Mitch Skelly joined the Darebin Falcons in November 2019 and was appointed Senior Coach in 2020.
Skelly has extensive experience in coaching women’s football, having held senior coaching roles both in Australia and the UK, coaching the Wandsworth Demons (London) to two premierships, and the English National Team as Runners up in the Euro Cup.
With the disappointment of no season in 2020, and a tough season in 2021, Skelly is focused on how improvements can be made each week.
I think it’s important focus on getting the basics right and the things you can control. Even in a loss there are often many positives you can take away, along with some areas of improvement.
We asked Mitch about some questions about what drives him as a coach.
Why did you want to become a coach?
I had always wanted to coach at some stage once I finished playing, however I initially fell into a coaching position shortly after moving to London. I genuinely love the sport, it has provided me with so much over the years, so I hope I can pass a bit of that back for others to share a similar experience.
What do you enjoy most about coaching?
I love it when you see something we have been working really hard on at training pay off on game day, whether it’s an individual success or a whole team. I really enjoy training, as a player and as a coach I have always found footy training is something to look forward to during the week – I’m always learning off the players and other coaches and hopefully sharing some of my knowledge too.
How would you describe your coaching style?
I try to bring positive energy and create a supportive and inclusive environment. I believe in order to implement a game plan you need to be able to execute the basics, such as ground balls and hitting targets by foot, as well as individuals having a clear understanding of their roles, so we spend alot of time on this at training.
Mitch has given me the confidence to play freely and focus on the process rather than results. Although it’s been a tough year I have really enjoyed watching the group develop each week.
Finally we asked Mitch what tips he would have for new coaches. He told us:
- Be yourself and do it your way,
- Be organised and prepared for every game or training session
- Find some books or podcasts with great coaches to learn from them. “win forever” by Pete Carol is a favourite of mine.
Thanks Mitch for your postive and enthusiastic approach to coaching at the Falcons!