COURSE SUMMARY
The Certificate in Building High Performance Culture is presented by Frank Ponissi, General Manager of Football at the Melbourne Storm. This course equips aspiring and current rugby league professionals with the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in General Manager and football leadership roles. Through real-world insights and practical frameworks, Frank shares the lessons learned from decades of experience in the NRL, providing participants with a comprehensive view of leadership, operations, culture, and crisis management in elite sport.
DATES: 12th & 18th March, 2026
TIME: 9am–12pm AEST / 2 x 3 Hour Sessions
METHOD: Online via Zoom
POSITIONS: 20
INVESTMENT: One-Time Payment or Monthly Payments over 6 or 12 Months
FACILITATOR: Frank Ponissi
INFO SESSION: TBC
WHO IS THIS PROGRAM FOR
Aspiring and current leaders in sport
Club administrators and football department staff looking to up skill
Coaches and recruiters interested in the business side of the game
Professionals from other sports transitioning into rugby league management
COURSE CONTENT
In this course, you’ll explore what truly drives sustained high performance in elite sport environments, with a strong emphasis on leadership, culture, and alignment. Topics include:
Foundations of High Performance Culture: What high performance actually looks like in practice, and how standards, behaviours, and expectations are set and maintained over time.
Leadership in Elite Sporting Environments: Leading people through success, adversity, change, and scrutiny. Understanding different leadership styles and when to apply them.
Building Alignment Across a High Performance Program: How coaches, performance staff, football operations, and executives stay aligned around purpose, values, and standards.
Decision-Making Under Pressure: Leading through crisis, external noise, and high-stakes moments while protecting culture and performance.
Sustaining Performance Over the Long Term: Avoiding complacency, managing success, and evolving culture as people, personnel, and circumstances change.
Real-World Case Studies from an Elite Sporting Organisation: Practical examples and scenarios drawn from Frank’s career, focused on leadership challenges, cultural moments, and performance-critical decisions.
COURSE OUTCOMES
By the end of this program, participants will be able to:
Understand the key principles that underpin sustained high performance cultures
Apply practical leadership frameworks to elite and developing sporting environments
Build alignment and accountability across diverse teams and departments
Lead effectively through pressure, crisis, and periods of change
Translate lessons from an elite sporting organisation into their own leadership context
Learn directly from one of the game’s most experienced high-performance leaders while building a strong peer network
COURSE FACILITATOR
FRANK PONISSI
Frank Ponissi is one of the most respected leaders in Australian sport, with over three decades of experience shaping high-performance environments in rugby league. As General Manager of Football at the Melbourne Storm, he has been central to the club’s sustained success, overseeing recruitment, operations, culture, and leadership across one of the most decorated teams in NRL history.
With a background in coaching and player development, Frank brings a unique blend of tactical insight and people-first leadership. His career has been defined by building strong relationships, managing complex football departments, and guiding teams through both triumphs and challenges.
Frank’s approach is rooted in creating sustainable winning cultures, balancing the demands of elite performance with the importance of player welfare and long-term club success. His depth of experience offers rare insight into what it takes to lead at the highest level of professional sport.
WHAT DO I GET WHEN I ENROL?
2 x ONLINE LIVE WORKSHOPS
Complete this accelerator over 2 weeks with 2 x 3 hour live sessions. All content is recorded for you to go back and view following completion.
ACCESS TO INSTRUCTORS
During your completion of the course, you’ll have access to Stephen to ask any questions that you may have about the industry and content.
CAREER SUPPORT
During and after completing a course, you’ll recieve a free career advisory call to help you map out the next steps of your career through networking and job applications.
NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES
Over the length of the accelerator, there will be opportunities in break out groups and discussion for you to connect with other industry professionals and expand your network
PAY UPFRONT OR 6 & 12 MONTH PAYMENT PLANS AVAILABLE
All our courses come with an option to pay upfront or over a 6 or 12 month payment plan to make payment easy whilst still being able to access the course.
MICRO-CREDENTIAL CERTIFICATION
You’ll receive a certificate on completion of the course which you can share online on LinkedIn and any other platform you choose.
THE INVESTMENT
ONE TIME PAYMENT: $990
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6 MONTH PLAN: $165 p/m
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12 MONTH PLAN: $82.50 p/m
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Investing in your education is one of the best decisions an individual can make, so we want to make it as accessible as possible. That's why we're offering a flexible payment option that allows you to spread the cost of your course over 6 or 12 months.
Monthly Payments: Break down the total course fee into manageable monthly payments with no hidden fees.
Budget-Friendly: Get immediate access to all course content while spreading the cost, making it easier on your budget.
No Interest: Enjoy the convenience of monthly payments without any additional interest or charges.
Immediate Access: If you choose the monthly payment option, you’ll still recieve full access to all the content immediately after first payment.
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