Gemba consultant Oliver Gilbert appointed to board of VAFA
The Victorian Amateur Football Association has appointed Oliver Gilbert – a consultant at sports consultancy Gemba – as a member of its 10-strong board.
Founded in 1892, the Victorian Amateur Football Association (VAFA) is the oldest and largest metropolitan amateur community football competition in Melbourne. VAFA’s competition encompasses 71 clubs fielding more than 310 teams with 8,500 men’s and 2,700 women’s players across 35 sections.
With a passion for amateur sport (which largely stems from his interest in the origins of English football and his support of the Birregurra Saints), Oliver Gilbert says he is delighted to take on the board role and make a “meaningful contribution to an association with such a profound history”.
Gilbert is a Senior Management Consultant in the strategy consulting division of Gemba, an award-winning consultancy and agency dedicated to helping rights holders, brands and broadcasters with sport and entertainment focused engagements.
Prior to joining Gemba, Gilbert worked in mergers and acquisitions at Deloitte for three years and in financial services at Macquarie Bank for six years.
Find out more about Gilbert’s transition to sports consulting in this 1-hour interview with SportsGrad.
His track record includes working on numerous strategic projects, including a 20-year strategic vision, a media rights valuation and go-to-market strategy, a competition and pathways review for a state based organisation and the development of a junior community participation program.
Gilbert has significant experience developing strategies for national and state sports organisations, developing community participation programs and has a strong understanding of major issues faced across the sports landscape across female participation and pathways.
With club involvement at Melbourne High School Old Boys’ Football Club (a Division 2 outfit of the VAFA competition), Gilbert also brings grassroots VAFA experience to the board.
The VAFA board is led by George Voyage (President) and Frank Dunell (Vice- President), with Tim Habel, Anthony Amad, Alistair Ewart, Felicity Frederico, Phil Stevens, Vicki Durston, and Ivan Delac the other members alongside Gilbert.
Key topics on the board agenda for the coming months include finalisation of the strategic plan for 2022-2024 and continued recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic. The VAFA also has a number of key initiatives aimed at excellence on and off the field and at increasing diversity, equity and inclusion in amateur football.