How Mark Neeld Built a WNBL Team in 3 Months | Leadership Lessons from AFL & Geelong United

How do you build a professional sporting team from the ground up in just three months? In this episode of Beyond Growth, Reyan Fernando sits down with Mark Neeld, CEO of Geelong United Basketball, to discuss leadership, high-performance culture, and the remarkable journey of launching the Geelong Venom into the WNBL. Drawing on decades of experience as an AFL player, coach, and executive, Mark shares the lessons he's learned about building winning teams, developing great leaders, and creating organisations that put people and community first. In this conversation, you'll learn: 🏀 How the Geelong Venom came together in just three months 🏀 What it takes to build a high-performance culture 🏀 Leadership lessons from elite AFL and professional basketball 🏀 Why female participation and coaching pathways matter 🏀 The challenges of leading under pressure and public scrutiny 🏀 Mark's vision for the future of sport in Geelong Whether you're a business owner, leader, coach, entrepreneur, or sports fan, this episode is packed with practical insights on leadership, resilience, culture, and building something that lasts. If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to Like, Subscribe, and Share to help us bring more conversations with inspiring leaders to the Beyond Growth community.