Hockey NSW Welcomes Emma Highwood As CEO

Hockey NSW is delighted to announce it has appointed leading sports administrator, Emma Highwood, as its next CEO. Emma will commence in the CEO role on 21 March 2022.

Emma has held senior leadership roles in major sporting organisations in the UK and Australia over the past two decades, including the English FA, Sport England and 10 years at Football Australia. She joins Hockey NSW from her role as Community Football Manager at AFL NSW/ACT, where she has been responsible for enhancing participation and pathway strategies.

President of Hockey NSW, Adriana Care, said Ms Highwood was selected from a high-quality field of candidates. 

“We are thrilled to attract an administrator of Emma’s experience, talent and energy as we prepare for a full year of activities following the disruptions of the past two years,” Ms Care said. 

“Emma’s outstanding track record of growing participation at the grassroots level, building digital engagement channels for members and implementing sustainable talent pathway programs, is the perfect fit for Hockey NSW.

“She really understands the importance of supporting local and regional Clubs and Associations, which are the lifeblood of our sport, to expand capacity and foster junior development. It is no surprise that Emma was named in 2019 as one of the most influential women in Australian sports. 

“Emma is also skilled at delivering great commercial outcomes, including broadcast and licensing deals, corporate and government partnerships and securing major events. That expertise will be of tremendous value to Hockey NSW,” Ms Care said.

Emma Highwood said her passion lies in grassroots sport and giving everybody the opportunity to enjoy the benefits that sports like hockey offer. 
 
“I grew up playing hockey in the UK and developed a passion for the sport and its inclusive nature, especially for women and girls, so this is a dream role,” Ms Highwood said. 

“I have always been a strong advocate of creating a safe and inclusive environment so all participants can have fun, stay engaged and reach their full potential. That is how you build and retain participants and members, particularly young people. 

“Hockey is such an accessible sport that can be enjoyed by almost anyone, so there is terrific potential for growth. 

“I am really looking forward to working with the Hockey NSW team, Board and the wider Hockey community to continue the development and growth of Hockey across NSW.”

Adriana Care praised the work of Acting CEO, Craig Beed, who will resume his role as Chief Operating Officer next month.

“Craig is a skilled and committed leader who continues to make an outstanding contribution to Hockey NSW. I have enjoyed working closely with him in the past four months, and I look forward to Craig working with Emma as a key part of our senior leadership team.”

EMMA HIGHWOOD - BRIEF BIOGRAPHY
 

Emma Highwood is an experienced Sports Administrator with over 20 years working in sport in the UK and Australia. 

She has extensive experience working in complex stakeholder environments, with more than a decade in Senior Executive/General Management roles, leading complex change across whole-of-sport. 

Some of Emma’s career highlights include: 

• Executive lead for Grassroots, Talent Pathway and Women’s Football for seven years at Football Australia.
• Oversaw a rapid increase in women’s football participation, including introduction of the ALDI MiniRoos for Girls program, which grew from 170,00 to 230,000 participants.
• Oversaw the transformation of FFA’s talented player pathway, including establishing the Professional A-League Academies and the revamped National Premier Leagues, which increased opportunities for talented players and strengthened the role of Clubs.
• Key role securing the FIFA Women’s World Cup for Australia and New Zealand in 2023.
• Established Tournament of Nations, increasing Women revenue from $1.2m to $3m while leading the legacy plan for Women’s 2023 World Cup bid.
• Led establishment of FFA’s first schools’ strategy.
• Led digital transformation at FFA and AFL, including the original rollout of the first digital registration system for the grassroots (MyFootballClub).
• Integral part of the first Collective Bargaining Agreement for the Westfield W-league to deliver gender equality in minimum pay and conditions.
• Key role in securing broadcast partnerships with Kayo and license agreements for the AFL and Football Australia.