2021 Australian Masters Games team is taking shape

The team set to deliver the 2021 Australian Masters Games is starting to take shape, with the captain – Games general manager Kirsten Drower leading preparations.

The 2021 Australian Masters Games will take place in Perth, Western Australia from Saturday 9 October – Saturday 16 October with thousands of weekend warriors set to head west to participate in a week-long festival of sport.

Currently based out of Brisbane, Drower will return to Perth as soon as the borders open. Drower has an extensive background in tourism, sport and events, and is well placed to shine the spotlight on the 2021 Games’ destination, having previously worked with Tourism Western Australia project managing major trade events. Drower is also well versed in masters sport having worked on the 2003 Australian Masters Games in Canberra. More recently, she worked as the cluster workforce operations manager at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games Corporation.

Drower is looking forward to reigniting the magic of the Australian Masters Games in Perth.

“With the Games heading to Perth in 2021, we’re excited to revitalise the event and give attendees a uniquely West Australian experience. I look forward to welcoming our participants to Perth, one of my favourite cities, in 2021,” said Drower.

Drower is joined by sport and operations manager Rian Murphy who will be lining up for his third Australian Masters Games having previously worked on the 2017 event in Tasmania and 2019 event in Adelaide as part of his five year role with UniSport Australia. Prior to this, Murphy worked with Queensland Cricket for three years. Murphy has relocated to Perth for the role, and the keen sports fan and rugby enthusiast wasted no time in joining the Cottesloe Rugby Union Club.

Similarly, sport coordinator Matt Hunter has made the move to Perth after a successful stint in Adelaide working on the 2019 Australian Masters Games. Matt has worked across a number of other sporting events including contract roles with the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games Corporation and with UniSport Australia for the 2017 Northern University Games. A fan of the round ball, Matt can be found in the centre back position for Subiaco AFC on weekends.

Perth local and Edith Cowan University graduate Alex Blanksby completes the sport team. The sport coordinator joins the 2021 AMG team off the back of a three month role with the ICC T20 Cricket World Cup earlier this year, and prior to that worked for Rowing WA. During the football season he lines up for UWA Nedlands Football Club and during the summer months, Quinns Rocks Cricket Club.

Rounding out the current Games team is marketing and communications manager Samantha Culbert, who has been involved in the successful delivery of marketing and communications campaigns across the previous four editions of the Games via her company Jump Media & Marketing. Jump has worked with some of the biggest names and brands in world sport most recently the 2019 Presidents Cup, as well as hundreds of grass roots, mass participation events. Outside of work, Sam can be found pounding the pavement, slowly.

The Australian Masters Games is owned by and is a key program of the Confederation of Australian Sport’s ‘Sport for All’ platform. UniSport Australia is appointed to deliver the event.

The 2021 Australian Masters Games is supported by the Western Australian Government through Tourism Western Australia.