Ben Howard

Experience

• 

  National Rugby League

  Jan 2002 - Mar 2003

  Worked within the marketing department. Assist development officers to increase the participation of children aged 5 - 18 years of age playing or consuming some form of the game of rugby league as part of a school, club or community program.

  • Professional Internship

    Jan 2003 - Mar 2003

  • Trainee Development Officer

    Jan 2002 - Dec 2002
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  St George Illawarra Dragons

  Jan 2002 - Mar 2002

  Professional Internship

  Worked within the administrative, marketing and development departments.

• 

  St.George District Rugby League Football Club

  Jan 2003 - Dec 2004

  Sales Representative

  Responsible for all sales activities of St.George rugby league memorabilia.

• 

  St George Illawarra Dragons

  Jan 2003 - Dec 2005

  Development Officer

  Increase the participation of children aged 5 – 18 years of age playing or consuming some form of the game of rugby league as part of a school, club or community program in the St.George district.

• 

  Communities NSW

  Sept 2003 - Aug 2006

  Delivery and implementation of the sporting, recreational, outdoor education programs conducted in the Centres, with responsibility for the safety and welfare of program participants. Provide front line client services to the department and responsible for delivering the public face and image of the organisation to the community.

  • Program Officer

    Mar 2005 - Aug 2006

  • Client Service Officer

    Sept 2003 - Aug 2006
• 

  NSW Department of Education and Communities

  Jan 2005 - Sept 2006

  Primary School Teacher

  Educate primary school children, by planning and conducting an education program to develop literacy, numeracy and the physical, emotional, intellectual and social growth of students.

• 

  Sport Australia

  Sept 2006 - Feb 2010

  Coordinate the delivery of the Active After-school Communities program at regional level through a cluster of local primary schools and other community organisations and personnel. Build local community sport capacity along with the development of pathways for children in the Lakemba and Macquarie Fields regions to move from the All Australian Sporting Initiative program into community sport.

  • Regional Coordinator (Active After-school Communities program)

    Mar 2009 - Feb 2010

  • Community Sport Officer (All Australian Sporting Initiative)

    Sept 2006 - Feb 2009
• 

  Vanuatu Department of Youth Development, Sports and Training

  Feb 2010 - Oct 2011

  Work within Vanuatu Department of Youth Development, Sports and Training (DYDST) to plan and coordinate the design and implementation of the Australian Sports Outreach Program (ASOP) on behalf of the Australian Sports Commission (ASC). Provide advice on Sport for Development and strengthen the capacity of departmental staff to manage and grow the Nabanga Sport for Development program and other departmental programs and services by offering advice, coaching, teaching and mentoring to build local skill and confidence.

  • Australian Sports Outreach Program Country Manager

    Nov 2010 - Oct 2011

  • Advisor (Nabanga Sport for Development Program)

    Feb 2010 - Oct 2010
• 

  Vanuatu Cricket Association

  May 2011 - Jul 2011

  Team Manager

  Managed the Vanuatu Men's National Cricket team at the International Cricket Council (ICC) East-Asia Pacific Division 1 Championships in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea.

• 

  Sport Australia

  Nov 2011 - Apr 2012

  Sport for Development Consultant

  Design and manage Sport for Development programs which contribute to Australian Government Official Development Assistance (ODA) objectives.

• 

  London 2012 Paralympic Games

  Aug 2012 - Sept 2012

  Tribune and Mixed Zone Team Member

  Overseeing the smooth running of the media tribune and mixed zone as part of the Press Operations Team at the Aquatic Centre by efficiently and quickly disseminating information to the journalists, assisting with requests for interviews by the media with athletes whilst ensuring their safety.

