Female Football Week - Spotlight on our Coaches
Today’s “Spotlight On” looks at the female coaches involved at the Club.
A key plank to having a solid female football culture within a football Club is to ensure that there are women involved at all levels, not just as players or administrators, but as coaches of the next generation of female footballers.
At Capalaba FC we have been particularly forthright in engaging female coaches across all areas of Club, but most particularly in the junior ranks, where female mentors and educators can have the most profound effect. We have employed experienced senior players both as Head Coaches and Assistant Coaches, as well as Technical Directors.
In today’s “Spotlight On” we will look at each of female coaches.
JJ McLean
JJ is our most experienced female head coach, having taken up the coaching reins in 2014 at Olympic FC, where she took charge of the under 11 academy team, under 12’s and ultimately the under 14’s.
A high-quality goalkeeper in her own right, JJ joined Capalaba FC in 2017 as a player in our Grand Final Brisbane Women’s Premier League squad, while also taking our junior goal keeper training sessions during the season. JJ had an immediate impact on her charges, providing them with the necessary skills, motivation and drive to be goalkeepers, quite possibly the most difficult and least popular position on a football field.
In 2018, with Capalaba’s promotion to the National Premier League, she undertook her FFA/AFC “C” Licence and established herself as a head coach in charge of the Under 15’s NPLW squad. Coming through the divisional football system, a lot of the squad had not been exposed to quality, technical skills and game training and JJ set about transforming each player into a NPLW standard player. She achieved this through a strong focus on development of core skills and a no-nonsense football education. JJ was able to deliver to each player a strong sense of self-confidence, unwavering support of the process and a commitment to continuous improvement.
She is currently the head coach of our Under 18 NPLW squad where her infectious energy and strong discipline are keys to driving the squad towards achieving their goals.
JJ continues to test herself in the NPLW realm and has developed herself a reputation as a quality NPLW goal keeper or outfield player who drives her players and team mates to new highs.
Kelly Crew
Kelly came to Capalaba FC in 2016 and has established herself as a Club stalwart in the mid field of our senior women’s teams since then – firstly in the Brisbane Women’s Premier League and, most recently, in our NPLW open women’s team.
Kelly is a qualified Special Education and Physical Education teacher who learnt her skills locally and then honed them as a player at college level in the US. Kelly has also had stints as a head coach in the US at a leading football school as well as Head Performance Coach of a sports performance centre In Brisbane.
Kelly has played at an NPLW level with various teams for over 6 years and has entrenched herself as a quality player and leader at the level.
In 2019, Kelly has taken the clipboard for the under 15’s NPLW squad and, in conjunction with Steph Latham, has rapidly improved the level of athleticism and football ability within the group in a fairly short space of time. She has ensured that the players work hard both on and off the field to leave themselves with no excuses for not achieving their football goals.
Stephanie Latham
A lot has already been written about Steph (see earlier “Spotlight on”) but in 2018, she has taken a big step in her football career and has taken up the reins as Coach of our Under 15’s NPLW squad, in partnership with Kelly Crew.
Steph’s football knowledge and understanding of the game is second to none and, along with her calm demeanour, she has been able to impart a wealth of knowledge to the under 15 NPLW girls and has them set on a path where first team honours will come their way in coming years.
Leia Deitz
Leia has a Certificate IV in Personal Training and an FFA/AFC “C” Licence and has been an assistant coach with Capalaba’s under 18 and under 13 NPLW teams in 2018 and 2019.
Her experience in implementing fitness training programs for young women, coupled with her football knowledge, ensures Leia is a valuable and respected Coach at Capalaba FC where she has an ability to drive the players to perform at their maximum and understand each one’s specific needs. Leia also takes time to play football with Capalaba’s City League 1 Women’s team and further develop her football knowledge at this level.
Katy Couperus
Katy arrived at Capalaba FC in 2019 to take up the key import and marquee position within our NPLW Open Women’s team. Katy joined us from the Cincinnati Bearcats and has ambitions of breaking into the W-League In only a short time, Katy has announced herself to the NPLW, netting goals with regularity and providing the playing squad with unrivalled strike power from the back.
Katy has an incredibly strong work ethic and attention to detail in all aspects of her football and it was for these qualities, she was quickly recruited to be a key member of our junior coaching staff. Katy has taken up the role of assistant coach with our under 13 NPLW development squad, where a focus on building technical ability amongst the playing group is key to underpinning the development pathway for these young players.
Katy has already been able to impart her knowledge to the players with a degree of authority and respect and has brought about a change in the skill level of the players in the squad that will fast forward their development.
Emilie Rochelet
Emilie was the subject of our first “Spotlight on” article in Female Football Week.
Emilie is the mentor and technical director for our mini-roos program where she has developed and implemented an academy program for under 7 and under 11 players who have been identified as talented with a football.
Her depth of knowledge acquired over a number of years has seen places within our academy program become hotly contested and a cornerstone of our development philosophy.