2025 Ray Gunston Scholarship recipient Elisa Koch
THE AFL is pleased to announce AFL Head of Data and Analytics, Elisa Koch has been awarded the 2025 Ray Gunston Scholarship.
The annual Ray Gunston Scholarship honours the highly respected and much-loved AFL executive, friend and mentor, Ray Gunston who sadly passed away in 2022.
Gunston had filled a range of senior roles across football, as well as a previous outstanding career in business life. Ray was an extremely valued member of the AFL, known for his leadership, negotiations and strong values. Ray was also a mentor and advocate for many rising stars and senior leaders within the AFL.
The Ray Gunston Scholarship is open to highly talented senior leaders within the AFL who aspire to progress to an AFL or Club Executive role.
Since commencing with the AFL in 2019 in a newly created role, Koch has worked tirelessly to build a best-in-class industry-wide data and analytics service from the ground up.
Despite being new to the industry, her commitment and excellence and authentic leadership, quickly built trust with club boards, CEOs and executives across the country, enabling her to secure increased investment and support from clubs to strengthen the function’s capability and reach.
Under her leadership, the AFL’s data and analytics function is now widely considered in the sporting industry as the national benchmark and is highly regarded amongst international peers including the NBA.
AFL Executive General Manager People Sarah Fair congratulated Koch on her achievement.
“On behalf of the AFL, I congratulate Elisa on being the well-deserved recipient of the 2025 Ray Gunston Scholarship,” Ms Fair said.
“Elisa’s background and unique pathway into the AFL has been truly inspiring. She has embraced every opportunity, driven innovation and has helped transform the AFL in building the Data and Analytics function from the ground up.
“Elisa exemplifies the AFL Values and embodies the very qualities that the Ray Scholarship is designed to recognise.
“Known for her warm, engaging and thoughtful leadership style, Elisa inspires her team with passion and integrity. A highly respected colleague and leader, she consistently delivers impactful and innovative results, that continue to benefit all involved in our game and the broader industry.”
AFL CEO Andrew Dillon, 2025 Ray Gunston Scholarship recipient Elisa Koch and Hawthorn star Jack Gunston
Koch, who received the award from Ray’s son and 2025 All Australian Jack Gunston, said she was honoured to receive the award and be part of Ray’s legacy.
“When I joined the AFL six years ago, I was new to sport, new to Australia, and never imagined I would one day receive an award in Ray Gunston’s honour.
“Ray made me feel welcome from day one, and that sense of inclusion is why this scholarship means so much to me. I know each of the previous recipients – Jacob Atwood, Jennifer Macmillan and Josh Bowler – and I’m honoured to be in their company.
“I’m deeply grateful to the leaders, mentors and my incredible Data & Analytics team who have backed me along the way, and excited for what we will achieve next.”
Koch will receive $20,000 to invest in further professional development and support her career aspirations.
AFL CEO Andrew Dillon, 2025 Ray Gunston Scholarship recipient Elisa Koch and AFL Executive General Manager People Sarah Fair
About Ray Gunston:
At the AFL, Ray Gunston worked as CFO and General Manager of Infrastructure, Major Projects and Investment, after previously having served as Interim Chief Executive Officer of the Essendon Football Club.
At league headquarters, he chaired the AFL Investment committee, overseen all non-operational investments and negotiations and overseen the capital management and structuring of the AFL balance sheet.
Before working in football, his many senior roles had included Chief Financial Officer of the Tatts Group, executive roles with Westpac, Price Waterhouse, Aluminium Smelters of Victoria, Southern Cross Austereo and the Victorian Government.
He was a non-executive director and Chairman of Sigma Pharmaceuticals, Hotel Property Investments and Melbourne Stadiums Limited. He was also a non-executive director of AFL Victoria and the Melbourne Renegades.
Ray played a leading role in the transformation of the privately owned Tattersall’s into the publicly listed Tatts Group as an ASX 100 listed national and global company, followed by initiating and implementing the $4 billion merger of Tatts and UNITAB. He also played a lead executive role in acquisitions for the Tatts Group.
While son Jack has carved out an exceptional AFL career, Ray was an outstanding player with Strathmore in the EDFL for the majority of his career and for three years with Brunswick in the VFA (1979-81). He began with Strathmore in 1967 at junior level, and was a member of the 1984 premiership team, and was honoured with Life Membership in 1989, with his parents also being life members at the club.
A dedicated club man, Ray said at the time, “I was very proud and honoured to have received Life Membership in 1989 from the Club that had honoured both my parents previously with Life Memberships given their dedication and love for the Club and the people they enjoyed being with.”
Previous winners:
2024 – Josh Bowler, AFL Head of Strategy and Scheduling
2023 – Jennifer Macmillan, AFL TPP Audit & Club Soft Cap Manager
2022 – Jacob Atwood, AFL Group Financial Controller