Former Williamstown captain Erin Meade was quite happy to call a pause on her footy career at the end of last year’s Victorian Football League women’s season.
Having been there from the start at the Seagulls, she had seen the club grow.
“I played for Willy for seven seasons,” she said. “For about four or five seasons we were bottom of the ladder.
“We didn’t have the player retention each year and had a few different coaches which didn’t help with the continuity.
“Liam Cavanagh came in the last two seasons and we got to the top of the ladder and made the preliminary final.
“It was the perfect time to step back, I had achieved everything that I wanted to achieve. I was like a proud mum.”
While Meade, who was just 28 at the time, was making the decision to step back from playing, Western Bulldogs AFLW coach Tam Hyatt had other plans ahead of last year’s AFLW season.
She was keen for Meade to be a training player for the AFLW side.
“She said why don’t you join us as a train on player and I was like I’m just about to retire,” she said.
“I hadn’t thought about playing AFLW. They said we think you could make a valuable contribution on the parking at training.”
Meade took up the offer to train and she loved her time at the club.
When Meade said she was interested in the coaching side of things, Hyatt said they would find her a spot.
Meade has come on board in the AFLW program as an development coach for this year.
“I’ve seamlessly rolled into training going from a teammate into a coach,” she said. “The strangest bit has been when the VFLW coach Rhys Cahir has asked when am I going to pull on the boots?”
A teacher by trade, Meade said it was always natural for her to go the coaching side of things.
She said it had been in the back of her mind while she was still playing.
“They bleed well together,” she said. “They have the same skills.
“I know there is a rise of female presence in the coaching spaces and that was playing on my mind.”
As well as being part of the Bulldogs coaching set up, she’s Newport Power’s director of coaching for their girls program.
A local, Meade said it was all about further helping progressing female football.
“A lot of my students are at the footy club,” she said. “I’m from the south-east and female football is further ahead than the western region.
“I want to support the western region and it was an easy decision to help out.”
Meade said the biggest challenge was trying to keep girls in the sport and the Power was doing a fantastic job and trying to provide those pathways.
The club has formed a partnership with Westbourne Grammarians, with the Power players able to flow into the Grammarians senior program when they age out.
Meade said she doesn’t dream to be a senior AFLW coach but could see herself as a line coach or player development manager.
She said she feels if she’s in a crossroads with her career and how footy plays a role.
“I would love to see how high I can get in the game,” she said. “I love teaching … It’s which career do I push a little bit harder with now.
“Do I push coaching agenda as much as I can while I’m still relevant to the game? Teaching is always there.”
While she hasn’t retired from playing, Meade said she’s enjoying the break.
She did pull on the boots for Williamstown CYMS earlier this season, but said it wasn’t something that created an itch to get back and play.
“The reserves team was close to forfeiting,” she said. “One of my big things is to make sure that the women’s space is better than when I started.
“I didn’t want 12 girls not to have a game to play. I put my hand up for the reserves.
“I didn’t necessarily enjoy it. I thought I would test it out and still love coaching and running.”
