Tara Murray
New Lancefield women’s coach Cash Ferguson is keen to keep the progression going at the Riddell District Football League club.
Ferguson was the club’s youth girls coach last season and was an assistant coach to Chris Clifton for the inaugural women’s season.
He was planning on just coaching the youth girls side again this year, but didn’t have any inkling to coach the senior women’s side.
But something kept at him and he eventually put his hand up for the role to replace Clifton, who stood down after moving away for work.
“I was not going to take on the coaching role this year,” Ferguson said. “I coach the youth girls, with running my own business and being on the junior committee, I didn’t think I had enough time.
“It was not on my radar. The more I thought about it and my partner plays and my daughter is in her last year of youth league, I thought that I would be doing a disservice if I let anyone else come in and change the scope of things and undo all the hard work.”
Among those that will be helping Ferguson is Clifton, who was one of the people he spoke with before he took the role.
Ferguson said Clifton would still play a big role in the team.
“He still wants to be a part of it, but without the physical sense,” he said. “We will still work closely together.”
Ferguson said from his youth girls coaching, one of his biggest things was making sure the players got enjoyment out of playing.
It’s a big focus of his for the senior women’s side as well.
Having had 40 players play in the inaugural women’s season, Ferguson said most of them were planning to come back again.
They also had another three or four who had already expressed their interest in joining the club.
One out for the Tigers though is set to be best and fairest winner Chloe Hodgson.
Hodgson has committed to playing netball at Lancefield. Ferguson said they were hoping that they could have Hodgson still involved in the football program in some way.
Ferguson said they had a successful first season which they want to build on.
“A win for us at the start was to see the season out,” he said. “To have a team every week was the number one goal.
“We started get some points and managed to get a win and got a second win as well. We want to be competitive and take that next step and get a few more wins.”
Ferguson said they were looking for more players for both their senior women’s and youth girls team with anyone welcome to come down.
