https://www.dailymercury.com.au/news/new-a-grade-coach-shakes-up-city-hawks/3668176/ AFL: It wasn't a career path she originally anticipated, however a passion for harnessing prodigious talent has led to success for Jennifer Ritchie. A pioneer for women's football in Mackay, she has assumed the role of assistant coach in the Mackay City Hawks men's senior side, and in doing so became the first woman to take on a men's senior coaching position with the club. It highlights the rise of the women's game in the region, and she hopes to continue this progression and pave the way for more women to take the leap into the coaching set up. "It takes one person to break that barrier, and I'm happy to be that person, but I think there's plenty of opportunities for females in coaching roles and it's good having diversity in the coaching team,” Ritchie said. "We think and do things differently, so it's good to be able to mix things up. "Even at a local level we're starting to see some of the rewards, people can see pathways so even in the local competitions in Mackay you can see the skill level is getting better.” Originally from Melbourne, Ritchie moved to Moranbah and coached women's and junior representative sides to launch her life as a coach.
Working with AFL Mackay to establish the Moranbah Bulldogs, she then moved to the Hawks to form the club's first women's team. She now forms a new partnership with head coach, Brad Best, as they aim to turn around the Hawks' fortunes after a disappointing 2018 campaign. Ritchie said much of this came from a significant player turnover, with several athletes leaving the club. With a wealth of young, rising talent at their disposal, she said she is excited to play a pivotal role moulding the direction of these developing players. "At the Moranbah Bulldogs it wasn't a role I thought I was going to take on, but when you see the enthusiasm of people when they pick up something new or do something you've taught them it's contagious,” Richie said. "It sparked a fire and it's something I've been very passionate about every since, so I just want to keep getting better and challenging myself. "I had someone mention football training was the one thing that got me through the week. "We kind of look at it game by game, but that really put it into perspective for me.” Ritchie's exposure to the game has allowed her to play a role with the Gold Coast Suns women's coaching academy, and she said her new role would provide more opportunities to grow. While she is not getting ahead of herself before her first full season begins, Ritchie's eyes are set on progressing to the professional plateaus of the game. With the Suns and Brisbane Lions coming to the region for a Queensland Women's Winter Series match in June, she hopes this will enable her to showcase her credentials to the powers that be. "That's the dream; I like working at that higher level so that'd be great,” Ritchie said. "Hopefully I get an opportunity to get a bit of exposure ... I'm in a good position to talk to some of the coaches and absorb what they've got to say.” Having operated in a player-coach capacity throughout her time coaching women's sides, Ritchie is looking forward to a more consistent mentoring focus. Even though she has shifted to the men's competition, she lauded the progression of the women's game in Mackay and the vastly improving skill levels of the athletes involved. "We've seen Lauren Bella be a part of the (Suns) academy and then get selected with the Lions, and hopefully we've got a few other players in the next few years get picked up with the AFL teams,” Ritchie said. "The competition is definitely getting harder, and I think for how long the women's competition has been around in Mackay, it's probably one of the strongest in North Queensland.”
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November 2019
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