Vice-President

Name: David Lurie

Club: Bayside Pickleball Club

Involvement with pickleball: 

• Pickleball Victoria Committee Vice-President
• Tournament Organiser
• Business Owner
• Coach
• Player

Open to these positions: Vice-President

Conflicts of interest: Pickleball business owner

Skills, knowledge, and experience:

I am excited to apply to continue in my role as Vice President on the Pickleball Victoria Committee. Over the past year, I have greatly enjoyed being part of the team, working collaboratively to shape the future of pickleball in Victoria. My involvement has allowed me to contribute to the growth and development of the sport, and I am keen to continue this work. With 20 years of business experience, I bring strong skills in strategic planning, management, and organizational growth, all of which have been valuable in supporting Pickleball Victoria's initiatives. I am also deeply invested in the sport as an active player, coach, and tournament organizer, providing me with a well-rounded perspective on the needs of the pickleball community. My passion for grassroots development, combined with my action-oriented approach, ensures that I can effectively contribute to the committee’s goals. I look forward to continuing to help guide the future of pickleball in Victoria.

Goals for 2024-2025:

Over the coming year on the Pickleball Victoria Committee, I envision achieving several key goals to enhance the member experience and contribute to the sport’s growth. My focus will be on improving member benefits to ensure greater value for our community, expanding the number of local tournaments to give players more opportunities to compete, and driving initiatives that connect players of all ages, increasing overall participation. From a committee perspective, I hope we can create a clearer vision for our strategic plan and operate more like a business, with well-defined action plans and measurable outcomes. By establishing a structured approach, we can ensure that our initiatives are effective and make the best use of our resources to support the continued development of pickleball in Victoria. This focus will help us meet the immediate needs of our members while creating a sustainable future for the sport.

Name: Wesa Chau

Club: Pickleball Victoria

Involvement with pickleball: Player

Open to these positions: Vice-President; General Committee Member

Conflicts of interest: None

Skills, knowledge, and experience:

I am relatively new to pickleball and am excited to have discovered the sport.  I am also keen to contribute towards and promote the sport to the community.  I am putting my hand up for executive positions within Pickleball Victoria in particular because it is important to have diverse representation, which encourages everybody to get involved.

I have 18+ years of not-for-profit / community / government board experience and am a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.  I have strong leadership, financial, legal compliance, governance, and strategic thinking skills to help promote and develop pickleball in Australia.  In addition, I have served in senior roles within the not-for-profit sector with experience in project / events management, managing volunteers, and grant writing / acquittal, having written 100+ grants with a 70% success rate and delivered the projects supported by government grants.

I am currently on a government grant-making body, with my understanding of the processes being an asset to Pickleball Victoria's future grant applications.  I also have strong relationships with the government; strong advocacy and media liaison skills; and am keen to see pickleball gain recognition in Victoria.  I am also IT-savvy, having graduated in software engineering and so can help increase efficiency.

Goals for 2024-2025:

I have a background in diversity and inclusion and am keen to help Pickleball Victoria increase diversity and achieve best practice so that the government target of 40% female representation on the committee is achieved and maintained.  This means there is diversity in the executive roles and more are encouraged to be involved, leading to more diverse member representation in the sport.  Through social and mainstream media, as well as my networks, I believe it is possible to raise pickleball's profile and highlight why it is a sport that everyone can get involved in.  This will help Pickleball Victoria with financial growth and sustainability.  Additionally, as mentioned in my previous response, I am eager to promote the sport, especially to people who have never heard of it, and increase the ways for more people to engage, including finding and supporting more volunteers to run activities and events.

Name: Lea Preece

Club: Drysdale Clifton Springs Pickleball Club

Involvement with pickleball:

• Referee (Level 2)
• Club Volunteer
• Player

Open to these positions: President; Vice-President; General Member

Conflicts of interest: Hustl Ambassador

Skills, knowledge, experience; goals:

As a passionate pickleball player, I am thrilled to bring my extensive skills, knowledge, and experience to Pickleball Victoria.  With a 20-year career as a secondary school principal and a master's degree in educational leadership, I have a robust background in leadership and people management.

As a founding committee member and former Vice-President of the Drysdale Clifton Springs Pickleball Club from 2022-2024, I contributed to policy development, membership growth, and player skill development, while also convening playing sessions for our 227 members.  I co-organised the Bellarine Big Bash Tournament, which successfully attracted players from across the state.

Certified as a Level 2 Referee, I have officiated at various tournaments, including local, state, APC, and NPL levels.  My experience as an accomplished player includes holding state and Australian titles in my division and medalling at an international tournament in Italy.

My background in administration has equipped me with skills in event coordination, team management, and community building, as well as marketing and communications expertive to promote Pickleball Victoria's initiatives.  Additionally, my budgeting and fundraising abilities will contribute to sustainable growth.

I am committed to fostering an inclusive, accessible environment for players of all skills levels and am eager to contribute fresh ideas and a collaborative approach to support the continued development of Pickleball Victoria.

Name: Niels Wieleman

Club: Pickleball Manningham

Involvement with pickleball:

• Player
• Club Volunteer

Open to these positions: President; Vice-President; General Committee Member

Conflicts of interest: None

Skills, knowledge, and experience:

I love pickleball and I want to give back to the sport and community that brings me so much joy, with passion and advocacy being the first things I'll contribute.

I'll also bring my strong organisation skills which I developed over the last 12 years though my work as a strategy consultant and project manager, first with a large consulting firm and more recently as a self-employed project manager.  This means that, when I'm not on the pickleball court, I'm helping organisations to develop and execute growth plans.  I'd love to use my skills in strategy development, planning, team management and project management to help grow my favourite sport in Victoria.

Regardless of the position, I can confidently lead or support the strategic review of Pickleball Victoria.  I will make sure to foster partnerships with clubs and build a positive culture in the Committee, where everyone feels valued and adds their strengths.

Other skills and experience I will bring include:

• IT,
• Financial management,
• Experience as a treasurer for a non-profit student association,
• Grant-writing,
• Experience with legal compliance.

Goals for 2024-2025:

• Establish more club-to-club competitions as an informal way for players to start engaging competitively.
• Improve Pickleball Victoria's IT and governance as a foundation for organising more tournaments and getting more people to play.
• Develop and deliver a new Pickleball Victoria strategic plan for 2026 and beyond - one that addresses key challenges for players, which might include affordability and court availability.  My strategy consulting experience will be valuable in defining this new plan.