DOREEN local Scott McNaughton has been rewarded for his work within NRL Victoria, nominated for the Administrator of the Year in the Victorian Sport Awards for 2024.
McNaughton, who is the Operations Manager for NRL Victoria, has played a pivotal role in the sport’s growth after COVID alongside his team, which has seen participation rocket up 20 per cent year on year since 2022.
The numbers have come through inclusive social competitions, which include League Tag Jam, the Harmony Cup, Female Footy Festival, City v Country and Friday Night Lights.
Through McNaughton’s work, the Harmony Cup attracts 80 teams and 1600 participants, while his work has also allowed the Goulburn Murray Storm Premiership to grow by 25 per cent with the establishment of junior competitions for the first time in over 10 years.
But speak to the man himself, and McNaughton will tell you it is a humbling honour that couldn’t be achieved without his colleagues.
“I was pretty shocked. Like many of us, it’s always hard to take compliments, but it was a really pleasant surprise. Our team, not just me, have put in a lot of hard work, particularly coming out of the COVID lull that hit most winter sports when it came,” he said.
“The culture we have—we have a relatively small team and we centrally manage our competitions. The thing we talk through, whether it’s our game development, operations team or our pathways team, is ‘we get to’—we get to do this, we get to work in sport, we work in a sport we love, and we get to see people smile. The ‘we get to’ statement is something we’ve honed in on in the last few years in particular.
“We get to deliver a great experience for people in our community. Everyone is hard working, and we all get around each other and we get to do this—it’s a privilege to get to represent our community and get to do this. We started this weekend, and I look forward to getting out there and seeing the smiles on guys’ and girls’ faces and the club volunteers who work so many hours to get things going. We wouldn’t be where we are without them and their hard work. Their passion and drive really get us going.
“It’s about us all, and that’s the way I see the nomination, being a finalist in this, it’s recognition for the team and broader workplace.”
McNaughton says bringing the game to new audiences has been the most rewarding part of his job.
“The thing that was going to get things working again, and seeing the sport prosper was doing things differently. Things like our girls-specific Friday nights’ underage competitions, modifying numbers in competitions to try engaging more clubs in the female space, which has been really successful. We have a nine-a-side women’s competition for the first time ever this year which is great, so that’s translating into the senior space as well as junior,” he said.
However, for McNaughton, the job is never done, and he hopes that, on top of the continued success of the Melbourne Storm in the NRL competition, the game continues to enjoy a terrific level of growth.
“The job is never done—we’re always looking to innovate and do things differently, putting new things in place to engage people and keep them as part of the game,” he said.
The Victorian Sport Awards winners will be revealed on Wednesday, May 14.