• 

  National Rugby League

  Mar 2013 - Aug 2015

  Pacific Program Coordinator

  Lead the NRL Pacific Program by managing an in-country team to implement the 'Rugby League in Schools Pilot Program' (branded as League Bilong Laif at a local engagement level) aimed to improve the quality of education for girls and boys of all abilities in Papua New Guinea through rugby league and related activities; increase capacity of teachers - through resources and training - to conduct rugby league based activities in the school environment; and improve organisational and management capacity of the Papua New Guinea Rugby Football League to manage the development and delivery of school-based rugby league in Papua New Guinea. Show less

• 

  University of Technology Sydney

  May 2015 - Apr 2016

  Academic

  Guest Lecturer in Masters of Sports Management program.

• 

  GHD

  Jul 2015 - Jun 2021

  Program Manager/Team Leader - Pacific Sports Partnerships (PSP)

  The $39,000,000 Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) funded program, partners with nine Australian national sporting organisations (Australian Football League, Australian Rugby Union, Badminton Australia, Cricket Australia, Football Federation Australia, Netball Australia, Swimming Australia, Table Tennis Australia and Volleyball Australia), three world bodies (International Basketball Federation, International Cricket Council and World Rugby) and six regional sports organisations (Badminton Oceania, Oceania Athletics Association, Oceania Football Confederation, Oceania Swimming Federation, Oceania Table Tennis Federation and Oceania Volleyball Federation) to deliver targeted sport for development activities across nine Pacific countries (Cooks Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu). The program supports thirty-seven Pacific National Sporting Federations across the eleven sports and nine countries. Managing an Innovation Fund under the program sees existing partners Australian Rugby Union, Badminton Australia, Cricket Australia, Football Federation Australia, Netball Australia, Swimming Australia, Table Tennis Australia, International Basketball Federation, International Cricket Council, World Rugby, Badminton Oceania, Oceania Athletics Association, Oceania Football Confederation, Oceania Swimming Association and Oceania Table Tennis Federation receive addition funding for Innovative Sport for Development programs. The program also extended to Australian Paralympic Committee, Australian Rugby League Commission (National Rugby League), Gymnastics Australia, Hockey Australia, Oceania Hockey Federation, Oceania Paralympic Committee and Tennis Australia.In total the program partners with fourteen Australian national sporting organisations, three world bodies and eight regional sport organisations that supports fifty-two Pacific national sporting federations across the fifteen sports and nine countries. Show less

• 

  Rugby League Emerging Nations World Championship 2018

  Oct 2016 - Mar 2019

  Organising Committee Member

  Part of the Organising Committee that established and then delivered the 2018 Rugby League Emerging Nations World Championship in Sydney, Australia for the Rugby League International Federation (RLIF). It was the 3rd Rugby League Emerging Nations World Championship, the first since 2000 and the first in the Southern Hemisphere.The event was open to nations not involved in the 2017 Rugby League World Cup and where the sport of Rugby League is still developing. The event featured 11 nations (Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Japan, Malta, Niue, Philippines, Poland, Solomon Islands, Turkey and Vanuatu). It also featured a 4 teams regional competition (Africa United, Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), Latin Heat and Mediterranean - Middle East) and Physical Disability Test Matches (Australia and New Zealand). The event was run in partnership with the New South Wales Rugby League (NSWRL) and had funding from the RLIF and NSW State Government. A key feature was the live streaming of all matches, taking the event to the world (including new markets) and showcasing the fact the sport is now played in more than 50 countries.The success of the event has seen the RLIF adding the event to its permanent calendar and portfolio of events and RLIF Chairman John Grant commented "...my praise, admiration and thanks go to Organising Committee who have worked alongside the many volunteers from around the world and the RLIF to deliver such a magnificent event.” Show less

• 

  Western Sydney University

  Jan 2017 - Dec 2017

  Academic

  University Academic teaching in the School of Business in the Bachelor of Business - Sport Management degree.

