EXECUTIVE


Chris Donlon – President

Field umpire Chris Donlon has been reappointed President of the AFLUA for 2024. Chris has umpired 403 AFL matches, including 19 finals and the 2011 AFL Grand Final, and was the recipient of the Ian Coates medallion in 2006 and shared the Umpire of the Year (Bishop Shield) accolade with Matt Stevic in 2017. Away from umpiring, Chris works with professional leaders and teams as a conflict and drama coach, and has decades of management consulting, leadership, project management, and professional sports experience.

Michael Saunders – Vice-President

Boundary umpire Michael Saunders retains his position alongside Chris as Vice-President on the Executive Committee in 2024. Michael began his career in 2009 in Sydney before moving to Melbourne in 2022. He has umpired 284 AFL matches, including 18 finals and the 2013 AFL Grand Final, and was awarded the Murray Williams Shield in 2013. Outside of umpiring, Michael works as a commercial manager, with experience in sales, growth strategy, project management and performance transformation.

Andrew Stephens – Executive Representative (Field)

Field umpire Andrew Stephens returns for his second year on the Executive Committee. Andrew began his career in Brisbane in 2014, moving to Melbourne in 2015 before returning to Brisbane in 2022. He has umpired 204 AFL matches, including seven finals. Andrew was the recipient of the Most Promising First-or-Second Year Field Umpire award in 2015, as well as the emergency field umpire for the 2023 AFL Grand Final.

Josh Furman – Executive Representative (Boundary)

Boundary umpire Josh Furman joins the Executive Committee in 2024. Josh umpired his first AFL match in Round 1, 2019, and in 2023 umpired his 100th AFL Match. He umpired the 2018 AFLW Grand Final and received the Bill Sutton Medallion for Most Promising Boundary Umpire in 2020.

Michael Craig – Executive Representative (Goal)

Goal umpire Michael Craig joins the Executive Committee for the first time. He commenced his AFL umpiring career in 2014 and was the recipient of the Brian Pratt Medallion as the Best First-or-Second Year Goal Umpire. He has since umpired 148 AFL matches, including eight finals and the 2019 AFL Grand Final. Michael has been a member of the Goal Umpires’ Leadership Group for six years, and in 2022, received the Leigh Keen Shield.

Anthony Laughton – Executive Representative (AFLW)

Boundary umpire Anthony Laughton joins the Executive Committee for the first time as the AFLW’s Executive Representative. He commenced his career in the AFLW in 2019 and has umpired 29 AFLW matches. Outside of umpiring, Anthony has experience in Journalism and Communications and is currently a Senior Media Advisor with Major Roads Projects Victoria.

ADMINISTRATION


Rob Kerr – CEO

Dr Rob Kerr joined the AFLUA as CEO in March 2020. Rob brings with him significant experience in both the AFL industry and Corporate consulting world, where his work focused on Leadership and Organisational Development. Having played AFL football and been an Assistant Coach to Kevin Sheedy at Essendon, Rob’s sports administration career began when in 1999, he was appointed Executive Director of Player Development by the AFL Players’ Association. In that role, he established a world class
athlete support program, a first in Australia. In 2000, he was promoted to CEO of the AFLPA. As CEO, he negotiated two Player Wage agreements and the 2003-2008 AFL Players Collective Bargaining Agreement. He also delivered a range of firsts in this period, including the Retirement Fund payments, Education and Training Grants and the AFL Indigenous Player Camp.

Stepping away from football, Rob worked with Harbour Future Leaders and Personnel Decisions International from 2005-2010, where he had the opportunity to work internationally with a range of Fortune 100 company leaders. In 2010, he returned to football as National Talent Manager for the Brisbane Lions, and in 2014, he was appointed General Manager, Football, by the Essendon Football Club. As GM, he restructured the football department and contributed strongly to the Club’s efforts to rebuild respect within the industry following the 2012 supplements saga.

In 2017, Rob left Essendon and became General Manager, APAC, for the global Sports IT business, Edge10, where he rebuilt the consultancy capability of the APAC division. He was also Co-Founder and a Coaching Consultant with BKD Executive Leaders.

Rob was awarded a PhD from the University of Sydney, where he specialised in Psychology and Human Performance. As a performance psychologist, he has worked with many elite Australian teams, athletes and coaches. Rob also possesses a Graduate Diploma in Labour Relations Law from the University of Melbourne.

Peter Kelly – Manager, Operations and Member Engagement 

Peter joined the AFLUA office in 2016 in a newly-created position of Marketing and Communications Coordinator. A former AFL goal umpire, Peter has an extensive understanding of umpiring and football issues. He held the position of Executive Officer with the Victorian Football Umpires’ Association (VFUA) from 1993 to 2020, and has worked in various local leagues in Melbourne. Peter has also served on the AFLUA Executive Committee as Social Secretary, and was part of a committee which organised the AFLUA Centenary Celebration Ball in 2009. Peter is an Honorary Life Member of both the AFLUA and the VFUA, and has also been awarded a Special Award by the VFUA for his contribution to umpiring. He previously held a number of senior Human Resources roles with the Victorian State Government in a career spanning 31 years. Peter has a Bachelor of Arts (Human Resources) degree from the University of Iowa (USA) and a Cert IV in Personal Training.