Essendon Football Club is pleased to announce the appointment of Taylah Harding (nee Jack) as Head of AFLW, covering for current General Manager Aysha Ward during her maternity leave.
With experience across the Australian Institute of Sport, AFLW and SANFL, Harding brings a broad understanding of the people, structures and systems required to build a successful football program.
Since joining the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) in 2025 as Senior Performance Lead, Harding has led cross-performance teams and worked with more than 30 National Sporting Organisations on performance strategy, talent identification and development.
She has also driven collaboration across coaching, medicine, biomechanics, psychology, engineering and communications, developing an integrated performance framework which has since been adopted by multiple sporting organisations.
Prior to the AIS, Harding spent two seasons as the High Performance Manager at St Kilda’s AFLW program, overseeing the department’s operations, workforce and performance strategy.
During her time at the Saints, she helped develop the department’s structures and monitoring systems, contributing to a 20 percent increase in player availability and a 22 percent reduction in soft tissue injuries.
Earlier in her career, Harding was High Performance Manager at Norwood Football Club, where she built and led the club’s high performance department ahead of its 2022 SANFL premiership.
Harding also contributes to the Australian Strength and Conditioning Association’s Women’s Advisory Committee, supporting the development of emerging coaches and creating opportunities for women across the high-performance industry.
Essendon CEO Tim Roberts is excited for the broad expertise that Taylah will bring to the role of Head of AFLW and the knowledge she will bring into the wider program.
“Taylah brings a really strong mix of experience across the AFLW and the national high performance system,” Roberts said.
“She has a great understanding of what it takes to build a high-performing program, both on and off the field, and we’re excited about the knowledge and expertise she’ll bring to our AFLW program and the broader Club.
“Taylah also understands the importance of building strong relationships and aligning people around a common goal. As we look ahead to 2027, she’ll play an important role in continuing to develop our AFLW program and ensuring it’s well positioned for the future.”
Harding also shared her excitement in returning to club land and can’t wait to get started with the Bombers AFLW program.
“I’m really excited to be joining Essendon and becoming part of the Bombers family”, Harding said.
“It’s a great opportunity to lead an AFLW program. I’m keen to get started, contribute my knowledge to the program and work alongside everyone at the Club.”
Harding will begin the role of Head of AFLW at the Dons in November.