• 

  The International Platform on Sport and Development

  Jun 2017 - Nov 2023

  Steering Board Member of the International Platform on Sport and Development, acting on behalf of the Australian Government (Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade). The International Platform on Sport and Development is the leading platform in the world for Sport and Development. The members of the Steering Board meet physically at least once per financial year to review and discuss the Platform's strategic framework and oversee its implementation. The Steering Board approves the Platform's strategy and oversees its implementation by the Operating Team. Show less

  • Chair

    Jun 2020 - Nov 2023

  • Steering Board Member

    Jun 2017 - Nov 2023
• 

  Vanuatu Rugby League

  Nov 2017 - now

  Team/Tour Manager, managing all logistical requirements of tours, including organisation of opponent/s, match and training venue/s, referees, visa’s, flights, accommodation, transport, catering, gear and promotions of the team in conjunction with VRL board and staff. Assistant Coach, assisting the head coach with the planning, preparation, delivery and evaluation of all tours, training camps and training sessions. Input into team selections for all matches. Trainer, acting as blue shirt trainer on match day, as the key on-field communication from the head coach to the players.Selector, part of a selection committee to pick all squads for national team matches.• First ever Vanuatu Men's National Rugby League team at the International 9's Tournament in Sydney, Australia (February 2012)• Inaugural Test Match against Greece in Port Vila, Vanuatu (October 2012)• Vanuatu-South Sea Islander Invitational Tour throughout Queensland, Australia (February & March 2013)• First Test Match victory against Solomon Islands in Mackay, Australia (October 2013)• First Test Match victory on home soil against Niue in Port Vila, Vanuatu (October 2013)• Vanuatu Invitation Team – NRL Trial Match Curtain-Raiser on Suncorp Stadium vs Sunshine Coast Falcons in Brisbane, Australia (February 2014)• First Test Match in Espiritu-Santo, Vanuatu against Philippines (October 2014)• Most recent Test Match (and victory) against Solomon Islands in Port Vila, Vanuatu (October 2016)• First Test Match in Solomon Islands (and victory) against Solomon Islands in Honiara, Solomon Islands (October 2017)• 2018 Emerging Nations World Championships with Test Matches against Hungary, Greece, Poland and Turkey in Sydney, Australia (October 2018) Show less Sponsorship Manager, formulating packages, proposals, leads, pitches, negotiations and execution of sponsorship from Platinum Naming Rights sponsor right down to player sponsorships for the 2018 Rugby League Emerging Nations World Championships in Sydney, Australia. Negotiated a record Platinum and Naming Rights sponsorship that was 4 x the previous sponsorship and 2 x the record sponsorship. Had a record number of sponsors at least 2 x previous best and sold all Platinum, Gold, Silver and Bronze sponsorship packages on offer. The sponsors were:Platinum Naming Rights Sponsor: Interchange LimitedGold Sponsor: National Bank of VanuatuGold Sponsor: Holiday Inn Resort VanuatuSilver Sponsor: BeastwearBronze Sponsor: Pacific Advisory Bronze Sponsor: Power House Performance – Vanuatu Strength & ConditioningPlayer Sponsors: Brewery Bar & RestaurantPlayer Sponsor: Dynamic Supply Company VanuatuPlayer Sponsor: Tana Plaza PharmacyPlayer Sponsor: The Coolangatta Hotel Show less

  • Founding Board Member

    Dec 2011 - now

  • Media Manager

    Feb 2013 - now

  • Team Manager, Tour Manager, Assistant Coach, Trainer and Selector

    Dec 2011 - now

  • Merchandise Manager

    May 2016 - now

  • Sponsorship Manager

    Nov 2017 - Oct 2018
• 

  Team Up

  Sept 2018 - Feb 2024

  Program Manager/Team Leader - Australian Sports Partnerships Program (ASPP), branded as Team Up
• 

  Artistic Swimming Australia

  Sept 2021 - now

  • Director

    Jan 2021 - now

  • Chairperson

    Aug 2022 - Oct 2023

  • Vice President

    Sept 2021 - Aug 2022

  • Acting President

    Sept 2021 - Aug 2022
• 

  Vanuatu Aquatics Federation (VAF)

  Mar 2024 - now

  Technical Development Director