How coaching Surrey Park girls has reignited ex-Blue Andrew Carrazzo’s love for the game

Half the girls hadn’t played footy when former Carlton midfielder Andrew Carrazzo took over as coach of his daughters’ junior team. This weekend, they play in a grand final.

Andrew Carrazzo has rediscovered his love of footy by coaching Surrey Park’s U13 girls team where his daughters play. Picture: Supplied

As Andrew Carrazzo puts it: “It’s been a journey, to say the least”.

The ex-Carlton midfielder will coach Surrey Park’s under-13 girls team in a Yarra Junior Football League grand final this Sunday, overseeing daughters Charlotte and Grace.

It’s been a meteoric rise for the Panthers since Carrazzo, now 40, took charge at the start of last season.

Many had not played footy before – but the 2007 Carlton best and fairest led his girls to the decider in Division 2 last year.

Promoted to Division 1 this season, Carrazzo’s charges have again defied the odds.

“We’ve basically got half of our girls playing up an age group, plus (at) the start of last year at least half of them had never played before,” he said.

“It’s been fantastic ... our expectations from when we started (were) fun and improvement – and it still is about that, but the girls have just improved so much.

“It’s pretty incredible.”

Andrew Carrazzo says his players have improved out of sight. Picture: Supplied

Carrazzo hung up the boots in 2015 after 194 games across 12 seasons with the Blues.

He admitted his foray into junior girls coaching had reignited his passion for the game.

“It’s sort of rekindled my love for footy being around them and watching them play and grow and enjoy it,” he said.

“It becomes a job at AFL level and maybe the love of it and the joy of it is taken away a little bit.

“But footy with our team, at our age group and at local level, it really is in its purest form with people playing for fun and enjoyment.”

He added: “It has really been eye-opening to me, learning about girls footy and learning about what sometimes is a bit of inequality and the opportunities that come for the girls versus the boys.

“I’m constantly wowed by some of the things that our girls do, and girls from other teams do, it’s just awesome.”

Daughters Charlotte and Grace do plenty of impressing.

They make up two of Carrazzo’s triplets and ply their trade as midfielders like their dad – but the former Carlton tagger is first to concede the pair bear more tricks.

Carrazzo shoots out a handball during his AFL career. Picture: AAP/Julian Smith

“They’re very different to me ... Charlotte’s very skilful (and) she does a lot of really classy things that I was certainly not capable of doing,” Carrazzo said.

“Grace is the grunt in the team – she’s our Patty Cripps – when someone needs to get in there and win a hard ball, she can certainly do that.

“They’re a little part of our team and what they’ve been able to do.”

He’s keen to coach his daughters “as long as I can and as long as they’re happy to have me.”

“It’s not without its challenges … but I love coaching them and I know they love me coaching them,” Carrazzo said.

Carrazzo is the father of triplets Grace, Sophia and Charlotte, pictured in 2014. Picture: Tim Carrafa

A recent council closure of Surrey Park’s ground due to wet weather meant the coach was “forced to think a little laterally”, as the team found itself without a place to train amid a finals campaign.

The ex-Blue “pulled in a bit of a favour from an old friend” – long-time Carlton administrator Shane O’Sullivan.

Carrazzo and his troops instead trained at Ikon Park – home of the Blues.

“That was pretty special – we got to train in the indoor facility and then they gave us a big tour around the facility with all the parents and players,” he said.

One parent remarked: “The attention to detail has been so impressive … what Andy has done for girls football is incredible.”

Andrew Carrazzo congratulates one of his players. Picture: Supplied

Development coaching could be on the former Oakleigh Charger’s radar in future.

“A part of me would like to get back into a junior elite pathway at some point and help the next generation of kids who are aiming to get to AFL level,” Carrazzo said.

“I couldn’t see myself ever doing anything more than that. That’s one thing I really do miss in footy, is just being involved in that high-performance environment.”

But attention is firmly fixed on Sunday’s clash with the Kew Comets.

Win or lose, Carrazzo was hopeful the occasion would only be the start of long and successful careers for his players.

“I’m not too stressed about the result – I’m more focused on the kids having fun, giving it everything they’ve got and making sure they know their effort is the most important thing,” he said.

“We’re all so proud of them whatever the outcome is and hopefully it’s just the start of the journey for them.”