The AFL has launched the third annual Women’s Coaching Month, supported by BHP, to take place across the country throughout July.
Women’s Coaching Month presents an opportunity to celebrate the contribution of current women and girls in coaching roles across the country and promote the pathway programs and initiatives to get more women coaching, from grassroots through to the elite level.
The surge in popularity in women and girls football since the inception of the AFLW competition in 2017 has seen numbers of women coaches rise sharply too.
In 2023 there are more than 2,000 women and girls registered as community football coaches nationally.
There is strong representation across state league and talent pathway programs, with a highlight being the rise in women coaches in the Coates Talent League, up from zero in 2022 to nine this year.
Even with this growth, recruiting more women into coaching roles at all levels is a priority for the game, according to the AFL.
Another key program to promote women’s coaching is the Women’s Coach Acceleration Program, with nine full-time coaching positions within AFLW programs co-funded by the AFL and the clubs.
AFL General Manager Women’s Football, Nicole Livingstone, said that growing and supporting women in coaching is imperative to ensure the future success of women’s and girls’ football.
“There is a lot of work to be done to continue to build women and girls coaching in Australian football, but the significant progress made and sharp focus we have in this space has given us a really strong foundation.
“The support provided by BHP has been instrumental in developing programs designed to support women and girls in coaching and we are seeing the benefits of the programs, including the BHP Women’s Coaching Academy, Women’s Coach Acceleration Program and National She Can Coach program”, Livingstone said.
Members of the public can nominate a coach for the BHP Community Coach of the Year Awards, or to have their story showcased on AFL State and Territory digital channels, through the AFL website.
There will also be a women’s coaching webinar held on July 18.
Full details (here)
