58 FEMALE COACHES Women’s Football Development Guide Women’s Football Development Guide FEMALE COACHES 59

COACHING PROFILE

58 FEMALE COACHES Women’s Football Development Guide

LEAH BLAYNEYFormer Matilda, current assistant coach at Western Sydney Wanderers FC and the Football NSW Institute

Leah Blayney has an amazing wealth of football knowledge and playing experience. Combine that with a teaching qualification and you have a perfect building block for a fruitful coaching career.

Q: What is your favourite aspect of coaching at the

community level?

A: Seeing the growth in both quality and quantity

of players at the community level has been a

huge highlight. I think as a nation we have made

much more of a commitment to developing this

especially at the grassroots level, in future years we

will see a positive knock on effect at the elite level

with more kids now playing with better coaches.

Q: Have you always been drawn to coaching beyond your playing days, and who enticed you to consider coaching?

A: I always enjoyed individual sessions with young aspiring players but never considered taking it on as a full-time career aspiration. When I could no longer play due to injury, a mentor of mine encouraged me to make an appearance at a regional tournament, meet the players, speak about my playing experiences etc. I was asked to stay and watch and give any advice. I simply loved working with this group; I stayed with them through the tournament. I ended up coaching them for the following 3 seasons!

Q: What are your three favourite aspects of coaching?

Being a resource for the development of positive experiences for young players

The journey of developing a plan, committing to an action and experiencing an outcome as a part of a team

The opportunity for continued growth and development as a person and coach within football

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