Manunda Hawks women’s coach Ryan Galea resigns over allegations of poor treatment of female players

The coach of a female football side has sensationally quit over allegations his players were told by the club they weren’t worthy of funding and accused the president of making sexist remarks during a meeting.

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Manunda Hawks’ women’s football coach Ryan Galea has quit his role at the club before ever coaching a senior game for them in AFL Cairns, citing allegations of “deeply disappointing and unacceptable” treatment of some of his players.

Ryan Galea had been set to lead the Hawks’ women’s side for the upcoming 2025 season, having previously coached their under-15s girls side, but revealed in a Facebook post that he had resigned due to a “fundamental difference in values” between himself and other key members of the club.

In the post, Galea alleged that he had been told in a meeting on Tuesday evening that the women’s players “were not up to standard to warrant sufficient funding for the season.”

The post further alleged that a committee member had told one of the players at the meeting “that’s just how it is, the men get everything - be grateful you’re part of the club.”

The post also accused club president Andrew Welsford of telling a collection of members across all senior and junior teams to “ask the hot chick behind the counter at the pizza shop” to sign up to play football for Manunda.

The post claimed that he had raised these concerns formally with AFL Cairns but had yet to receive a response after three weeks.

However, this claim has been denied by AFL Cairns General Manager Craig Lees, who said the league has been “actively involved” in the ongoing investigation into these matters.

“We offered to attend Tuesday’s meeting, but that request was declined by the club who said they wanted to resolve this internally,” Lees said.

“We have responded to the complaints made by Ryan, and now that the internal meeting hasn’t resolved the matter, we will now take a more active role in mediating this issue moving forward.”

Welsford declined to comment and stated the club would issue a statement.

More to come.

Galea’s full statement

Today, I have made the decision to formally resign as coach of the Manunda Hawks Women’s Football Team. This decision has not been made lightly but is due to fundamental differences in values between myself, the club president, and members of the committee.

The treatment of some players during a recent meeting was deeply disappointing and unacceptable. The players were told they were “not up to standard” to warrant sufficient funding for the season. Furthermore, a senior female committee member dismissed player concerns by stating, “That’s just how it is, the men get everything—be grateful you’re part of the club.” This was directed at a player who has represented Australia at the professional level in cricket, which makes the comment even more disrespectful.

Additionally, I was appalled by a comment made by the club president during a meeting involving all teams—men’s, development, women’s, U17 girls, and U15 girls. The president stated, “We need more women players. Ask your sister, ask your cousin, ask the hot chick behind the counter at the pizza shop.” Such remarks are not only inappropriate but reflect a culture that undervalues and disrespects female athletes.

I raised these concerns in a formal email to Craig Lees (General Manager) and Brad Channon (Football Operations Manager) at AFL Cairns. I was advised that an investigation would take place as the behavior did not align with the AFL Cairns charter recently signed. It has now been almost three weeks, and I have received no updates—only silence.

As a result, today the club has lost three veteran players, including two life members: Kareena White, Jennifer “Dyno” Robinson, and Kris Hunt. This is a significant loss for both the club and the league.

It is incredibly disappointing that in 2025, female players and teams are still being treated as second-class. The Manunda Hawks now face the upcoming season without a coach and with only eight players remaining.

I sincerely hope this serves as a wake-up call for the club and the wider league about the need to create an inclusive, respectful, and equal environment for all players.

Via Facebook

Originally published as Manunda Hawks women’s coach Ryan Galea resigns over allegations of poor treatment of female players