Long-time employee Marc Geppert appointed as AFL Southern NSW regional manager
AFL NSW-ACT has reinstated Southern NSW as a standalone region within the state with long-time employee Marc Geppert promoted to the top job.
Geppert was announced as the new AFL Southern NSW regional manager on Monday, in the wake of last month's resignation of Steve Mahar.
Geppert will become the third AFL Southern NSW regional manager in the organisation's history. He follows in the footsteps of Paul Habel and Jason McPherson, with Mahar taking over the combined ACT and Southern NSW region for the past four years.
Geppert has been with AFL NSW-ACT for 16 years, the last four as Southern NSW's game development manager.
The 33-year-old was thrilled to land the job.
"It's pretty exciting. It's been a goal of mine since I started with the AFL," Geppert said.
"I'm really grateful for this opportunity and I'm looking forward to the future.
"I'm lucky in the sense that our local team are great at what they do and have a real passion for the game and I look forward to working more closely with them."
The focus of the immediate future is next month's AFL-AFLW double header in Wagga, along with the implementation of the 14 key recommendations from the AFL Riverina Competitions Review.
One of Geppert's key goals is to ensure the game prospers across the entire region.
"It's a big region and we tend to get stuck on the fact that our home base is in Wagga but we've got other really important areas like Broken Hill, Northern Riverina, MIA, Albury and greater Hume," he said.
"They're big centres, so I'd like to think I'll be able to have an impact on the broader region, being Southern NSW."
Geppert's appointment comes at a time of great change within AFL NSW-ACT with the role of outgoing chief executive Sam Graham one of several positions in the process of being filled.
AFL NSW-ACT state manager of marketing, development and growth, Tiffany Robertson, endorsed Geppert's appointment.
"Marc is a great example to everyone in our organisation across NSW and the ACT in terms of his talent, dedication and energy," Robertson said.
CHANGING TIMES: Outgoing AFL NSW-ACT staff members Sam Graham and Steve Mahar with new AFL Southern NSW regional manager Marc Geppert.
"Marc has been instrumental in bringing elite AFL content to Southern NSW through the upcoming AFLW and Marsh Community Series game and has consistently driven outstanding growth throughout the region.
"Marc has a strong vision for growing our game in Southern NSW and we are looking forward to working with him to achieve it."
Geppert also believes it is a positive step forward for the region to be again reinstated as a standalone region within AFL NSW-ACT.
Marc Geppert with Jason McPherson back in 2015.
"It's really positive for our region," he said.
"We've had pleasing growth since 2016 from both a participation and staffing point of view.
"The positive of being our own region is that we can specifically hone into what's relevant and have a greater understanding of the issues our volunteers and community clubs face. I hope that I can be a strong advocate for the region and ensure that our regional priorities align with our statewide strategies."
Geppert also now takes up a position on the AFL Riverina board.
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