Tatura’s senior women’s football coach was named Senior Coach of the Year at AFL Victoria’s Community Awards night last Thursday, following four exemplary season’s mentoring the club’s Goulburn Murray Women and Girls league team.
The Tatura stalwart, a long-time club volunteer and player in a variety of roles, was recognised for his efforts on and off the field to nurture the Bulldogs’ ever-growing women’s program, a worthy winner of community football’s top coaching gong.
“It’s very humbling and surreal to think that I've been nominated and selected,” Green said.
“Each season is different with different players and I'm just trying to gel a team together, understand their reasons for wanting to play and try to deliver on that.”
A staunch advocate of women’s footy, Green said the continuous development of his red, white, and blue players, regardless of match outcomes, has guided the approach of his coaching staff.
“Continual development in terms of their skills and understanding of the game has been really nice to see,” he said.
“To see what you're doing in practice come out in the game and being able to sort of celebrate that, regardless of the outcome of the game, that’s really encouraging as a coach to see players improving.
“But also, for the players, it's good for them to see they are getting better and hear they're getting better.
“Credit where credit’s due, a lot of the players coming to the club have been player initiated. They’ve reached out to their friends saying come and have a go.
“My aim and hope is to make it a welcoming environment for people to come in to.”
Further to his latest accolade, Green was previously named GMWGL Coach of the Year and the Goulburn Valley League’s Volunteer of the Year, underscoring the hard work of one of the Goulburn Murray region’s biggest contributors.
“While I’ve received the accolade, I’m part of a bigger team of people who do different things and make it work together as a whole,” he said.
“Assistant coach Anthony Pearson in the last couple of years has been really good in terms of the skills development with the women.
Green and his team don’t want to rest on their laurels, however with plans for a Youth Girls team in the works.
“We’ve put expressions of interest out which is really important for a sustainable senior women’s program,” he said.
Inquiries can be made via Tatura’s social media channels or through the club email at taturafnc@gmail.com.
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