Recent Melbourne retiree Ben Brown has secured his first major off-field role, joining Essendon's AFLW program as head of development.
Over the last eight years of his playing career, Brown had been an active member in the AFLW landscape, volunteering as an AFLW specialist coach at both North Melbourne and Melbourne.
Whilst in the role at Melbourne, the Demons achieved the ultimate success, beating the Lions by four points in the Grand Final to claim the club's first flag. The Demons and Brown had also come agonisingly close the season prior, losing out to Adelaide in the season decider by 13 points.
A major advocate for the Women's game over a number of years, Brown is thrilled to begin the next chapter of his AFL life in the role.
โI've loved watching the growth of women's sport over the past few years, and particularly the AFLW competition. Back in my early years I was part of the women's coaching team at Melbourne Uni VFLW. Fast forward to now and I'm excited to get to work here at the NEC Hangar and at Windy Hill," Brown said in a club announcement.
โI'm looking forward to working alongside (AFLW Senior Coach) Natalie Wood to further develop the talented playing list they have built here at the Bombers."
Brown played 175 games across 11 seasons at the top level and was one of the league's most consistent scorers, kicking 360 goals during his time at both Victorian clubs. The key forward also played a pivotal role in Melbourne's drought-breaking premiership, kicking three goals in the season decider.
The 32-year-old comes with many learnings from his multifaceted career and is hopeful that his elite football experience in addition to his coaching exposure will prove an asset in his new role.
โMy time in the AFL system taught me how to prepare, both physically and mentally, to perform in the biggest moments," he said.
"I also learnt a great deal about hard work, commitment and the importance of a holistic attitude to football through my time working with AFLW athletes. I'm incredibly excited to get to work with another group who is driven to learn and grow along with me."
Essendon's AFLW General Manager of Football Aysha Ward called Brown a welcome addition and believes he is the right person for the job at hand.
"We are so proud to have someone of Ben's calibre join us at the Bombers. The work Ben does on and off-field is everything we align with as a Club," Aysha said.
โBen has seen Premiership success as both a player and a coach, he knows what it takes. This perspective will be a valuable addition to our coaching panel and a great opportunity for all of our players to continue in their growth."
Essendon's AFLW side have enjoyed a productive past two seasons, achieving back-to-back finals campaigns for the first in the program's history. The team is however yet to secure its maiden finals victory, losing out to Fremantle and Geelong in their recent elimination final outings.
The AFLW season kicks off in mid-August.
