Natalie Wood (coach)

Natalie Wood
Coaching career3
Years Club Games (W–L–D)
2022 (S7)– Essendon (W) 21 (10–11–0)
3 Coaching statistics correct as of the end of the 2023 season.

Natalie Wood is a former Australian rules footballer and current senior coach of the Essendon Football Club in the AFL Women's (AFLW).[1]

Playing career

Wood played 190 games for the Darebin Falcons and Melbourne University in the Victorian Women's Football League, and represented the Western Bulldogs in women's exhibition matches in 2013 and 2014.[2]

Coaching career

After retiring as a player in 2014, Wood joined the Geelong Football Club as a part-time assistant coach for the club's inaugural women's team that joined the VFL Women's (VFLW) in 2017.[2] Wood was then appointed to a full-time coaching role with Geelong as an assistant coach for the club's first season in the national AFLW competition in 2019.[2] As part of this role, she was also promoted to senior coach of Geelong's VFLW team.[2] This appointment meant that Wood was the first woman to attain a full-time coaching role with the club.[3]

On 18 March 2022, Wood was appointed as the inaugural coach of the Essendon Football Club's AFL Women's (AFLW) team.

Coaching statistics

Statistics are correct to the end of the 2023 season[4]
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
2022 (S7) Essendon 10 4 6 0 40.0% 10 18
2023 Essendon 11 6 5 0 54.6% 7 18
Career totals 21 10 11 0 47.6%

Personal life

As well as full-time coaching, Wood is a high school teacher.[3]

References

  1. ^ "Essendon hires Natalie Wood as inaugural head coach of AFLW team". ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation). 18 March 2022. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d Nakos, Nicholas; Black, Sarah (29 August 2018). "AFLW: Cats and Roos bolster teams". AFL.com.au. Telstra Media. Archived from the original on 5 December 2018. Retrieved 31 July 2019.
  3. ^ a b Oates, Stacey (28 August 2018). "Wood becomes part of Geelong Cats history". geelongcats.com.au. Telstra Media. Archived from the original on 19 March 2019. Retrieved 31 July 2019.
  4. ^ "Natalie Wood". Australian Football. Retrieved 18 July 2024.


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