The Brisbane Lions and TAFE Queensland have launched a new Diploma of Leadership and Management, giving working professionals across Queensland the opportunity to develop practical leadership skills within the environment of a back-to-back AFL premiership club, with three in-person intensives held at Brighton Homes Arena in Springfield Lakes.
The six-month programme commences on Monday 20 April 2026 and delivers the nationally recognised Diploma of Leadership and Management (BSB50420) primarily online, with classes held Monday and Wednesday evenings from 6pm to 9pm. The three Saturday intensives at Brighton Homes Arena, the Brisbane Lions’ home base on Centenary Highway, Springfield Lakes, give students direct access to the leadership culture and people behind one of the AFL’s most successful clubs of recent years.
What the Programme Covers
The diploma is designed for emerging leaders, professionals moving into management roles and individuals wanting to build practical leadership skills in a high-performance environment. Students apply their learning to real-world scenarios drawn from the Brisbane Lions organisation and hear directly from senior leaders within the club across both the online and in-person components of the programme.
Entry requires at least three years of professional working experience, making the qualification suited to working professionals, current and former athletes, and career changers who want to strengthen their leadership capability without stepping away from their careers. The online delivery model also opens the programme to students in regional Queensland and interstate who want to engage with the Brisbane Lions’ leadership environment without relocating to south-east Queensland.
Up to 30 places are eligible for Fee-Free TAFE funding, meaning eligible Australian residents may be able to complete the full six-month course at no cost.
The Partnership Behind the Programme
The Brisbane Lions and TAFE Queensland have maintained an education partnership over a number of years, with the new diploma building on that existing relationship and extending it through the Brisbane Lions Institute of Business and Sport. Brisbane Lions CEO Sam Graham said the programme’s online delivery significantly expanded access for Lions members, fans and students with an interest in AFL leadership from across Queensland and Australia.
Graham noted that the club’s journey to back-to-back AFL premierships had demonstrated how important strong leadership was at every level of an organisation, from the playing group through to administration and the broader club structure, and that programmes like this helped develop the leaders who would shape the future of clubs, businesses and communities.
TAFE Queensland Manager of Academy of Sport Partnerships Don Harley said the programme connected leadership education directly to the real-world experience of building a premiership culture, and that students hearing from the people who constructed that culture at the Brisbane Lions represented a genuinely unique learning opportunity. Harley also highlighted the Fee-Free TAFE funding eligibility as a significant feature, removing financial barriers for eligible participants.
Why This Benefits the Springfield Lakes Community
Brighton Homes Arena is the Brisbane Lions’ home base and sits at the heart of Springfield Lakes, one of south-east Queensland’s fastest-growing communities. The three Saturday intensives held at the arena give local residents and professionals in the Springfield Lakes, Springfield and Greater Springfield area direct access to a nationally accredited qualification at a world-class sporting facility in their own suburb.
For the Springfield Lakes community, the programme represents a concrete example of the broader value that the Brisbane Lions’ presence at Brighton Homes Arena brings beyond match days. Residents with professional experience can now pursue a nationally recognised leadership qualification on-site, connected to the leadership philosophy and culture of a club that has won back-to-back AFL premierships.
How to Enrol
The Diploma of Leadership and Management (BSB50420) is delivered by TAFE Queensland (RTO 0275) and commences 20 April 2026. Enrolments and further information, including Fee-Free TAFE eligibility criteria, are available at tafeqld.edu.au. The Brisbane Lions Institute of Business and Sport is accessible through here.
Published 11-March-2026.
