WAFLW: New coaches appointed at Peel Thunder

New coaches have been appointed for Peel Thunder's WAFLW and Rogers Cup teams.

Ethan Norris will be the new head coach of the WAFLW team, taking over from Steve Markham.

Norris is a current Level 2 accredited coach and has a long history of community coaching experience.

More recently he has overseen the female talent pathway at Peel through the Metro Development Squads and took on a line coach role with the WAFLW team.

Norris said he is excited about his new role.

“It’s incredibly exciting to be a part of the development of women’s football, particularly in the Peel Region," Norris said.

“Peel Thunder has a wealth of talented women playing at all levels throughout the club, it’s an incredibly exciting prospect to help develop these players at the elite level required for the WAFLW."

Michelle MacDonald has been appointed head coach of the Rogers Cup team, the first female coach at Peel Thunder.

She also holds a Level 2 coaching accreditation and has a long history of coaching at a community level.

Since 2022, MacDonald has been involved with the Metro Development Squad, including head coach this year, and stepped into the midfield line coaching role in the Rogers Cup team in 2023.

MacDonald said she was "thrilled" with her new role and stressed the importance of connecting with her playing group.

“As a coach, you can have the best preparations and plans but success in the end comes down to relationships," she said.

Peel Thunder CEO Paul Lekias said the process to find new coaches was extensive.

“We are pleased to have been able to conduct a highly competitive process in sounding out and attracting some very qualified candidates for the role and would like to congratulate both Ethan and Michelle on their appointments to the Club," Lekias said.

"In recent history, we have been able to build sustained success with our WAFLW program and we look forward to watching the continued rebuild through connection and a focus on development, as we strive toward an elite female pathway."

Planning is now underway for the 2024 campaign, with season dates yet to be finalised.