TAFC Co-Chairs to Step Down After Three and a Half Years at the Helm

Transplant Australia Football Club (TAFC) would like to announce that Co-Chairs Ante Kelic and Kate Clark have stepped down from their roles, after three and a half years leading the club.

The transition has been planned since early August, when the pair notified Transplant Australia of their decision, wishing to spend more time with their families and focus on other projects. Both chose to remain in their roles through TAFC’s 2026 Transplant Football World Cup campaign in Frankfurt, to see out their commitment to the national teams before formally handing over. They will remain part of the club as members and players.

Leading the Club Since 2023

Ante Kelic took on the Chairperson role at the start of 2023, following the passing of club co-founder Matty Hempstalk in late 2022. Kate Clark began working with the club in 2024 before joining as Co-Chair in February 2026. Together, they led the club with the support of Transplant Australia and the TAFC Committee, building on Hempstalk’s founding vision of a club where organ and tissue recipients, living donors, and their families could return to sport and reconnect with community. The Matty Hempstalk Medal, awarded to player of the match at TAFC’s showcase and exhibition games, continues to honour his legacy.

Both leave a lasting personal mark on the club. Ante was recently recognised for his contribution through Transplant Australia’s Outstanding Achievement Award, while Kate was a key driving force behind the launch of Australia’s first Women’s National Team – championing its place in the club’s World Cup campaign and helping ensure female transplant recipients had the same opportunity to represent their country on the world stage.

Club Milestones Under Their Leadership

Since 2023, TAFC has grown significantly under Kelic and Clark’s leadership:

• Membership growth: The club has welcomed 73 new members, growing from 34 to 84 – made up of 79 organ and tissue recipients (21 women, 58 men), 5 living donors (2 women, 3 men), and a donor family member
• Two Transplant Football World Cup campaigns: Italy in 2024 and Frankfurt in 2026, each supported by a doctor, head coach, physiotherapist, and sports science team
• A historic first: Australia fielded the first Women’s National Team at a World Cup showcase – the only nation besides the host to be represented by a women’s team in its own right
• Fundraising: Approximately $180,000 raised since 2020 to support players, the club, and its World Cup campaigns
• Partnerships: Kennards, Weet-Bix and Veo, T&C Supplies, and Advanced Fire Doors, along with support from the PFA and endorsements from Football Australia and Football Victoria
• High-profile support: Former Socceroos Archie Thompson, Craig Foster, and Francis Awaritefe (PFA Executive Member) have all backed the club, with members also taking part in the Socceroos’ Community Impact Fund announcement and meeting current Socceroos players
• Club events: 20 events since 2024, including 7 development camps and trials, 5 exhibition matches, and 6 social kick-abouts across NSW, Victoria, Queensland, and WA
• Recognition: National team caps introduced to mark representative appearances, and two appearances at the Parliamentary Friends of Transplant Australia in Victoria
• Media coverage: Features on the Today Show, radio, and across Channel 7, 9, 10, and ABC
• Community: An active WhatsApp community keeping members connected, and a YouTube playlist of almost 40 in-house videos telling the stories of the club and its players

A Thank You to Ante and Kate

Transplant Australia thank Ante and Kate for their extraordinary hard work and dedication over the past three and a half years. As volunteers, both approached every decision with the club’s recipients and living donors front of mind, steering TAFC through two World Cup campaigns, a period of significant membership growth, and the historic launch of Australia’s first Women’s National Team – all while holding true to the vision Matty Hempstalk first set out for the club.

Their leadership leaves TAFC in a strong position: financially sound, backed by solid relationships with sponsors, partners, and football bodies, and underpinned by the governance foundations needed to keep growing. Transplant Australia, the TAFC Committee, and the club’s members extend their deepest gratitude to Ante and Kate for their generosity, commitment, and the lasting impact of their leadership.

Transplant Australia also thank the rest of the TAFC Committee – Nick King, Liam Woods, Brendan Ryland, and Rebekah Lord for their hard work and dedication to the club. The committee will remain in place for the foreseeable future.