The Western Bulldogs today announced the appointment of Graham Lowe to the position of General Manager, Football.

Lowe, currently the High Performance Manager at the Club, will start the role and join the Club’s Executive Team - effective immediately - after standing out in a competitive recruitment process.

Bulldogs Chief Executive Simon Garlick said the Club was thrilled to have secured Lowe, who has 15 years’ experience in a range of international sporting organisations including Scottish Rugby, BMW Oracle Racing, the All Blacks and New Zealand Rugby Union.

“The Club is thrilled to have secured a top notch individual who brings senior management experience to the role as well as a proven record in heading up an elite sporting environment,” Simon Garlick said.

“We recognised that we had found someone exceptional when we brought Graham to the Club last year and we are excited by the opportunity of having someone of his international standing in the critical role of General Manager of Football.

“We have no doubt that Graham’s extensive leadership and diverse strategic capabilities will bring a real competitive edge to the Club as we work towards building a strong and successful football team.”

Club Football Director Chris Grant said Lowe’s leadership and strategic credentials would be a significant addition to the Bulldogs Football Department which had seen significant evolution over the last 18 months.

“Graham will play a central role in maximising the effectiveness of our football department, leveraging his professionalism and diverse sporting experience to get the best out of our on-field team and, critically, the talented people around them,” Grant said.

“We are also excited by the opportunity to maximise the unique partnership the Club has with Victoria University – especially in the area of elite sport science – given Graham’s comprehensive back-ground in high performance sport.

Lowe said he was looking forward to bringing his significant professional sports and management experience to the senior role and driving successful outcomes for the football club.

“I see the key principles I have used both working and managing in various sports environments including international rugby to be directly transferrable to the requirements of this role,” Lowe said.

“I’m excited by the challenge of further shaping these skills to footy and bringing together the talented group of people we have here, to take this Club forward,” Lowe said.

Career overview Graham Lowe M PhEd (Dist.), B PhEd (Hons.)

Lowe has over 15 years’ experience in high performance and senior management positions at international sporting organisations.

In his recent senior management role at Scottish Rugby Lowe’s responsibilities included managing 58 staff, encompassing the coaching and high performance staff for the professional clubs, player and staff recruitment and development, as well as being a key contributor to strategic planning and implementation.

Career highlights include:

  • High Performance Manager – Western Bulldogs 2012-2013
  • Director of Performance Rugby (member of Board) – Scottish Rugby 2009-2012
  • Physical Performance Manager – BMW Oracle Racing 2008-2009
  • Head Strength and Conditioning Coach – All Blacks 2004 – 2008