After a remarkable career spanning over four decades in both professional sport and sports management, Ian ‘Moose’ Robilliard OAM has announced his retirement, effective 18 December 2025. Recognised nationally for his outstanding contributions to Australian sport, Ian’s legacy is one of leadership, dedication, and lasting impact.
Ian Robilliard’s journey began as a gifted professional athlete whose passion and determination set him apart. Excelling in both Basketball and Rugby Union, Ian earned widespread respect across the sporting community. As a thirteen-year veteran of Australia’s national basketball league playing for the Newcastle Falcon and the Sydney Kings and a proud representative of his country, he gained invaluable firsthand experience at the elite and professional levels of sport. These foundations, built through discipline, teamwork, and high-performance environments enabled a seamless transition into sports administration and management, where his influence and impact would grow even further.
His vocational career in sport began in 1993 with the PGA of Australia, where he first served as the organisation’s National Education Director, leading the design and delivery of industry-leading education and accreditation programs for PGA Members and trainees. His success in this role saw him appointed as the organisation’s Chief Operations Officer, its most senior position beneath the CEO, where he oversaw national operations, strategic planning, member services, and state operations. Many of the major advancements and successes enjoyed by the PGA during this period were supported by Ian’s leadership, including strengthened professional standards, enhanced pathways for aspiring golf professionals, and the modernisation of key organisational systems and services.
Ian is best recognised for his founding role in establishing the Central Coast Academy of Sport (CCAS), an organisation he launched in 2004 following a highly impactful and transformative period with the PGA of Australia. Drawing on the strategic, operational and stakeholder-engagement skills he had honed at national level, Ian identified a critical gap in high-performance support for young regional athletes and set out to build a model that would change the sporting landscape on the Central Coast.
Under his management and leadership, the CCAS quickly became a benchmark for regional athlete development introducing structured pathways, securing strong community and corporate partnerships, and providing opportunities that had previously been out of reach for aspiring athletes in the region. His vision and entrepreneurial drive not only established the Academy’s enduring legacy but also helped pave the way for broader reform and collaboration across the Regional Academies of Sport (RAS) network.
(Image: Ian pictured with former Premier of NSW Bobb Carr at the opening of the Central Coast Academy of Sport in 2004)
In 2017, his contributions to sport and the community were formally recognised with the awarding of the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM). The OAM being awarded for ‘distinguished services to sport as an athlete, coach, and administrator’.
In 2022 Ian championed the move to a centralised operating model for the RAS, driving organisational redesign that has expanded the RAS’ reach, accelerated innovation and deepened its commitment to athlete development and community engagement. Ian’s strategic insight and collaborative leadership helped shape the partnerships that have supported countless athletes across regional NSW and now further afield.
As Ian prepares to step down, colleagues and peers reflect on a career marked by professionalism, mentorship, and unwavering commitment. Brett O’Farrell, Chief Executive Officer of RAS said of Ian’s work;
“Ian’s influence has been nothing short of transformative. His depth of knowledge and experience has shaped programs, inspired athletes, and elevated standards across the board. Losing someone of his calibre is never easy, but the true measure of his legacy lies in what he leaves behind – the systems, the culture, and the people he has empowered to continue his work.”
“We will deeply miss his professional and sporting excellence, but equally his camaraderie and his passion for junior sport, which have left an indelible mark on our community. Ian’s legacy will continue to resonate for years to come.”
Mike Rabbitt, founding Board Member of the CCAS and Life Member of the CCAS, Hunter Academy of Sport and Northern Inland Academy of Sport commented;
“Ian has not only been the heart and soul of the Central Coast Academy of Sport, he has been without doubt the foremost administrator of Academies in New South Wales and possibly beyond. Moose, as he is affectionately known, changed the way Academies were run, from an outlet for future sports stars to blossom, to being a producer of Olympians, making the CCAS financially self-sufficient and becoming a role model for all other academies.
“Ian will leave a huge hole to fill but knowing the calibre and capabilities of this wonderful human being, he would already have that covered. Congrats legend, enjoy retirement, you have earnt your rest.”
Ian Robilliard leaves behind a modified management model for the RAS, a team of highly skilled executives, a growth strategy that will see the RAS continue its evolution and a renewed sense of purpose that positions the network for long-term success. His steady leadership, emphasis on collaboration, and commitment to strengthening pathways for regional athletes have reshaped how the Academies operate and engage with their communities. As he steps away, Ian’s influence remains deeply embedded in the culture, governance, and forward direction of the organisation, providing a strong platform for future growth and sustained impact across regional Australia.
