Who we are

The AFL Coaches Association is the collective, representative voice of coaches in the Australian Football League.

Since its inception in 2002, the Association has grown significantly and will have over 110 members in 2009, consisting of full time senior and assistant coaches from all 16 AFL Clubs.

The Association received a huge boost in late 2008 through the injection of significant funding from the Australian Football League. This increase in revenue will allow the Association to source and provide welfare and development opportunities for all members.

The Association aims to play a key role in the football industry, continually growing and adapting to achieve its objectives.

Seven key objectives of the AFLCA have been defined. The overall aim is to help grow the game in partnership with the AFL, clubs, players and coaches. These objectives are:

1. Provide a forum for AFL coaches to meet and discuss opportunities and challenges.
   
   
2. Recognise contributions of coaching leadership and excellence.
   
   
3. Develop skills and expertise of all coaches, in particular assistant coaches.
   
   
4. Provide career transition and support to senior coaches and assistant coaches both into and out of the coaching profession.
   
   
5. Define coaching pathways and develop the talent pipeline.
   
   
6. Promote the profession of AFL coaching.
   
   
7. Continue to foster relationships and partnerships with key stakeholders.

AFLCA Staff

Danny Frawley (CEO)
The former St Kilda captain and Richmond Coach, took over as CEO of the AFLCA from Neale Daniher in November 2008.

Danny played 240 games with the Saints from 1984 before holding a position as a Collingwood Assistant Coach for 4 seasons. He then coached Richmond Football Club for 5 years from 2000 after which he worked in the Media for several years.

Danny’s key responsibilities with the AFLCA are negotiating Coaches’ Terms and Conditions, attracting funding for the Association and playing a key role in providing a forum for Coaches in relation to Laws of the Game.

Paul Armstrong (Operations Manager)
Paul’s playing background in Ballarat, led to a short stint with the Saints, which turned into a full time Development Role with St Kilda in 1985. After the disbandment of zones, Paul worked with the then VFL in a Country Development position before moving to Geelong as the inaugural Region Manager for the Geelong Falcons in the newly established VSFL U/18 competition.

After several years in that role, Paul moved on to be Football Manager at Geelong, the Western Bulldogs and most recently Richmond.

As Coaching Development Manager, Paul has a close relationship with all AFLCA Members, and is primarily involved in providing Personal and Professional Development opportunities for coaches.

Michael Poulton (Career & Professional Development Manager)
Michael's background is in education and he has come to the AFLCA after almost 6 years as the National Coaching Manager for Athletics Australia. At Athletics, Michael was responsible for leading and developing the National Coaching Framework, including education, development and accreditation programs.

Prior to 2006, Michael taught at the University of Ballarat in Human Movement & Sport Science, Physical Education and Coach Education. Michael currently coaches hockey and continues to play in local competition, previously competing and coaching 100-400 m athletes for over 20 years.

Michael's primary role is to assist AFLCA members plan and implement career and professional development opportunities, utilising networks from within and outside of football.

Melissa Murphy (Executive Assistant)
Melissa has been involved with the Association since its inception in 2002 and provides invaluable office management and administration support to the AFLCA.

Married to Luke, and with two young children, Melissa works closely with the clubs and coaches while managing the administrative side of the AFLCA and is a key component in the smooth running of the organisation.

Contact information:

Address: Level 2, 170 Bridport Street, Albert Park, Victoria

Postal Address: PO Box 9230, Brighton, VIC, 3186

P: (03) 8651 4390

F: (03) 8651 4305

E: info@aflca.com.au