VAFA coaches undertake professional development

Recently, the VAFA in partnership with AFL Victoria delivered Professional Development Workshops to VAFA Coaches at both Elsternwick Park and the State Netball & Hockey Centre.

On March 18th, AFL Victoria delivered a Coach Induction workshop at Elsternwick Park for formative coaches looking to develop skills and knowledge to support their coaching journey in 2024. Topics of conversation included coaching philosophies, training and match day plans, communication and coaching values etc. Thank you to Sam Colegero (Coach Developer, AFL Victoria) who presented the session and shared stories and resources from his various coaching roles with St Kilda FC (AFLW), Coates league, NAB league and Community football clubs. Thank you to coaches from Old Camberwell Grammarians, Albert Park FC, Hampton Rovers AFC, Beaumaris FC, AJAX AFC, Hawthorn AFC, MHSOB, Oakleigh AFC, Therry Penola FC, and West Brunswick FC who attended the workshop and demonstrated their commitment to improving their coaching practice.

On March 20th, AFL Victoria delivered the Coach Your Way Rookie Program for Women and Gender diverse coaches within the VAFA. The workshop allowed attendees to discuss the importance of coaching philosophy, coaching drills and activities, communication, training plans and match day planning in a safe, welcoming and inclusive environment. The workshop was led by Allana Dickie (Regional Development Coach, Northern Knights) and Emily Mckie (Coach Developer, AFL Victoria) who both have more than 10 years experience as coaches. Thank you to the coaches who attended from Brunswick FC, AJAX FC, Kew FC and Whitefriars FC. The next step of the Coach Your Way Program is a mentorship with experienced coaches that allows for co-coaching opportunities within VAFA club’s.

The VAFA will continue to prioritise Coach Development throughout 2024 and would like to connect Coaches with opportunities to undertake 1:1 mentorship through the Coach Developer Program. This program is designed to support new and inexperienced coaches with observation, feedback and goal setting. The Coach Developer program also supports experienced coaches to develop higher level skills, knowledge and explore potential coaching pathways .

If you or a coach at your club would like more information on the Coach Developer Program please submit an expression of Interest here.