At a meeting of the Touch Football Australia Board of Directors on Friday 17 February 2023, Anita Hagarty resigned from her position as Chairperson with the Board appointing Erin Taylor as her successor.
Hagarty was first elected to the Board in 2013 and assumed the role of Chair in 2016, the first female to hold the position. Over the subsequent eight years, Hagarty delivered significant change for the organisation, guided it through the pandemic and stands down with the organisation in its strongest financial position in its history.
Of her departure Hagarty said “I am really proud of what we have been able to achieve in my time. We have made real change in governance with a new Constitution, creation of Risk and Audit and Nominations Committees and we have adopted diversity measures to ensure equity on our Board and Committees. Moving our operations to Sydney has strengthened our partnership with the NRL and the subsequent creation and investment into the NRL Touch Premiership strategy sets up sport up for many years to come. But what I will look back on most fondly is our inclusion strategy – having our All-Abilities genuinely integrated into our National Touch League makes me so proud of our sport and shows what can be achieved with an inclusive mindset.”
ACT’s Erin Taylor takes on the role having first been elected to the TFA Board in 2020. Taylor served on the ACT Touch Football Board and Advisory Committees from 2010 and spent four years on the Board of ACT Netball before joining TFA.
“I am honoured to take on the role as Chair of TFA and get the opportunity to grow the sport I have loved since I started playing after school with my Dad (too) many years ago” Taylor said following her appointment.
“I have always loved sport, I love its ability to provide a positive and healthy environment for our kids to grow up in, to teach them about teamwork and work ethic and to create lifelong friends. Our sport is one that can be played by all abilities, ages, shapes, sizes, genders and sexualities and I am so proud of how far the sport has come at the grass roots and the elite level. It will be a difficult task stepping into Anita’s shoes – she has built on the incredibly solid foundation provided by those before her and has transformed Touch Football into the professional, financially secure and mature organisation that it is now, but has done so with the focus remaining on what is the most simple but critical aspect of any sport, growth. I look forward to the exciting times to come for Touch Football and to being the Chair’ she added.
TFA Chief Executive Officer, Jamie O’Connor paid tribute to the outgoing Hagarty and welcomed Taylor into the role. “Anita’s legacy will be felt for years to come. She has overseen some of the most significant change in our sport, invested into the NRL Touch Premiership, drove a more commercially focused operation that allowed for such investment and advocated strongly for touch football to be the most inclusive sport in Australia.
“She made the tough calls during the pandemic; she was there to make sure the sport rebounded; she steps down knowing the sport is strong and in safe hands with Erin Taylor coming into the seat. Erin comes with a deep knowledge of the sport, plenty of experience having worked on previous Boards and will slot into the role seamlessly. We have been working towards succession for quite some time and I’m looking forward to working with Erin as we continue to deliver on our strategic priorities.”
For more information or media enquiries please contact Jenna Purcell via email at jenna.purcell@touchfootball.com.au.
