Brisbane Lions

In 2017, the Brisbane Lions began to shift their culture under new coach Chris Fagan, just as the club was emerging from one of its lowest periods. They’d won only three games in back-to-back seasons, lost five recent first-round picks, and cycled through two head coaches in four years.

In one of their earliest sessions with Leading Teams, young players bravely shared how ridicule and silencing behaviours were driving teammates out of the club. That honesty shocked the group, and their culture started to shift that day. Over the next eight years, the Lions committed to embedding trust, accountability, and leadership development across the playing group and coaching staff.

Chris Fagan’s leadership, combined with consistent support from Leading Teams facilitators, turned what was once a fragmented environment into one of the AFL’s strongest clubs.