Tara Murray
New Melton women’s coach Ryan White wants to ensure that the right pathways are in place for female football.
White, who has been coaching at Burnside Heights, was announced as the Bloods new coach for next year’s Riddell District Football League women’s season.
White said he was keen to take on the challenge.
“It’s exciting times ahead,” he said. “I’d been coaching for a couple of years and felt like I wanted to do it for myself.
“Things didn’t pan out at Burnside so I thought it was time to explore my options and applied for the Melton job and went from there.”
White said while he’d been coaching in men’s football, it was his young daughter who inspired him to look at coaching female football.
As well as being appointed to the senior women’s role, he’s applied for a junior girls coaching role at the Bloods as well.
He said he wants the younger girls at the club to be able to look up to the senior women’s team.
“My daughter plays footy and is footy mad,” he said. “I know a lot of clubs are starting to get that pathway from juniors into senior women’s football.
“A lot of clubs, senior women’s teams aren’t looked on as highly. I want to make sure the right pathway is there, that is key and what attracted me to women’s footy.”
White said he didn’t know much about the RDFL competition, but was quickly learning.
Josh Fikret will be an assistant coach and continue to share his passion for the women’s side, which will help on that side of things.
White said they would play a different brand of football next year.
The club has made finals both years in the RDFL competition.
“I think the stuff we are working on in pre-season will make a huge difference to how we play football,” White said.
“There will be a lot of structures and the structures I’m putting in place will be a good learning pathway.”
White said he would like to bring some more youth into the side next season, with anyone interested in playing welcome to come down.
He said he wanted to have a bit more competition for spots to help drive the standards further.
“Some women’s football teams get overlooked and it’s just a kick around and not as much required as senior men,” he said.
“I think there will be different and just as much effort and we will look to be a threat.”
White said they were still waiting for confirmation but were hoping to start pre-season training this week.
