Chyloe Kurdas has been appointed coach of the NFNL’s inaugural senior women’s representative football team.
The 42-year-old has a long and distinguished background in female football and sport.
She served as AFL Victoria’s Female Development Manager for a decade and assisted in the establishment of the AFL’s National Female Academy, helping to lead the path for the creation of the AFLW competition.
Kurdas has spent the past two seasons in the commentary box, providing expert analysis and commentary on AFLW matches for both Fox Footy and ABC radio.
She was this week appointed as Golf Australia’s National Female Participation Manager.
Kurdas last year guided the NFNL’s Under-15 girls to the AFL Victoria Metro Junior Championships Division 1 premiership. The historic victory gave the league its first flag at the Championships.
The NFNL’s first senior women’s representative football team will take on a combined AFL South East side at Preston City Oval on Saturday May 19.
Speaking to NFNL.org.au, Kurdas said she was thrilled to be part of the representative program – believing it would enhance the standard of women’s football right throughout the competition.
“What I want to achieve for the women who play in the rep team is to help them develop habits that will improve their own game and how they approach and think about the game,” Kurdas said.
“Really instill in them some kind of commitment to be able to share what they have learned with their club teammates, so they can help the whole league improve.
“The rep team should really be a learning experience for all those women involved, but then the knowledge should trickle down back to club level and we see some of those learnings being played out in the NFNL regular season.
“It’s also a wonderful experience to meet new people and make new friends. It’s an opportunity to get to know opposition players in a different way when you get to meet them as a rep teammate.
“What that can do is filter back into community leagues where it builds a sense of harmony amongst the playing group. I want to build strong friendships and connections and build a really united, harmonious Northern Football Netball League.”
Kurdas played more than 150 games for Melbourne University and was a member of both Victorian and All-Australian representative sides.
She said the opportunity to play at a higher level was a fillip for all athletes and hoped all players in the NFNL would put their hand up for the representative team if selected.
“It will be a faster, harder game because the standard will go up. I want the players to enjoy the exhilaration of having people watch you and cheer you on and having the whole league behind you and supporting.
“In our community leagues, because there were so many women who flocked to the game last year, I think it was 392 new female teams in Victoria, that’s a lot of first-time players.
“In local teams who can have players in the team who are quite experienced and skilful and have played some junior footy with the boys, or youth girls. Then they are playing with women who are playing their first game as well, so there is quite a large gap.
“Representative football is about challenging yourself, learning a bit more, building the capacity and skill set of the playing group and the coaching group as well.
“That hopefully then builds the brand of the Northern Football Netball League in metropolitan Melbourne.
“The league has done some amazing things. It’s the longest contributor to female football of all the leagues in Victoria and the players should be proud to play in the NFNL.
“I hope they play in a way that represents the strong history of female football in the Northern league.”
All clubs will soon be asked to nominate players to trial with the representative squad.
A short training program will then be held to help with the selection of the final 24-player squad to take on AFL South East.
