AFL Queensland is pleased to announce the appointment of Craig Starcevich as Female Football High Performance Coach.
Starcevich boasts an impressive football history, both on and off the field. He was High Performance Manager for the Brisbane Lions during their triple premiership era and held the same position with St Kilda Football Club and Brisbane Roar before a stint as a State Talent Manager for the Western Australian Football Commission.
A member of the 1990 Collingwood Premiership team, Starcevich played 124 games for the club before finishing out his playing career with the Brisbane Bears.
He joined joined AFL Queensland in 2012 as North Queensland Development Manager before taking on the role of NEAFL Operations Manager for 2014.
Female football is one of the fastest growing female sports in the country and Queensland is leading the way with over 40,000 participants – up 34% from 2013.
As Female High Performance Coach, Starcevich will be responsible for the development of the best female talent in Queensland.
He will also play a key role in the personal development of coaches involved in female teams and state programs and the establishment of female talent academies
AFL Queensland CEO Michael Conlan said that Starcevich brought a wealth of knowledge and experience to the newly created role.
“Craig’s academic background in physical education, high performance experience and recent success coaching the Queensland Youth Girls team make him the perfect person to lead our female talent program,” said Conlan.
“Our aim is to replicate all of the programs we currently have in place for our talented male players to give females equal opportunity to develop.”
Starcevich said he was looking forward to taking the reins.
“It’s an exciting time for female football with the AFL looking to have a national female competition in place by 2020,” he said.
“Queensland is already well placed as a top three state in both the youth girls and open divisions and the creation of this position will enable us to really challenge the traditional AFL states.”
Starcevich will officially commence in the role on November 1.
