Peta Searle, The AFL's Only Female Coach, Has Her Contract Extended By Two Years

Might the AFL soon have its first female head coach?

A trail is certainly being blazed by Peta Searle, current Development Coach for the St Kilda Football Club, not to mention her contemporaries leading teams in the burgeoning women’s football league.

According to The Age, the Saints have signed Searle, who has been with the club 18 months, for a further two years.

She remains the only female coach in the AFL at this time.

St Kilda is reportedly supportive of Searle’s long-term hopes of becoming a senior coach in the VFL; so much so, they’re funding a 12-day educational trip to the United States where she’ll examine development programs in the NFL and MLB as well as in ice hockey, lacrosse and wrestling.

Prior to joining St Kilda, she was assistant coach of Port Melbourne in the VFL, and led Darebin to five premierships in the Victorian Women’s Football League.

Searle discussed the honour – and burden - of her role model status to The Huffington Post.

"For me, as long as I’m being a really good role model for my daughter and I can demonstrate to her what you can do, that’s probably pretty important,” she said.

Her contract extension comes as women’s football – and success in female sports, generally – begins to overshadow achievements made by men in the same codes.

On August 16, Channel 7 broadcast a women’s football exhibition match, marking the first time a women’s game from the league had been screened on free-to-air TV.

Turns out the revolution is being televised.

Photo from the official St Kilda Football Club website.