At South Coast Flame FC, the season didn’t begin with results or tactics boards—it began with people.

For the second consecutive year, Flame has nurtured the growth of an all Female coaching group in our GJDL and GYL space.  The club feels that this is a unique feature, not only for our Club but across the leagues in general.

We asked our Technical Director and our coaching staff about the benefits, the challenges and what the future holds for this coaching team.

We spoke firstly with our Technical Director, Ryan Trevor and asked what the benefits of having an all female coaching team meant for the players and the Club.

“Having an all-female coaching team provides our players with strong, relatable role models who genuinely understand the experiences, challenges, and day-to-day realities they face both on and off the field. It creates an environment where players feel seen, supported, and empowered to grow in confidence and ability. More broadly, having female coaches throughout the GJDL and GYL programs also strengthens the club’s culture by promoting representation, leadership pathways, and a strong sense of community within the female game.”

It is certainly challenging as a coach to provide the support and guidance players need to continue their journey within the football environment, what qualities, work ethics, diversity does this team bring to the programs.

“While many of our coaches are still in the early years of their coaching experience, they make up for that with an exceptional work ethic, a desire to learn, and a constant drive to improve both individually and as a collective. A unique strength of this group is their strong connection to the club. All of them have been players within the program and six of them still play in our Senior Women’s setting. They understand the culture, values, and community that make the club special and are working hard to pass that down to their players. Most importantly, these coaches genuinely care. They put their heart and soul into every training session and every game day, always looking for ways to make the experience positive, enjoyable, and memorable for the girls while helping them grow both on and off the field.”

An amazing group, who are not only nurturing the growth of players as footballers but instilling club culture and club values across the programs.  Looking ahead what legacy would you want these coaches to leave.

“The legacy I want this coaching team to leave is one centred around positive experiences, strong relationships, and long-term growth for the players and the club. I want our female players to look back on their time within the program with genuine fondness and joy, remembering it as a place where they felt supported, valued, and inspired to love the game. We also want the coaches and the program to continue strengthening the female football pathway by developing players who progress into senior football, whether that be within our local community teams or representative pathways. Ultimately, the goal is to create a lifelong connection to the game, where players continue participating in football in some capacity long after their junior years.

On a personal level, I would love to see these coaches continue to grow, develop, and aim higher within the game. They are incredibly passionate and committed individuals, and I hope that one day some of them are leading senior teams at the highest level within our club — potentially even becoming our first grade head coach in the future.”

There is certainly growth, learning and development happening across the club for both players and coaching staff.  It is evident that there is a strong commitment to providing an all encompassing football environment and experience for players, which in turn builds a strong foundation and pathway into senior football and coaching opportunities for our young female players.

Our coaching team also provided an insight into their experiences, challenges and love for coaching in an all female team.

We asked them what they enjoyed most about being a Flame coach:

Sariah: Being the coach that I missed out on having as a kid! That female role model who can relate and understand the life stages the girls are going through. Also, I just love how much fun we have with the girls while also nurturing these talented young players. 

Lexie: I love the balance between being tactically challenged by the environment & the desire to keep on developing the players. On the other hand, I love the culture that has been created by the players in the youth program and my 18’s team that make coaching so enjoyable by being class footballers and good people!

What is best thing about being part of an all female coaching team:

Jarrah: The collaboration around session design and game days to make sure every Flame player gets the best opportunity for individual development. We all understand the bigger picture of the program, respect each other’s different coaching styles, and work together to get the best out of the group.

Kellie: The support and encouragement we give each other is incredible. It’s inspiring to work alongside strong women who are also passionate about developing players and being positive role models in football but also so incredibly knowledgeable. For all the girls in our program to have female coaches and role models who have also been through similar paths that they are now on is super special. We can relate to them in a way a lot of coaches wouldn’t understand.

Ruby: Flame has always been about creating good people before anything else and I am so grateful that I get to be a part of a coaching team that is full of great people. We all are willing to learn off each other and lift each other up. It’s so incredibly rewarding getting to work with people that I consider my best friends and watch them grow and succeed. 

Finally, we asked them what challenges they have faced as a coach and how have they overcome them:

Lexie: The main challenge, when I started my coaching journey at 17, I was in an all male coaching environment for a program that was mainly for boys development and I wasn’t seen as an equal compared to the other coaches. To overcome that, I just kept focusing on my individual development as a player/coach. I started my own coaching business and eventually started coaching at Flame. Coaching at Flame has provided an opportunity to be seen as an equal, in a positive work environment with my friends and I’ve found my passion in coaching the youth girls footballers!

Jarrah: One challenge has been feeling like I need to constantly prove myself and show why I deserve to be in the technical area. I’ve overcome that by backing my knowledge, continuing to learn, and focusing on the impact I have on the players and program every day.

Ruby: I think my biggest challenge as a coach has been finding my own coaching style. It is very easy to get caught up in trying to be like the other coaches around you, but I am so grateful that I am in an environment where I am supported and allowed to grow and make mistakes and am shown how to grow from them. 

Kellie: One challenge has been building confidence in myself as a coach and learning to back my decisions. I’ve overcome this by continuing to learn, leaning on the support of the coaching team and focusing on creating the best experience possible for the players.

Sariah: Feeling heard and valued in the broader football community. When I first joined as a coach, Libby and I were one of three female coaches in the club. Within the Flame coaching staff, I always felt valued and nurtured, then stepping out into coaching courses and conferences, I noticed the change in behaviour towards females. As if we were less than others. Overcoming this was more of an internal struggle, as I felt we didn’t fit in. For me, overcoming this, was seeing my friends want to become coaches and seeing females start to dominate the game more than ever. This brought out a new perspective, I realised that we can change lives and be just as effective as any other coach. I know our worth as a program and now we get to show others that! 

Some challenging hurdles to overcome for our coaching staff but through their determination and support for each other, they have surged ahead, stronger and determined to be the best coach they can be.

In the football world, in general, it seems that the status quo was a male coach, no matter the team.  But for this team of coaches, breaking the mould and stepping into that environment with passion and determination to learn, grow, focus, support and find their own coaching style has paved the way for a new standard and bright future for South Coast Flame and it’s Female Football Pathway.