AFL Coaching Pathway
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AFL coaching Pathway A guide for prospective Assistant and Development Coaches seeking employment with one of the 18 AFL clubs. October 2015 Prologue By Michael Malthouse Coaching is one of the most rewarding things a person can do, especially when you coach young people. To nurture and help shape young men and women as they become adults is also a very important function for the community. The way I see it, the greatest coaches in our game are better remembered by their players as men rather than just coaches. Johnny Leonard, Jack Sheedy and John Todd in WA. Jack Oatey, Fos Williams and Jack Cahill in SA. Norm Smith, Jock McHale and Dick Reynolds in Victoria. They were all wonderfully successful coaches whose players grew as men under their watch. I was lucky enough to play under Tommy Hafey and Allan Jeans and then to coach against some of the all-time greats, such as Ron Barrassi, Kevin Sheedy, Leigh Matthews, David Parkin and John Kennedy. I remember each of these wonderful coaches as great people first and foremost and I have carried many of their messages with me throughout my life. My players are still very important to me. The friendships with my players are the things I cherish most from my career as a coach. Great coaches care about their players as much off the field as on it. Great coaches are teachers and have empathy. Coaches of professional athletes have an even bigger responsibility, because the athlete only gets one chance at a career and the stakes are higher. Since Australian Rules Football is the country’s biggest sport, in my eyes AFL coaches are amongst the most important in Australia. I firmly believe that you need the right experience and training before you get a job, to become a great coach. I’ve seen unprepared coaches struggle and eventually fail under the relentless pressure of the job. The fallout can be terrible for the coach and his family, but also, of course, for the 40-odd players on the club’s list. So, if you want to be a successful AFL coach and inspire young people like the great coaches I’ve listed above, then my message is simple: give yourself the best chance to succeed. Go out and coach your own team for a few years. Learn how to teach people and get your hands dirty managing people. And while you’re doing all this, find time to complete the AFL’s training program. By the way, there is so much more to being a great coach than having been a great player! Two of my old coaches – Tommy Hafey and Allan Jeans - are in the AFL’s Hall of Fame, but neither played many games. Tommy played 67 VFL games for Richmond and Allan played 77 for St Kilda. There’s another important learning that lies ahead as you embark on a coaching career: managing an ongoing connection with your family. You’ll quickly find out how all-consuming coaching can be and you’ll appreciate how much patience is required from your partner and children. To be a successful coach, you’ll need to invest in your family as your career develops. 1 Time management will become a crucial skill. It’s no good getting a job at an AFL club only to discover the rigours of coaching don’t suit your family. Once you’ve spent a few years “getting a good apprenticeship”, three important things will have occurred. Firstly, you’ll know whether or not coaching is for you. Secondly, you’ll have a track-record that AFL clubs can see for themselves. Believe me, your initiative will be valued by AFL clubs looking to hire ambitious and hard-working assistants. And lastly, having followed the AFLCA’s recommended guidelines, you’ll become a far better coach. A lot has changed since I was appointed as senior coach of Footscray in 1984. In order for modern AFL coaches to succeed, a vastly different skills set is required. I wholeheartedly endorse the AFL coaches Association’s initiative to set out a Pathway for incoming Assistant and Development coaches. I’m passionate in my belief that the 4 platforms outlined in this document will give new AFL coaches the best chance to succeed and maintain the legacy of previous great coaches. With the right training and experience, as an incoming AFL coach you’ll have the most important capabilities to enable you to take on the massive responsibilities that accompany the privilege of being a coach at an AFL club. Tommy and Allan were two of the finest people I’ve ever met. Come to think of it, they’ve made more of an impact on me than anyone outside my family. And there are 100’s of players who feel just the same as me about the two of them. This is the legacy a great coach leaves behind and why it’s so important to arm coaches with the right tools to succeed. Best of luck. Our game needs great coaches. Mick. 2 Table of Contents 1. Executive Summary Pages 4-5 2. AFLCA Purpose Page 6 3. Project process Pages 6-7 4. A background to modern AFL coaching Page 7 4.1. Growth in coaching numbers has been very strong, but has plateaued Page 7 4.2. AFL coaching is an extremely volatile profession characterised by high turnover Page 7 4.3. The days of 10% annual growth in non-Player football costs are over Page 8 4.4. AFL coaches are well paid Page 8 4.5. More and more AFL coaches have not played AFL at the highest level Page 8 4.6. AFL coaches are becoming formally qualified Page 9 5. The AFLCA’s recommended Coaching Pathway Page 9 5.1. Coach your own team 5.1.1. Why is this important? Page 9-10 5.1.2. How can it be achieved? Page 10 5.1.3. What does this mean for current AFL Players? Pages 10-11 5.1.4. What does this mean for non-AFL Players? Page 11 5.1.5. What are the financial implications? Page 11-12 5.2. Understand Pedagogy 5.2.1. Why is this important? Page 13 5.2.2. How can it be achieved? Page 12-3 5.2.3. What does this mean for current AFL Players? Page 13 5.2.4. What does this mean for non-AFL Players? Page 13 5.2.5. What are the financial implications? Page 13 5.3. Manage People 5.3.1. Why is this important? Pages 14 5.3.2. How can it be achieved? Page 14 5.3.3. What does this mean for current AFL Players? Pages 15 5.3.4. What does this mean for non-AFL Players? Page 15 5.3.5. What are the financial implications? Page 15 5.4. Attain AFL Level 3 Coach Accreditation 5.4.1. Why is this important? Page 15 5.4.2. How can it be achieved? Pages 16 5.4.3. What does this mean for current AFL Players? Page 16 5.4.4. What does this mean for non-AFL Players? Page 16 5.4.5. What are the financial implications? Page 16 6. Ongoing role of the AFLCA Page 16-17 6.1. State Coaching Managers Pages 17 7. Appendices Pages 18 - 19 3 1. Executive Summary The purpose of the AFL coaches Association (AFLCA) is to optimise the success of AFL coaches, in order for them to inspire young people through world class coaching. According to Mick Malthouse in his prologue, the greatest coaches in our game are better remembered by their players as men rather than just coaches. He believes great coaches need the right experience and training before joining an AFL club. AFL coaching is an elite profession, which enjoys exalted status in Australia. This Pathway is hard work. It is a blueprint for how best to become a successful coach at an AFL club. In late 2014, a Working Group of experienced coaches - including three senior coaches who had won AFL premierships - determined the ideal preparation for a coach coming into the AFL system. The conclusions reached by the Working Group have guided the Pathway. Subsequently, there has been wide consultation with members and industry experts. 6 key trends have emerged in modern AFL coaching: Growth in coaching numbers has been strong, but has plateaued; AFL coaching is a volatile profession characterised by high turnover; The days of 10% annual growth in non-player football costs are over; AFL coaches are well paid; More and more AFL coaches have not played AFL at the highest level; and AFL coaches are becoming formally qualified. The context of the AFLCA’s recommended Pathway is important: The Pathway is not compulsory; Many very successful coaches have recently entered the AFL ranks without adhering to the Pathway’s guidelines; Several AFL clubs will hire coaches without the experience set out in the Pathway; nevertheless The AFLCA believe that following this Pathway will give a potential Assistant or Development Coach the best chance to get a job as an AFL coach and then succeed. The AFLCA’s Pathway is based on 4 criteria. 1. Coach your own team This is the most important experience for a new coach. At the start of season 2015, 10 senior AFL coaches had senior coaching experience and, of the immediate past 10 Premiership coaches, only Paul Roos (2005) and Chris Scott (2011) won without having coached their own team.