Lisa Alexander calls for quota system in AFLW to address lack of female coaches

Legendary netball coach Lisa Alexander says the AFL should consider a “quota system” to ensure women have the opportunity to coach in AFLW.

Outgoing Diamonds coach Lisa Alexander with the team. Picture: AAP

Legendary netball coach Lisa Alexander says she will not be applying for Collingwood’s senior coaching vacancy.

The former coach of the Australian netball team applied for the North Melbourne job last year, with the Kangaroos knocking her back in favour of David Noble.

Alexander coached Australia from 2011 to 2020, with the Diamonds winning gold at the 2014 Commonwealth Games and 2015 Netball World Cup, plus silver at the 2018 and 2019 versions of those respective events.

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Legendary netball coach Lisa Alexander. Picture: Mark Evans

Her name has recently been mentioned as part of Collingwood’s initial list of 92 candidates to succeed Nathan Buckley as senior coach next year.

She clarified on Thursday morning she would not be applying.

“Big clarify!! I am NOT applying for the Collingwood Mens Football Club Head Coach position!!,” she tweeted.

“I was asked a hypothetical re by @kanecornes on @1116sen IF I was going for the job what would I concentrate on re dynamics v mechanics!!”

Big clarify!! I am NOT applying for the Collingwood Mens Football Club Head Coach position!! I was asked a hypothetical re by @kanecornes on @1116sen IF I was going for the job what would I concentrate on re dynamics v mechanics!! @LeadingTeams#clickbaithttps://t.co/V351dEZ3cV

— Lisa Alexander AM (@CoachLisaA) August 5, 2021

Alexander said on Wednesday there were many similarities between netball and AFL.

“I can tell you I pinched heaps of drills watching Dean Laidley from the hill at North Melbourne on the hill on the way to Melbourne Phoenix training back in the day,” Alexander said on SEN.

“Because the drills I watched were so appropriate for netball and vice versa.

“I can tell you (Alastair) Clarkson has definitely used basketball views and techniques around area defence, which everyone has to do.

“I know there is an applicability between netball and football.

“And having grown up playing and watching football myself, I am embedded in the game.

“I don’t see that as a barrier for me to be able to coach Collingwood.”

St Kilda this week unveiled former great Nick Dal Santo as its new AFLW coach, meaning there are no female coaches at any of the 14 AFLW clubs.

Alexander described it as “not good enough” and called for the AFL to make changes.

“The AFL are not doing enough, they almost need to bring in a quota system to actually force the clubs to put in women head coaches for the AFLW at least,” she said.

“Because if you don’t do that then clubs will continue making excuses after excuses.

“It happens in corporate Australia, it happens in our political area and only 10 per cent of our Olympic coaches are women.”

She said it was a “massive issue” with many female coaches just needing a “bloody start”.

“The old boys’ network is working overtime and you can see that from the outside because that’s how it operates,” she said.

“It actually suits them all to have it that way because it’s a system that needs to be questioned.

“It’s all about sharing resources and men don’t want to give up that power, which I completely understand, but what you’re doing is ignoring the talent.

“You’ve got 50 per cent you’re ignoring because they happen to be women.”

ST KILDA STAR GETS AFLW JOB

Former St Kilda star Nick Dal Santo will become the new St Kilda AFLW coach after an apprenticeship with the club’s next-generation academy in the past five seasons.

The Herald Sun revealed on Monday that Dal Santo will take over from pioneering coach Peta Searle after she left the club to pursue leadership opportunities beyond the AFL.

It means there are no female coaches at any of the 14 AFLW clubs.

Hawthorn expects premiership coach Bec Goddard to lead its AFLW side when it is granted a licence.

The St Kilda AFLW players were told at 5pm on Monday of Dal Santo’s appointment, with the former star impressing the Saints hierarchy with his coaching acumen and footy intellect in recent talks.

Nick Dal Santo is expected to be announced as St Kilda’s new AFLW coach.

Dal Santo will be able to continue in his media work given the AFLW season takes place over summer, just as Carlton AFLW coach Daniel Harford has his own media portfolio.

The silky left-footer played 260 games with the Saints, then 62 with North Melbourne and was a three-time All Australian.

Dal Santo, 37, has worked with the club’s academy program for the past five years as well as coaching the league’s AIS-AFL Academy, with the AFLW coaching a natural stepping stone.

While Goddard is among many female coaches who believe the league must thrust females into coaching roles, clubs continue to appoint men instead.

Clubs are aware of the lack of female representation in head coaching roles but also are determined to give their players the best possible coaching to allow them to thrive.

They are confident as more females emerge from the AFLW program with experience and leadership they will quickly fulfil coaching roles including senior AFLW coaches.

The Saints won just three games last season.

The AFLW will start its season in December and finish by mid-March to ensure there is no overlap with the men’s season, with season six to again consist of 14 teams.

Essendon, Hawthorn, Port Adelaide and Sydney have all made submissions about entering the competition as early as season seven, with a decision to be made by the AFL Commission this month.

Goddard, who is the only AFLW female premiership coach, said this year clubs needed to keep pushing to have female coaches.

“The reality is we’re still very much on that journey of having to force these conversations to make people realise that (the status quo) isn’t actually comfortable,” she said.

“We can’t just keep doing things the same way. We’ve got an opportunity before us to not only encourage more women to coach, but also change the system.”