The NFNL wishes to advise that Board Director and former Chair Scott Walker will step down from the NFNL Board, effective immediately.
Walker will accept a position as senior women’s coach of the Panton Hill Football Netball Club for the 2025 season.
His affiliation with the League spans long before his recent executive roles, having played juniors with the Greensborough Football Club, before playing over 300 open-age games at Panton Hill Football Club.
He has previously spent a decade in committee roles at Panton Hill, including serving as President for three years and has also served as a senior assistant coach and reserves coach with the Redbacks prior to his appointment as a Board Director in 2017.
Walker was also a member of the League’s football umpiring panel and has served as a field umpire as recently as 2024.
Spending nine years on the NFNL Board, five of those as the League’s Chair, Walker has overseen a strong transitional period for what is the premier sporting competition in the northern suburbs of Melbourne.
Since being a member of the Board, he was instrumental in building the League’s brand to what it is today, and assisted by helping improve the financial stability of the NFNL and support the expansion of our football and netball competitions right throughout the northern suburbs.
During his span as Chair, Walker helped develop the League’s strategic partnership with La Trobe University. This has allowed the League to establish a high profile and professional headquarters in the heart of the northern region.
Walker extended his thanks to the NFNL Board, staff and community for their support during his tenure at the League.
I leave the Board after nine years, including just over five years as Chair, in the knowledge that the League is in a very strong position under the leadership of Michael Peacock as Chair and Martin Stillman as CEO along with an exceptional wider Board and League staff.
The support that I’ve had has been unwavering which is a testament to the way the League is set up and operates.
I have seen the League transition over the last decade to become financially sound, well-structured and strategically focused so that community sport is able to be provided to the north of Melbourne.
It has been an absolute pleasure to be part of the journey.
In my time as Chair of the League we set up an important strategic partnership with La Trobe University, responded to Covid-19, expanded all football competitions, including senior women’s and girls football, and became a leader in netball in both the senior and junior space.
This couldn’t have happened without the work of Peter McDougall as Chief Executive Officer for nearly 10 years and more recently Martin Stillman in the last two years, to continue to take the League to another level of professionalism.
I want to thank both CEOs who have been dedicated leaders and have made our job on the Board extremely easy and enjoyable. I want to also thank my fellow Board members, the high-quality League staff who work so hard and of course all of the clubs, partners and volunteers.
I’ve been involved in local sport for many years and feel that now is the right time to step off the Board after having dedicated my time to giving something back the League that has given myself and my family so much.
I am thrilled to continue to support local sport in the north as the new coach of the Panton Hill senior women’s football team.
Current NFNL Chair Michael Peacock expressed his gratitude to Walker for his dedication to the League for almost a decade.
On behalf of the Board, NFNL staff and our clubs I’d like to thank and acknowledge Scott Walker for his immense contribution to the NFNL.
Scott served as a voluntary Board Member for nine years and provided outstanding leadership during that time. The change, progression and growth of the NFNL over that stint is evident for all to see.
Anyone who has been around footy knows that opportunities don’t always come along. Scott has been keen to coach senior women’s footy and an opportunity has recently come up for him at a club that means a lot to him in Panton Hill.
While it means a change for our Board, it’s also an exciting time for Scott. We would like to thank him for his contribution and wish him well in his new coaching endeavors.
The Board continues to apply a skills and values-based succession planning approach to Board composition and a replacement for Scott will be announced in due course.
