Kate Chapman and Toby Parish will coach the youth girls and senior women’s sides at Barooga in 2025.
Barooga’s women’s and youth girls’ teams have strengthened their coaching structure for the upcoming 2025 season.
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Following a successful foundation year at the Hawks’ nest, Kate Chapman will have help at the reins in season 2025 as she will team up with former local footballer Toby Parish, who is excited to be taking a leap into a senior coaching role.
When asked about working alongside Parish, Chapman was excited to be working with someone with grassroots footy experience, a keenness to jump on-board the women’s Aussie rules train, shares similar values and wants to continue to build the culture at the club and within its teams.
While it’s envisaged the youth girls and senior women’s teams will still do a significant amount of work together, Chapman will be coaching the former and Parish the latter.
Parish was on the sidelines for several games last season supporting his sister Sasha and enjoyed passing on his knowledge and experience.
“I’d always wanted to coach once I finished playing and the opportunity to get involved came at the perfect time,” he said.
Parish said he saw plenty of potential in the team and hoped to create a great environment to learn, improve and succeed in football, something he feels girls haven’t always had the opportunity to do.
“It’s great to see the development of women’s AFL,” he said.
“Kate is doing a wonderful job at Barooga and I feel privileged to be a part of that now, especially in the community where I grew up.”
Needless to say Parish is excited, keen and highly motivated to help make a difference at Barooga.
“The goal is to make the Barooga Hawks a real destination club for anyone wanting to be involved in women’s footy,” he said.
The off-season for the Hawks’ women’s teams has not been quiet for some players, with six of the club’s youth girls team recently selected to represent the league in the under-16 V/Line Cup which was played in Ballarat, where Tamika Muller was appointed as one of the captains.
The Barooga women's footy sides are eyeing off a big season 2025.
Following on from the V/Line Cup the club also had several players head to the 2024 Murray Bushrangers combine event, where Nakiyah Fraser-Simmons was setting high standards.
Just days after the event Fraser-Simmons received her results, which included the top Running Jump Left Hand (jumping performance) attempt ever recorded at the combine for her age and gender.
Meanwhile, other Goulburn Murray women’s and girls league clubs have been busy locking in leaders for the 2025 season.
Nathalia women’s mentor Alyx Jorgensen has signed on the line for next season after a disappointing semi-final exit this year, losing to eventual premier Echuca.
Jorgensen took the reins from two-time flag-winning coach Simon Quarrell at the back end of 2023 and will look to reinstate the Purples as a genuine title contender when footy rolls around again.
And in the youth girls’ sphere, reigning premier Echuca United has snared a veteran coach in Tim McCormick for its own tilt.
The ex-Mathoura man played more than 250 games for the Timbercutters during his career and has several years of experience coaching in the men’s game.
