Little Athletics Queensland Strengthens Board with Appointments of Oberg and Vogel

Little Athletics Queensland (LAQ) has confirmed the appointment of Tim Oberg and Nikita Vogel to its Board of Directors, adding experience in community sport leadership, technology, and organisational change to the governing body.

Oberg, best known for founding and leading parkrun Australia, brings over 20 years’ experience in building large-scale participation programs and volunteer networks. His track record includes growing parkrun into a nationwide community health initiative and contributing to broader sector groups such as the Australian Sports Commission’s Play Well Strategy Leadership Group and the Australian Mass Sporting Event Alliance.

Little Athletics Queensland president, Ross Pallentine, said Oberg’s expertise will be valuable as the organisation pursues its 2025–27 Strategic Plan, On Track for Tomorrow.

“Tim’s extensive experience in leading large-scale volunteering programs and healthy lifestyle initiatives will provide invaluable insight as we work to achieve the goals outlined in our 2025–27 Strategic Plan,” Pallentine said.

Vogel, a former Little Athlete who represented Queensland in discus, brings a different skillset centred on sports technology and change management. Currently State Manager (Queensland) for the Australian Sports Technology Network, she also holds roles with Basketball Australia and her own venture, Revolve Athletic.

Her appointment addresses specific skills gaps in LAQ’s governance, particularly as the organisation adopts new systems such as Sport:80.

“Nikita’s technology and change management knowledge will be instrumental as we navigate a period of rapid organisational development, particularly with the introduction of new technologies like Sport:80,” Pallentine said.

The appointments follow a competitive application process in August 2025 and fill existing casual vacancies on the Board. Oberg will serve until the 2027 AGM, while Vogel’s tenure runs to the 2026 AGM.

The updated LAQ Board now includes: Ross Pallentine (President), Blake Frost (Vice President), Gary Morrisby (Finance Director), Michelle Moore, Peter Hionis, Tim Oberg and Nikita Vogel.

For LAQ, the appointments represent more than succession planning. They reflect a broader trend in community sport governance: the push to blend grassroots participation expertise with digital transformation capabilities. With more than 100 centres across Queensland, LAQ faces similar challenges to other state and national bodies in balancing tradition with modernisation. The inclusion of technology expertise at board level highlights the sector’s recognition that digital platforms and data-driven systems will underpin future growth and efficiency.

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