AFL Victoria Country Record Article – July 4
Coaching the critical ingredient
One of AFL Victoria’s most important objectives is to ensure our participants enjoy the best possible environment to play Australian football.
The role of the coach is critical to creating a safe, inclusive and positive environment, especially at junior level.
The ability of a coach to encourage their players to reach their potential plays a huge role in their development, and doing this effectively helps ensure they eventually transition into open-age football.
To support those who take charge every weekend out in the community, AFL Victoria offers coaching courses designed for different levels of football, from NAB AFL Auskick right through to senior community and state league competitions.
The courses are conducted regionally to ensure that all coaches, regardless of where the live, have the opportunity to attend.
We are pleased to see that the vast majority of coaches in Victoria are now accredited after completing one of our Level 1 courses.
The courses are typically one-day or two-day workshops that focus on the fundamentals of coaching and arm individuals with the knowledge and tools needed to develop players at a specific age level.
Coaches throughout the talent pathway can also complete level 2 and level 3 courses to enhance their skills and coaching credentials.
Over the past 18 months, AFL Victoria has strived to increase the number of female coaches in our game and break down barriers that stop them from pursuing coaching opportunities.
While it is important to provide a pathway for talented female coaches, we also need to focus on ensuring women feel comfortable about taking their first steps towards coaching at underage level.
To achieve this goal, AFL Victoria has created the Level O Coaching Course, which is designed specifically for women who are keen to learn about the basics of football so they can contribute in a greater capacity at NAB AFL Auskick clinics or junior football.
The courses have proved incredibly popular and pleasingly this led to our first ever Female Specific Level 1 Coaching Course last weekend.
Last week we also welcomed more than 80 Youth Girls footballers to Ikon Park to complete a Level 1 coaching course.
The girls’ strong appetite for coaching is incredibly pleasing to see and we look forward to the day when theytake charge of their own teams and inspire both boys and girls to play Australian football.
We hope all coaches, regardless of what level of the game they are involved in, understand how important their role is in helping football remain the sport of choice for all Victorians.