DARREN MONCRIEFF
Thursday 15 March 2012
IT is one of the final bastions of football that Indigenous men have yet to gain a foothold at the elite level: coaching.
As pointed out by the AFL's community engagement manager Jason Mifsud, one of just a handful of Indigenous men to have coached at AFL level when with St Kilda, of the 150 current AFL coaches, only two are Aboriginal men.
Thankfully, that poor return is not reflected at grassroots and community level. Roam across the country enough and you will see Aboriginal men, clipboard in hand on the boundary line, keeping tabs on whether their game plan is being adhered to or not.
Which is exactly what both the Indigenous arm of NSW/ACT AFL and the NSW/ACT Indigenous Australian Football Association (NAIAFA) want to see more of as it seeks coaching and support staff for the State Regional Championships in Sydney in June.
A Koori squad of 30 layers has already been picked, chosen after last month's Jack Atkinson Memorial Football Carnival. That number will be finalised to 25 soon.
There are 11 positions available for coaching and support staff for the championships which will be held at Blacktown, one of a few training bases for the AFL's GWS Giants, on June 8-10.
Level 1 coaching accreditation is a minimum requirement for the senior coach of the Koori side.
Other roles organisers are seeking to be filled include two assistant coaches, two property managers, two team doctors (either doctors, qualified trainers or physiotherapists), two game-day runners, two water carriers.
* For more information, contact Luke Penrith on 0419-205073 or Rod Craig on 0422-314869.
AboriginalFootball@westnet.com.au
Last Modified on 15/03/2012 12:39