Norwood great and Payneham Norwood Union men’s coach Garry McIntosh helping Falcons’ women

Norwood great. SA star. Payneham Norwood Union men’s coach. Garry McIntosh has had a host of titles during his decorated career but now he’s got another one – women’s footy skills coach.

Norwood great and Payneham Norwood Union men’s coach Garry McIntosh (left) with women’s coach Ben Hunt and players from (left to right) Ella Murison, Nichola Venter, Jemma Valente, Emma Cornish, and Sophia Mazzaferro. Picture Dean Martin

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As a dual Magarey Medallist, two-time SANFL premiership player with Norwood and one of SA’s greatest state representatives, Garry McIntosh has done his bit for football.

But on cold Wednesday nights throughout winter you can often find the Redlegs legend at Payneham Oval teaching young girls how to kick the ball.

It is a sign of McIntosh’s pure love for the game.

That passion has led him to be one of the driving forces behind bringing female footy to Payneham Norwood Union, where he coaches the men’s A grade.

McIntosh and Ben Hunt, the club’s senior women’s coach and a men’s A-grade assistant, played a big part in overseeing the introduction of a women’s team and two junior girls sides at the Falcons last year.

Garry McIntosh in his role as Payneham Norwood Union’s A-grade men’s coach. Picture: Calum Robertson

It is rare to find a night of the week when McIntosh and Hunt are not out at the Falcons, taking men’s training, a women’s session or both.

McIntosh believes in approaching coaching men and women the same.

“They (the girls) like it to be told as it is, they don’t want anything sugar-coated,” says McIntosh, a 371-game midfielder at Norwood.

“We started with 30 senior women last year and now we’re at about 48 to 50.

“I think it speaks paramount for the people running the program.

“The main person that’s been the push behind it has been (Falcons chief executive and women’s co-ordinator) Tait Brimacombe.

“Ben’s done a great job and I help out where I can.”

Hunt believes the whole club embracing the women’s program has been integral in its success and says McIntosh’s influence has been huge.

“We’ll often get the new girls at training to go do kicking with him.,” Hunt says.

Garry McIntosh during his playing days with Norwood.

“There was one new girl, she went home and told her dad ‘how good is it that Payneham employ Garry McIntosh to be the women’s kicking coach?’ without realising he’s the A-grade coach and the coach of the whole club, really.

“If he’s standing there on a Sunday and sees someone kicking the ball, he’ll go over and teach them.

“He’s just a massive lover of the game and always looking to make an individual better, then the team and the club.”

PNU expanded from one to two senior women’s teams this year and added a junior side through a partnership with Mount Lofty, bringing the number of females on the Falcons’ books to about 100.

The club is now pushing for female change rooms to be built at Payneham Oval.

The Falcons’ division two Adelaide Footy League women’s side is flying on the top of the ladder with a 6-0 record, while McIntosh’s A-grade men are second with a 7-3 ratio.