Jason McCartney has been appointed as High Performance Coach of the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS)/Australian Football League (AFL) program.

The AFL announced on 4 June that McCartney will replace Alan McConnell, who has recently accepted the role as Western Sydney High Performance Manager.

McCartney, 35, played a total of 182 games across a 13-season career with Collingwood, Adelaide and North Melbourne, and has been the AFL’s Youth and High Performance Coordinator. McCartney commenced with the AFL in 2004, heading up the AFL Youth Leadership Seminars program, with more than 70,000 students participating across Australia.

AFL General Manager of Development, David Matthews, said McCartney had forged a strong playing career, but it has been the time since he left the game that has marked him as a leader of the highest quality.

‘He has been instrumental in developing our youth plans, including the Indigenous youth leadership programs, the Qantas AFL KickStart Camp and the Flying Boomerangs, and his transition into the talent area in 2006 was a natural progression,’ Matthews said.

The Director of the AIS, Professor Peter Fricker, welcomed the appointment of McCartney.

‘Jason is a person of tremendous character who will greatly enhance the AIS/AFL Academy in helping build Australia’s future in the Australian football arena through the development of talented young players.

‘He has an intimate knowledge of the program, having worked under Alan McConnell as an assistant coach for the past four years, and having played 182 AFL games across a 13-season career he is perfectly placed to guide Australia’s talented young athletes in their quest for excellence,’ Fricker said.

AFL Talent Manager, Kevin Sheehan, said McCartney’s extensive experience in recent years as a key member of the AFL’s elite talent programs had made him the perfect replacement for McConnell.

‘Jason has the capacity to inspire people to get the best from themselves and is a tremendous mentor to young people.

‘This role has a focus on two vital areas — talent development and coach education — and Jason is extremely well prepared to make a significant contribution in both areas at all levels of Australian football,’ Sheehan said.

McCartney will be responsible for the elite AIS/AFL Academy program, which draws its players from the NAB AFL Under-16 and Under-18 Championships, and then prepares them for the drafting process and senior AFL football.

McCartney is looking forward to taking on his new role.

‘It is a great privilege to be appointed to this position. I am very passionate about developing young men to be better players and better people, and having worked in the program for more than three years I am now really looking forward to the challenge of leading it,’ McCartney said.