The division two women’s team are very pleased to be able announce a dynamic duo of coaches for season 2021 with Jemma Still returning to the helm and Melissa Khoury coming on board for what should be a great year in the Blue and Gold.
Both coaches bring a wealth of AFL knowledge from both a playing and coaching perspective. Jemma Still is a women’s AFL veteran who has made a significant contribution to the game both on and of the field since she began playing in 2003. Jem played 268 games in her career, captained five premiership winning teams, represented and captained NSW and was named an All Australian twice.
Off the field, Jem spent many hours volunteering her time to develop the women’s game, umpiring games, taking on the roles of Operations manager, Vice President and President for Sydney Women’s AFL, and coaching to develop divisional football. She has been recognised for her time with the NSW AFL Volunteer of the Year Award in 2009 and most recently with a Sydney AFL Life Membership in 2019. This will be Jem’s fourth year coaching and we’re keen to learn more tricks of the trade from her this year.
Melissa Khoury, better known as Chompy, is a talented athlete who has represented at the state and national level in soccer, AFL and Rugby league. She was the goalkeeper in the AIS program for the Matildas and then for the Australian Futsal team where she won nine national championships and represented at the world cup, taking home a silver medal in 2017. Chompy was also selected for the NSW State of Origin Rugby League team before turning to AFL where she played for ten years, representing at the state level several times.
Chompy is an experienced coach having previously coached the NSW Women’s Futsal team, the Australian goal keeping academy and women’s AFL since 2017. We’re very excited to have her involved with our women’s program this year.
Independently, their experience speaks for itself but Jem and Chompy have also played together, won an AFL national championship together and coached together. They are yet to win a grand final together and we are hoping that 2021 might just be the year!