Craig Millar appointed Ovens and Murray Football Netball league general manager

Millar replaces Sean Barrett who held the position for four-and-a-half years.

He has previously worked in football operations with the NEAFL competition, was the state operations manager for AFL Queensland and most recently was player development manager at Carlton.

After a year without football or netball, Millar knows there will be plenty of challenges ahead.

"I think there's no doubt there will be some challenges aligned to it, but I think there's amazing excitement and some amazing opportunities around our communities at the moment," he said.

"No sport for 12 months in towns that crave sport, I'm sure there's going to be a big crowd there on Saturday (at Albury Sportsground), within the constrictions we have with the government regulations.

"A real priority of mine in the first few weeks of starting in the role will be to get around to all of the clubs and make sure I'm well versed on where they're sitting and what their challenges and opportunities might be.

"The goal at the moment is stability. There's no doubt there's some great governance at our clubs, but particularly coming off the back of COVID, it's our responsibility as the governing body to make sure we support those licence holders and make sure they're well-equipped to serve the needs of their towns and clubs and also meet the expectations we have."

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Millar said the Ovens and Murray's reputation as one of the leading regional competitions in the country was a major drawcard.

"When the opportunity presented itself, I actually rang David (Sinclair) straight away and asked him to let me know about the position," Millar said.

"I was fortunate enough to play in the competition many moons ago and loved what the Ovens and Murray did for communities, I love the way the netball and football clubs interact with one another and the way the community got behind it.

"When it came up, it was definitely one I grabbed straight away and feel blessed I was given the opportunity to take the reins for 2021."

Ovens and Murray league chairman David Sinclair was pleased with the response for the role and said Millar beat a quality field of applicants.

"Craig is well qualified holding a degree in sports administration and teaching and brings enormous experience to the role," Sinclair said.

"The average tenure for this role is four to five years and we've always felt if we haven't got someone in this role that is looking for the next role to go to, we've got the wrong person.

"That's where Sean was at, he'd given his four-and-a-half years in the role, done a fantastic job and has moved on in sports administration taking on the role at Wangaratta Turf Club.

"I'd like to think it's a coveted role in sports admin and for anyone who wants a career in the sports admin, the Ovens and Murray is a great place to start."

Millar will officially commence the role on April 12.

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