Besides cheering on the Matildas against Ireland in the opening match of their FIFA World Cup campaign, Rebecca Dicello, coach of the New South Wales Institute of Sport’s (NSWIS) Endurance Cycling program, used the event as an opportunity to share experiences with other coaches.

Alan McConnell, NSWIS’s Coach Development Lead, said the Matilda’s match presented a perfect opportunity for Dicello and Gen32 coaches – Renee McElduff (Winter sport/QAS), Elissa Kent (VIS) and Emilee Barton (Rugby 7s) – to meet and collaborate.

After receiving tickets for the match from the Federal Sports Minister, Anika Wells, the group received an exclusive pre-match address over dinner from Vicki Linton, NSWIS’s High Performance Manager, and a former Matildas Assistant Coach.

 “Vicki gave us an insight into what to look out for during the match,” said Dicello, on the far left of the photograph above.

“Her thoughts added a lot to the experience.

“It was good to be with the different coaches and listen to their experiences – it was nice to be out with each other, and out of our own environments.

“Collaboration is important because I think there is a lot of crossover with different sports. You can take small pieces of information based on what they’re doing and put it into place in your own environment.

“Obviously our sports are different because some are teams, some are individual. Mine is a combination of individual and team. But I found having an opportunity to talk about the way they navigate their way through challenges was good because it provided different ideas and strategies to deal with things.”

The Gen32 Coach Program caters to the modern coach, offering childcare support and flexible working arrangements. This has played a significant role in allowing mothers Emilee Barton and Elissa Kent to pursue their coaching careers.

In early 2023, a $3.9 million funding boost from the Australian Sports Commission saw the program extend the paid apprenticeship from two to three years for 29 female coaches.

“It was good to speak to the other coaches about the experiences their getting from Gen 32,” said Dicello. “The opportunities they’re getting sounds amazing, as is the level of mentoring. it’s a great program.”

Daniel Lane, NSWIS

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