Michelle Cowan
Head of Women’s Football and AFLW Coach
Michelle Cowan is a pioneering AFLW coach and football administrator, known for breaking barriers and leading teams to excellence. From Fremantle’s inaugural head coach to Head of Women’s Football at West Coast, she inspires audiences with insights on leadership, high performance, and team culture.
Quick Contact
Beginning her coaching career at just 17, Michelle Cowan is one of Australia’s most accomplished and respected female football administrators. Her career has been defined by a series of historic firsts and a sustained impact on the growth of women’s football at the elite level.
At 21, Michelle became the first female assistant coach in the WAFL when she was appointed midfield coach at the West Perth Football Club. In 2013, she was appointed senior coach of Melbourne Football Club’s women’s side during the AFL women’s exhibition series and was subsequently named Football Woman of the Year.
In 2016, Michelle again made history when she became the first female assistant coach in Melbourne Football Club’s history—and only the second in AFL history—appointed as a player development coach with the Demons’ men’s program. Ahead of the inaugural AFLW season, she returned to Western Australia to become Fremantle’s inaugural head coach, leading the club through its first two AFLW seasons.
Michelle later joined the West Coast Eagles as an assistant coach prior to the club’s entry into the AFLW competition and has since progressed into the role of Head of Women’s Football. In this capacity, she oversees the strategic development, performance and wellbeing of the club’s women’s program, continuing to shape the future of the game.
Topics
- Perseverance and passion
- Leadership, culture, giving and receiving feedback
- Parallels between business and sport
