Former Richmond coach Danny Frawley says it's vital female football players are taught to protect their bodies from a grassroots level as concerns surrounding rising injuries in women's football intensify.
Kevin Bartlett raised the issue on SEN's Hungry for Sport this morning, wondering if the game was too physical for the female body, raising the possibility that an increase in serious injuries might drive girls back to traditional sports.
Frawley, who currently coaches the Old Haileybury women’s football team, said learning to play Aussie Rules football was completely different to other sports.
“Out of all the [30] girls that I’ve got on the list, only two have ever played [before],” he told SEN Afternoons.
“What I did from day one was a lot of body work, to protect their body more importantly. Because these girls are very courageous, but the art of winning the ball in AFL is completely different to netball, completely different to basketball, completely different to soccer and hockey.”
While he has equipped his side with the knowledge to safely attack the contest, Frawley admits he worries about the preparedness of some opposition teams.
“We simulated a lot of bag work, using the bags as opposition players. Because the girls would lead with their heads with tackling,” he said.
“It’s all about protecting their bodies. And I’ve got to be honest, some teams we do play, you see some girls and think ‘gee be careful with that’, but our girls hopefully have been taught how to use their bodies.”
Australian netball coach Lisa Alexander also weighed into the debate, believing all players needed to be prepared well, to minimise the risk of injuries occurring.
“My view as a parent, and as an educator, would be that we need to prepare our players, whether they be females or males, for the sport they’re playing,” she said.
“We know that playing sport at the highest levels is always going to put joints under pressure.”
“I get the feeling that in the AFL community, particularly in the coaching community, that there is a lack of resources [such as with] trainers. We know that we need better education with strength and conditioning and injury prevention.”
She also questioned whether Frawley would take the same coaching approach with male players as he would with female players, but the former Richmond coach said this was definitely the case.
“My job at St Kilda (where he coaches part-time) is to use your body in a certain way, and I teach them no differently to the way I teach the girls at Haileybury,” he said.
“There’s no difference in my methodology whether it’s Old Haileybury or St Kilda.”