporting Organisations and potential board members to improve diversity on boards.

The project is supported through VicHealth’s PICSAR funding and has a particular focus on addressing the underrepresentation of women on boards.  

Kate has a degree in Sports Administration and has completed Post Graduate studies in Sport & Recreation Management.  

Kate enjoys running to keep fit and has an Australian Title in Sport Aerobics. Now retired from competition Kate enjoys teaching others how to keep fit at her own nutrition and personal training studio.  

Kristen Beams - Women's Sport Project Officer

Kristen started with vicsport in January 2012 as the Women’s Sport Project Officer. Kristen is responsible for the delivery of the Women in Sport and Recreation initiatives which are funded by Sport & Recreation Victoria. This includes the Female Administrators Network, the Professional Development and Mentoring Program and the Female Youth Leadership Program.

Over the past 6 years Kristen has been working as a cricket administrator for Cricket Tasmania and most recently with Cricket Australia working in the areas of club development, inclusion, funding and junior development.

Outside of work Kristen enjoys playing cricket for her local club Essendon Maribyrnong Park Ladies Cricket Club and the VicSpirit.

Connie Raso - State Sports Connect Coordinator

Connie Raso is currently the Victorian State Coordinator for the Disability Sport Network overseeing the delivery and management of the Australian Sport Commission’s Sports CONNECT program throughout Victoria.  The role primarily involves supporting state sporting associations develop and implement long term inclusive strategies and practices within their sport and more recently facilitating links between disability sector organisations and sport at a variety of levels (national and state).  Over the last four years she has worked collaboratively with a range of organisations across all sports and networks such as Access for All Abilities Network, State Department of Sport & Recreation, VicHealth, VICNORD, VICSRAPID & Centre for Multicultural Youth.

Since 2005, she has also been a Sports CONNECT Case Manager consulting with Bowls Australia and, more recently, Netball Australia, regarding a whole of sport approach to inclusion.

Connie holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Human Movement and Bachelor of Business in Accountancy.

Connie has been involved in local sport as a player and more recently actively involved in volunteering at junior club committee level.

Nisha Wijesekera – Project Officer

Having recently completed the ‘Physically Active School Communities Project’ in which vicsport established the links between the Pilot Schools and their local sport and active recreation providers, and the ‘Increasing the Involvement of Senior Victorians in Coaching and Officiating’ project where together with Basketball Victoria, Swimming Victoria and the 12th Annual Masters Games Geelong the project aimed to up-skill Senior Victorians in coaching and officiating, Nisha is currently working with the sports clubs in the bushfire affected regions to assist them in their recovery process.

Nisha has undertaken a Bachelor of Applied Science (Human Movement) and a Master of Sport Business, both of which were completed at Victoria University.

Though enjoying her time participating in various sports at a junior level, a lack of skill and talent means that she currently enjoys keeping fit with her vicsport colleagues through activities requiring less hand-eye coordination such as running, spin classes, pilates and resistance training.

Nicole Bearzatto - Member Services Officer

Nicole began at vicsport in her role as Member Services Officer in November 2010.  She also completed a work placement at vicsport in early 2010 working on the Good Governance Project and in particular the Women on Boards Fact Sheets.  Some of Nicole's responsibilities include the creation and distribution of vicsport's fortnightly e-news and quarterly Sportsview magazine.  She also maintains and updates all content related to the vicsport website and database. 

Nicole has a combined degree in Exercise and Sport Science / Commerce (Sport Management) from Deakin University which she completed in 2010.

Though involved in a large range of sports including tennis, netball, basketball and cricket through her junior years Nicole now plays sport on a more social level.  She is also involved at the Manningham Cobras Amateur Football Club as Team Manager and attends as many Carlton games and other sporting events as possible.

Matthew Heinrich - Adminstration Officer

Matthew began at vicsport in his role as Administration Officer in January 2011.  He completed an internship at vicsport in late 2010, working predominately on the organisation of the Victorian Sport Awards which comprise his main responsibilities again in 2011.

He also worked on the Bushfire Relief Project with Sport and Recreation Victoria providing grants to bushfire affected areas across Victoria. 

Matthew has a Bachelor of Sport Management from the University of Ballarat which he completed in 2010.

Through his involvement in football, tennis and cricket in his junior years, Matthew still plays sport socially and attends as many Essendon games as possible. 

Emily Vigon - Accounts Officer