AFLW development coach Kelly Barltrop is thriving at Port Adelaide, putting a decade of teaching and coaching experience into practice at the highest level.
Barltrop was appointed to her new role in January, becoming one of three female coaches leading the charge at the Power.
Alongside senior coach Lauren Arnell and assistant Sam Virgo, Barltrop is part of a new generation of coaches breaking down barriers for women wanting to enter the AFL industry.
“(Opportunities for women have) come in leaps and bounds in more recent years,” Barltrop said.
“I think there are more opportunities now for female coaches at local league and SANFL level, and in the AFLW space as well. And we're also seeing retired players move across into the men's space, which has been great.”
A secondary school teacher by trade, Barltrop enjoyed a fruitful footy career, playing more than 50 SANFLW matches between North Adelaide and West Adelaide.
She’s held multiple coaching roles across two SANFL clubs and last year, served as the backline coach for the AFLW Academy talent prospects and under 16 state program.
Then in a sudden move, Barltrop was elevated to head coach of North Adelaide’s women’s side for the last five games of the 2024 SANFLW season, after previously serving as both the forwards and midfield coach.
The coaching reshuffle fast-tracked Barltrop’s development, and furthered her preparation for entering the AFLW system.
“It was definitely something that was very unexpected, but I had a really good support system around me, especially to complete the admin side of coaching, which helped while I'm still working full time,” she said.
Barltrop first discovered coaching in her soccer days, well before making the switch to Australian rules football.
Her skills and love for educating students, combined with her understanding of football, allowed her to transition smoothly between sports, in both a playing and coaching capacity.
“I was actually playing soccer at the time, I wasn’t playing footy, and I started coaching in the soccer space first,” she said.
“I found out that coaching linked pretty well with teaching. And then when I moved across to footy, I was pretty keen to go straight into coaching, or complete coaching (qualifications) whilst I was still playing.
“Essentially a lesson at school is a training session…there are definitely lots of transferable skills from teaching to coaching.”
Since stepping into an elite AFL environment, Barltrop has felt welcomed from the start. She’s helping to write a new chapter in Port Adelaide’s story, which already has 154 years of history behind it.
“It’s been awesome,” Barltrop said.
“I’ve really enjoyed coming in. Meeting all the players and all the coaching staff has been great. But also seeing the differences in the way in which game plans run, the way in which training sessions run, the intent for particular sessions.
“In terms of the environment here, there is more time to access nutrition, to access mental health and to access wellbeing (support). Also, facilities wise, being able to access and complete recovery in a variety of different ways. And having more contact time at the club has been really interesting to see the requirements from a coaching perspective.”
The rewards earned from coaching however, are the same across all levels. It’s about connection, learning and ultimately, mastering, something you’ve worked on together.
“I think the biggest one is when players come to you and say, ‘I can't do this’, or ‘I'm not very good at this’,” she said.
“And then it's that moment within a game where you've been working on it for, it could be three weeks, it could be three months, it could be three years, and it finally just happens. That's probably, the moment that you know, this is exactly what you want to do.”
When speaking on her desire to see more women and girls in coaching, Barltrop reinforced the importance of approaching it with the right attitude.
“I would say don't wait for the opportunity, go out and find the opportunity,” she said.
“If it's the pathway you want to go down, you need to put yourself out there to ask the question, and not be afraid of the answer. The worst they can say is no. Or you can find yourself in a different role that you may have originally wanted to start in or may develop into something that you want.”
Established in 2020 and proudly supported by BHP, Women’s Coaching Month shines a light on the pathway programs and initiatives aimed at encouraging more women and girls to take up coaching from grassroots through to the elite level.
Now in its fourth year, the theme for 2024 focusses on ‘Accessibility for All’, highlighting the transferable skills women possess that make coaching an ideal career pathway, across any level or league.
