coaches immersion
Built for Community Football
About the event
The Bulldogs Coaches Immersion is a practical, one-evening professional development experience designed specifically for community football coaches.
Across five focused hours, you’ll learn directly from AFL & AFLW coaches and staff on the key areas that actually shift performance at local level – from leadership and communication, to training design, game-day craft and teaching through vision.
More than just ‘drills and magnets’
This immersion is built around real coaching problems you face every week: motivating players, balancing male and female programs, planning purposeful training, and turning game plans into behaviours on the field. You’ll walk away with practical frameworks, session templates and activities you can plug straight into your next training night.
Built for coaches of all demographics
Coaches will have the chance to split into male and female football streams, so you can dive into the specific communication, engagement and tactical considerations that matter in your context while still sharing ideas as a whole group.
Key Details
Wednesday 11 February | 3:00pm – 8:30pm | Mission Whitten Oval
Who’s it for: Coaches involved in community, school or talent League football from adolescents to seniors
Inclusions: Workshops, practical field sessions, light dinner and refreshments, learning materials & 150 AFL Coach Accreditation points.
Elevate your Coaching
Coaches & Presenters
MORE TO BE ANNOUNCED
Matthew Egan
General Manager - Coaching & Performance
Ben Reid
AFL Forwards Coach
Brendon Lade
AFL Midfield Coach & AFLW Director of Coaching
Jarryn Geary
Leadership & Development Coach
Why Attend?
- Learn from AFL & AFLW coaches and staff inside the four walls of Whitten Oval.
- Develop your leadership and coaching so players and parents actually hear and respond to your messages.
- Walk away with ready-to-use training templates and planning frameworks for pre-season and in-season.
- Experience on-field practical rotations, including skill craft, small-sided games, game simulation and vision.
- Connect with other community coaches from across the west and tap into the Bulldogs’ high-performance environment.
- Elevate your coaching status with AFL Coaching Accreditation Points
TAKE YOUR COACHING TO THE NEXT LEVEL
Wednesday 11 February
Mission Whitten Oval, Footscray
Price: $249
Register YOUR interest
Register your interest and a Western Bulldogs staff member will be in touch to answer questions and help with group bookings.
150 AFL Coach accreditation points
This immersion will contribute to your ongoing coaching development, with 150 accreditation points available under the Play AFL scheme.
COURSE TOPICS
Leadership & Communication for Modern Coaches
At its core, coaching is leadership. This session explores the coach’s role as a leader in the community: building relationships, setting standards, communicating with clarity and empathy, and shaping environments where players and volunteers can thrive.
Gender Specific Coaching Workshops
Coaches will take part in targeted, context-specific workshops focused on coaching young men or young women, aligned to their primary coaching environment.
Each session explores key developmental, behavioural and psychosocial considerations, before translating these into practical, football-specific teaching including, tactical trends, spacing, contest work, and ball movement.
Planning Effective Training
Learn how to structure an effective training session: timings, flow, drill selection, and intensity. We’ll also unpack how to build purposeful training blocks across pre-season and in-season, so your program is aligned to your game plan rather than a random collection of drills.
Skill Development & Line Craft
- A practical rotation on the indoor field, focusing on core skill progressions, positional craft and simple coaching cues that drive better execution under pressure.
Tactics & Game Simulation
- On-field scenarios and small-sided games that reflect real match situations. Learn how to design games that teach your game plan, encourage decision-making and reinforce contest, spacing and ball movement principles.
Game Vision & Analysis
- See how to use simple tools and match vision to teach players more effectively. We’ll cover what to show, how to frame clips, and how to deliver messages so players understand and act on them in games.