Peta Searle

Peta Searle
Personal information
Full name Peta Searle
Coaching career3
Years Club Games (W–L–D)
2020–2021 St Kilda (W) 15 (5–10–0)
3 Coaching statistics correct as of 2021.

Peta Searle OAM is a former Australian rules footballer and coach. Searle was senior coach of the St Kilda Football Club in the AFL Women's competition (AFLW) from 2020 to 2021. Searle was previously the first woman appointed as an assistant coach in the Australian Football League when she was joined St Kilda as a development coach in 2014.[1]

Playing career

[edit]

Searle played football for ten years.[citation needed] Searle started her playing career with the Scorpions at the age of 20 and then moved onto the Albion Football Club, Parkside Football Club and then the Darebin Falcons. She played over 100 games,[2] won five premierships, represented Victoria on seven occasions and was named in the All-Australian team three times.[3][4]

Searle was named in the Victorian Women's Football League (VWFL) Team of the 1990s and in the backline of the VWFL Silver Jubilee Team.[5] She became a VWFL life member in 2011.[6]

Coaching career

[edit]

Searle began her coaching career in 2005. She coached the inaugural Victorian under-19 side in 2005.[7] Searle became head coach of the Darebin Falcons VWFL team in 2006 and coached them to five premierships from 2006 to 2010.[2] She was named Victorian Female Coach of the Year in 2010.[8] Searle was appointed the coach of the Darebin Falcons Silver Jubilee Football Team in 2015.[9]

Searle was a development coach at the Western Jets in 2011.[4][2] In 2011 and 2013, she was the head coach of Women's Victorian State Team in the AFL Women's National Championship[2][10][4] and was named the All Australian Coach of the 2011 AFL Women's National Championship.[2] She was also the Head Coach of the AFL Victoria VWFL Academy between 2012 & 2014.[4][2]

She debuted as a coach for Victorian Football League team Port Melbourne Football Club on 25 March 2012[11] and coached there under Gary Ayres in 2012 and 2013.[4]

Searle then coached the Western Bulldogs in the first AFL women's exhibition game in 2013[12] and the second game in 2014.[2] She was also the assistant coach at VAFA team St Kevin’s Old Boys in 2014.[2]

Searle joined the Saints as a development coach in 2014, making her the AFL’s first full-time female assistant coach.[13][14] In 2018, she was appointed the Head of Female Football Pathways and coach of the Saints' first ever affiliated female team in the VFL Women's competition.[15]

On 17 April 2019, Searle was appointed the head coach of the St Kilda Football Club ahead of them entering the AFL Women's competition in 2020.[16][17] Searle stepped down from the role at the conclusion of the 2021 AFL Women's season.[18]

Coaching statistics

[edit]
Legend
 W  Wins  L  Losses  D  Draws  W%  Winning percentage  LP  Ladder position  LT  League teams
Season Team Games W L D W % LP LT
2020 St Kilda 6 2 4 0 33% 5 (conf.) 7 (conf.)
2021 St Kilda 9 3 6 0 33% 11 14
Career totals 15 5 10 0 33%

Honours and achievements

[edit]

Searle won the Female Coach of the Year in the Victorian Australian Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Awards in 2010.[19] In 2012, the Victorian Australian Football Coaches Association (AFCA) named the award after her and it is now known as the Peta Searle Female Coach of the Year Award.[20]

Searle was inducted into the Victorian Honour Roll of Women in 2017.[21]

Searle received a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for services to the AFL in the Queen Birthday Honours on 10 June 2019.[22] In October 2019 she was named one of The Australian Financial Review's 100 Women of Influence in the category of Arts, Culture and Sport.[23]

Other work

[edit]

Searle was a physical education teacher at Brighton Secondary College between 1996 and 2014.[24][25]

Personal life

[edit]

Searle has two children, Tessa and Jackson.[26]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Peta Searle becomes first woman appointed as a development coach in the AFL". Daily Life. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h "VWFL legend Peta Searle appointed as Victorian state coach - Victorian Womens Football League". SportsTG. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  3. ^ "Peta Searle Head Coach - Victorian Womens Football League". SportsTG. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  4. ^ a b c d e "Congratulations Peta Searle - Victorian Womens Football League". SportsTG. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  5. ^ "TEAMS OF THE 80s, 90s, 2000s 25TH ANNIVERSARY - Victorian Womens Football League". SportsTG. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  6. ^ "VWFL Life Members - Victorian Womens Football League". SportsTG. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  7. ^ "Victorian Women's Football League State Squad". AFL Victoria. 4 June 2011. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
  8. ^ Falcons, Darebin (7 November 2010). "Victorian Coach of the Year". Darebin Women's Sports Club. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  9. ^ Falcons, Darebin (10 July 2015). "DWSC 25th Anniversary - Silver Jubilee Football Team announced". Darebin Women's Sports Club. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  10. ^ "The Big V team finalised - Victorian Womens Football League". SportsTG. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  11. ^ Falcons, Darebin (19 March 2012). "Peta SEARLE's VFL Coaching Debut - 25th March 2012". Darebin Women's Sports Club. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  12. ^ Falcons, Darebin (15 July 2013). "Dees dominate Doggies but Women's footy the real winner". Darebin Women's Sports Club. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  13. ^ "Saints sign first female AFL coach". www.heraldsun.com.au. 2 June 2014. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  14. ^ "Searle a groundbreaking Saint". saints.com.au. 2 June 2014. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  15. ^ "Peta Searle - VFLW Senior Coach and Head of Female Football Pathways". saints.com.au. 28 August 2015. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  16. ^ "Signed Searle delivered". saints.com.au. 17 April 2019. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  17. ^ Ramsey, Michael (17 April 2019). "Saints appoint Peta Searle as AFLW coach". The Age. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  18. ^ "Peta Searle to depart Saints". saints.com.au. 25 June 2021. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
  19. ^ "AFL Community: Victoria's Best Coaches Honoured". www.aflcommunityclub.com.au. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
  20. ^ "LIFETIME AWARD FOR ORMOND'S MIKE McARTHUR-ALLEN". VAFA. 12 November 2012. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
  21. ^ "Ms Peta Searle". Municipality of Victorian Honour Roll Of Women 2017 (PDF). Office of Prevention & Women’s Equality. March 2017. p. 28. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 April 2018. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
  22. ^ "Award Extract - Australian Honours Search Facility, Award ID 2004801". honours.pmc.gov.au. Retrieved 11 June 2019.
  23. ^ "AFR's 11 most influential women revealed". Australian Financial Review. 22 October 2019. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
  24. ^ Melbourne, National Foundation for Australian Women and The University of. "Searle, Peta - Woman - The Australian Women's Register". www.womenaustralia.info. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
  25. ^ "The Peta Searle story". saints.com.au. 2 June 2014. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
  26. ^ Lane, Samantha (26 April 2014). "Peta Searle gives up coaching dream". The Age. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
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