Outgoing Sydney AFLW executive general manager Kate Mahony admits she’s leaving the Swans “a little bit before I’m ready”, but says she couldn’t refuse “an opportunity of a lifetime” at one of the world’s premier sporting organisations.
The Swans on Thursday confirmed Mahony had been appointed performance director at Women’s Super League powerhouse Chelsea.
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Mahony will begin her new role in late October, but is “trying to stay for as long as I can to get the team through” the 2026 AFLW season.
“It’s huge. I wasn’t expecting it,” Mahony told foxfooty.com.au on Thursday of her new role.
“They (Chelsea) approached me and I definitely wasn’t expecting to move anywhere. I love the Swans and I really enjoy my role here, but the role over at Chelsea just sparked my interest.
“To be able to impact a program – and particularly a women’s sports program – on the biggest stage and test myself and contribute to a world-class program over there, it was huge.
“I’m leaving probably a little bit before I’m ready, but it just felt like I couldn’t pass up on an opportunity at one of the biggest clubs in the world.”
Just before the Swans’ 2026 pre-season began, Mahony and her husband were flown business class to England to meet Chelsea’s officials and check out the club’s facilities in a whirlwind three-day trip.
She then had to make “a pretty quick decision” and ultimately opted to relocate her family – including two-year-old twins – to the northern hemisphere.
“I started from a position where I’m really happy at the Swans and love my role and I wasn’t planning on moving anywhere, plus we’ve got a young family,” Mahony said. “But once I started to hear more about the role, what they were trying to achieve, the scale of the competition over there and where it’s gone, it’s kind of an opportunity of a lifetime.
“In the end, it seemed like an opportunity that if I didn’t take it – as both a family and as a career – I’d regret it.
“We’re going to have a crack, move over to the other side of the world and see how we go … I’ve been approached and it probably isn’t where I ever thought I’d end up, but these opportunities often come at a time where you don’t expect it.”
Mahony is nearing five years with the Swans after becoming the club’s inaugural AFLW appointment in 2021.
A seasoned leader in the high-performance sporting landscape, Mahony is also a qualified sports physiotherapist, having joined the Swans from the NSW Institute of Sport, where she was Head of Performance Health.
Mahony’s extensive experience spans the Australian women’s cricket team, the Australian Open and the Women’s Tennis Association.
Last October, Mahony joined the AFLW Competition Committee, which at the time mulled over Tasmanian AFLW list rules, league data and analysis, and the growth of the competition.
Mahony said building the Swans’ AFLW program “has been an absolute highlight of my career”.
“I’m really proud of what we’ve done,” she said.
“We had about 10 weeks to build the team and then a 10-week pre-season into that first season (Season 7, 2022) and we knew it was going to be really tough when the season was brought forward. We didn’t anticipate that and it just truncated our timeline so much.
“But I guess what I’m proud of is it’s been a truly whole-of-club effort. Before I was appointed, there was a steering committee that had really decided how to go about building a team and what expertise they wanted in the building. Then we really welcomed the team with open arms. There’s obviously a new high-performance facility, which was custom built to have Academy, the AFL and the AFLW teams all integrated in one space.
“I guess what I was trying to build was a truly high-performance program. AFLW, like cricket and other sports before it, had gone from community to semi-professional to professional – and AFLW is still on that journey of building crowds and building momentum. But one thing I’ve always been unapologetic about is building high standards around both the staff and the playing group and giving our athletes the best opportunity to succeed – and doing that in a way that supports every single player that comes in our building, no matter their gender.”
Under Mahony, the Swans have developed a strong match-day experience and, subsequently, attracted crowds that are the envy of the competition.
In their four games at Henson Park last season, the Swans averaged an attendance of 5324. That included a crowd of 7171 for the late September derby against the Giants.
“The matches are awesome. It’s such a good atmosphere. Henson Park is a good stadium and North Sydney was fantastic as well,” Mahony said.
“That’s what I mean about a whole-of-club effort – our marketing team and our commercial team and their ability to build interest and really tell the story of these players and how we’ve built the team.
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“That first season was really tough, but to turn up that second season, play a really good brand of footy, get the players, have the time to get the standard of fitness and skill up – and it’s still going, the team’s building … I guess that’s the hardest thing about leaving is I still don’t think we’re quite finished.”
Swans chief executive Matthew Pavlich said Mahony’s “unwavering commitment” to the club’s players and staff is “a defining feature of her leadership”
“She was pivotal in building our AFLW program and did so with sheer hard work and determination under tight time constraints ahead of our first season,” Pavlich said in a club statement.
“Since then, Kate has established a high-performance environment, building the strong foundations that will support the program’s success for years to come.
“This is a significant opportunity with one of the world’s leading sporting organisations, so while Kate will be greatly missed, we are incredibly proud of what she has achieved and thrilled for her and her family as they embark on this next chapter.”