By Peter Ryan and Sam McClure
Australia’s highest-profile women’s footballer, Daisy Pearce, is being lured by Geelong to be an assistant coach for the men’s team working under the mentorship of senior coach Chris Scott.
Melbourne player Pearce, who is expected to retire at season’s end but is yet to make an announcement about her future, has been approached by several clubs for a coaching position and a source with knowledge of the situation confirmed the Cats are in advanced discussions to secure her services in 2022.
Daisy Pearce.Credit: Getty Images
The Age can reveal that after an extensive process, Essendon offered Pearce the position of being the club’s inaugural AFLW coach. The Bombers confirmed that Pearce, after much consideration, turned that offer down.
Now Pearce appears likely to help Scott chase the Cats’ first premiership since 2011 as part of the AFL’s accelerated coaching program, which is designed to fast-track female coaches.
She would not be the first female assistant coach for a men’s AFL team; Peta Searle was a development coach at St Kilda in 2014 before taking the reins of the Saints’ AFLW team.
Pearce, 33, is already a pioneer for the women’s game as a player but she now has the chance to forge a path for ex-AFLW players to coach AFL at the highest level.
The accelerated program promises that successful applicants will be employed for two years and be exposed to all elements of coaching including match committee meetings, game day roles and mentoring within clubs.
The positions are co-funded by the club and the AFL, with exemptions in the soft football department spending cap during the two-year period, with six female coaches to be employed across the competition.
Daisy Pearce, right, playing with the Demons.Credit: Getty Images
Cats CEO Steve Hocking told 3AW that many clubs would be interested in securing the services of Pearce when she ends her playing career with the Demons.
“Daisy is committed to Melbourne Football Club. They are clearly going to have a big say in the finals. They would love to win a premiership and our understanding at this point in time, and through talking to her manager, they’re committed to Daisy continuing there and she has not made a decision as to what her future looks like,” Hocking said.
“I’m sure there are many clubs along with us that would like to secure her services, but Daisy is a committed footballer at Melbourne.”
Pearce is hugely respected for her football brain and as a commentator and has become one of the most highly sought commodities across the mens’ and women’s game.
She is making the move from the boundary line to the commentary box for Channel Seven on Friday nights, replacing arguably the greatest footballer of all time in Wayne Carey.
At the moment she is a key player in the Demons’ premiership push with the team sitting second on the ladder.
She is also credited with helping to revive the on-field fortunes of star forward Tayla Harris following Harris’ much-publicised trade from Carlton.
The Age contacted Pearce for comment but she said she was focused on the Demons’ season and would not discuss her future.
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