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Jamie Howden
Chief Executive Officer
Summary
Jamie is an experienced Executive with twenty five years of experience and a demonstrated history of achieving definitive and tangible outcomes within the Community and Government sectors. He is a skilled leader in organisational governance, community engagement, program delivery, complex stakeholder management, strategic development, advocacy, and fundraising. Jamie has strong business development skills with a proven track record in leading dynamic high performing organisations.
Previous roles Jamie has held include CEO of the Cathy Freeman Foundation, CEO of FightMND (delivery of the Big Freeze Event - AFL), Head of Government Relations at Children's Ground and General Manager of Ladder (AFL Players Association Charity).
Jamie aims to oversee management of the most professional junior Australian Rules football competition in the country, ensuring children from all backgrounds have access to our great game.
Nathan Broadbent
General Manager – Football Operations
Summary
Nathan comes to the SMJFL having recently completed a PhD through Tennis Australia and Victoria University, assessing the equipment and playing area guidelines of junior sport competitions broadly, with a specific focus on tennis.
Prior to this undertaking, he completed an Honours project in collaboration with the Western Bulldogs and Victoria University, where he took on additional performance analysis tasks.
Nathan is a former player within the SMJFL with Bentleigh Junior Football Club, and nowadays plays tennis twice a week.
Gemma McNabb
General Manager- Commercial & Marketing
Summary
Gemma joins the SMJFL with a broad background in marketing, commercial partnerships, and event strategy, working with national sporting bodies, Olympians, and leading global brands to grow audiences and strengthen engagement.
Fresh off a Supercars Championship win with Chaz Mostert and the wider Walkinshaw Andretti United team, she is looking forward to a change in gears (pun intended) and bringing her strategic and creative approach to a community focused environment.
Gemma is passionate about sport, building strong relationships and creating meaningful, long lasting value for the SMJFL community.
Liam Hollingsworth
Club Development & Community Lead
Summary
Liam joined the SMJFL at the beginning of 2024 as the league’s Clubs & Community Lead.
With a strong administration and operations background in the VFL with both the Northern Blues and Northern Bullant’s, Liam aims to use this experience to ensure the best development and sustainability for our member clubs, whilst also educating and guiding clubs on a community and governance level.
Portia Ronsberg
Head of Umpiring
Summary
Joining the SMJFL in 2024, Portia’s role as Head of Umpiring will see her coordinate and work closely with our league umpires, Umpire Academy and to ensure the smooth operation of matches and promote umpire development.
Having worked as a Field Umpire with the SMJFL since 2018, Portia’s ambition to grow the league’s umpiring academy whilst simultaneously developing coaching skills of her own will provide our existing and aspiring umpires with a wealth of knowledge and experience.
Ruby Lewis
Football Administration Coordinator
Summary
Ruby comes to the SMJFL in 2025 as the Football Operations Coordinator, bringing with her a double bachelor’s degree in Exercise and Sport Science / Business (Sport Management) from Deakin University.
Ruby has previously gained experience across a range of elite sporting environments, including roles as a performance data analyst with the Saints AFLW, a volunteer data analyst with the Sandringham Dragons, and an events and marketing assistant at North Melbourne Football Club.
Ruby is passionate about high performance and aims to contribute to the smooth delivery of football across the league.
Rhian Llewellyn
Marketing & Communications Coordinator
Summary
Rhian joins the SMJFL in 2025, the role as Marketing and Communications Coordinator will see her coordinating marketing, communications and branding of the league.
Rhian has previously been involved in the tennis industry and marketing of Kooyong International Tennis Academy. The primary objectives were to increase brand awareness and attract top talent.
Rhian aims to increase the visibility of the SMJFL brand by producing engaging marketing content and leading SMJFL social media platforms.
Finn Craig
Business Administration Coordinator
Summary
Joining the SMJFL in 2025, Finn's role as the Business Administration Coordinator will work closely with stakeholders and clubs, to ensure the smooth delivery of competitions and enhance the experience for clubs, players, and volunteers across the league.
With experience across both Carlton and St Kilda Football Clubs, Finn brings a wealth of knowledge and years of experience in membership services, stakeholder management, and fan engagement, having worked across from Carlton and St Kilda Football Clubs.
Finn’s career to date has been built around a passion for sport and people. His time in elite AFL environments has equipped him with skills in administration, relationship management, and operational delivery, while also deepening his understanding of how sporting organisations connect with their communities.
Max Timlock
Head of Pathways & Administration Assistant
Summary
Max joins the SMJFL as an Administration Assistant, having previously been involved with the league at umpire level, as a junior with St Kilda City JFC, and assisting with our activation in 2023.
With a desire to pursue a career in sport, Max will provide administrative support to the league whilst assisting with events, functions and operations broadly.
David Zivin
Football Pathways Administrator
Summary
David became involved in junior football in 2010 as Team Manager for his sons U9 team. This was the commencement of his footballing journey and has continued his dedicated involvement in junior football.
David progressed from a Team Manager’s role to managing the SMJFL’s inaugural U16’s Youth Girls representative team in 2014.
In 2016 he became the leagues Program Co-Ordinator, responsible for the managing all the SMJFL’s Interleague teams before being appointed as the SMJFL’s Football Pathway Program Administrator in 2019, assisting and managing the representative programs run in conjunction with the St Kilda Football Club’s NGA programs.
David was made a Life Member of the SMJFL in 2021.
Jalayna Boaler
Bookkeeper
Summary
Jalayna is the Business Services Manager at Sports Accounting Australia and joined the SMJFL in 2025
STAFF
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