After the 2000 Olympics and Paralympics, there was some anxiety in the Australian sport system concerning the brain drain of elite Australian coaches. In 2006, it was reported that the AIS would spend “almost $5 million over the next four years to fend off international poachers intent on cherry-picking Australia’s best coaches”. 1

Since 1990’s, the international trade in coaches has increased – due to leading Olympic and Paralympic nations endeavouring to increase their coaching expertise particularly in sports where they had limited expertise. Australia has been party to this trade particularly in sports such as diving, gymnastics, athletics, rowing, swimming and winter sports.

Prior to 1990’s, the number of Australian coaches working overseas was limited due to international sport being primarily amateur and low levels of government funding. Don Talbot and Terry Gathercole are two elite swimming coaches that worked overseas in North American during the 1970’s.

From my research, Australian sport has benefited more through the employment of international coaches over the export of its own coaches. Coaches such as Reinhold Batschi (rowing), Victor Kovalenko (sailing), Istvan Gorgenyi (water polo), Ki Sik Lee (archery), Gennadi Touretski (swimming), Ju Ping Tian (gymnastics), Iryna Dvorskina (Paralympic athletics) and Heiko Salzwedel  (cycling) are just some of the coaches that have greatly assisted their Australian sports to succeed on the world sporting stage. 2

The list below includes Australian elite coaches that I’m aware of coaching at national level overseas or with significant clubs/teams primarily since 1990.

Athletics

  • Jenni Banks – UK Athletics Senior Coach Wheelchair Racing 2013-
  • Michael Khmel  – British Bobsleigh & Skeleton Association British Bobsleigh & Skeleton Association National Performance Coach 2012-2019, UK Athletics Sprint Coach & Technical Advisor, Olympic and Paralympic Programs 2016-2021
  • Steve Rippon – UK Athletics National Event Coach Pole Vault 1999-2010, Finish Athletics Technical Advisor 2012-2021

Basketball

  • Sandy Brondello– WNBA Phoenix Mercury 2013-2021, New York Liberty 2022-
  • Carrie Graf -New Zealand Women’s Head Coach 2003-2004, Phoenix Mercury (2004)
  • Tom Maher – New Zealand Women’s Head Coach 2004, Chinese Women’s Head Coach 2006-2008 and 2013-2016, Great Britain Women’s Head Coach 2009-2012
  • Mike McHugh – New Zealand Women’s Team Head Coach 2003-2008
  • Guy Molloy – New Zealand Women’s Team Head Coach 2018-

Australian coaches in United States College system – Phil Brown (University of Oregon Women’s),  Marty Clarke (St Mary’s 2013-2018), Adam Caporn (Long Island Nets/Brooklyn Nets 2021-), Paul Gorris (Atlanta Dream 2022-)

Canoeing

  • Reg Hatch – United States Canoeing Head Olympic Coach 1996

Cricket

  • Trevor Bayliss – Sri Lankan Men’s Head Coach 2007-2011, England Men’s Head Coach 2015-2019
  • Jodie Davis – Pakistan Women’s Head Coach 1997
  • Greg Chappell – Indian Men’s Head Coach 2005-2007
  • John Dyson – Sri Lankan Men’s Head Coach 2003-2005,  West Indies Men’s Head Coach 2007-2009
  • Richard McInnes – Bangladesh National  Academy Head Coach 2012-2014
  • Lisa Keightley – English Women’s Head Coach 2019-2022
  • Bennett King – West Indies Men’s Head Coach 2004-2007
  • Stuart Law – Bangladesh Men’s Head Coach 2011-2012
  • Geoff Lawson – Pakistan Men’s Head Coach – 2007-2008
  • Geoff Marsh – Zimbabwe Men’s Head Coach 2001-2004, Sri Lankan Men’s Head Coach 2011
  • Rod Marsh – England and Wales National Academy Head Coach 2001-2005
  • Tom Moody – Sri Lankan Men’s Head Coach 2005-2007
  • Matthew Mott – England Men’s ODI/T20  Head Coach  2022-
  • Steve Rixon – New Zealand Men’s Head Coach 1996-1999
  • Jamie Siddons – Bangladesh Men’s Head Coach 2007-2011
  • Dav Whatmore – Bangladesh Men’s Head Coach 2003-2007, Pakistan Men’s Head Coach 2012-2014, Zimbabwe Men’s Head Coach 2014-2016
  • Bruce Yardley – Sri Lankan Men’s Head Coach 1996-1998

Cycling

  • John Beasley – Malaysian Cycling Head Coach 2006-
  • Tim Dekker – Chinese Track Endurance Coach 2022-
  • Nick Flyger – New Zealand Cycling Sprint Coach 2022-
  • Kaarle McCullough– Great Britain Women’s Sprint Coach 2022-
  • Gary Sutton – USA Women’s Track Endurance Cycling Coach 2017-
  • Shane Sutton – Team Sky and British Cycling Head coach 2002-2014
  • Gary West – Japan Head Coach 2001-2005, United States Cycling Head Sprint Coach 2005-2006

Football

Football coaches that have coached outside Australia include Graham Arnold, Kevin Muscat, Tom Sermani, Ron Smith and Aurelio Vidmar.

Hockey

  • Alyson Annan – Netherlands Women’s Head Coach 2015-2022
  • Colin Batch – Belgian Men’s National Coach  2010-2012 , New Zealand Men’s national hockey team 2013-2016
  • Tracey Belbin – United States Women’s Head Coach 1999-2002
  • Stephen Colledge – French Women’s Head Coach 2006-2011
  • Lee Bodimeade – United States Women’s Head Coach 2005-2012
  • Adam Commens – Belgium Men’s Head Coach 2007-2010
  • Barry Dancer – Great Britain Men’s Head Coach 1997-2000
  • Anthony Farry – Canadian Men’s Head Coach 2012-2017, Japanese Women’s Head Coach 2017-2020, United States Women’s Head Coach 2020-2022
  • Mark Hagger – New Zealand’s Women’s Team 2008-2019, Great Women Team 2019-2021
  • Kevin Knapp– Hong Kong Hockey National Coach 2005-2006
  • Michael Nobbs – Indian Men’s Head Coach 2011-2013
  • Graham Reid – Indian Men’s Head Coach 2019-
  • Ian Rutledge – New Zealand Women’s Team 2003-2006 , Field Hockey Canada Head Coach 2013-2017
  • Terry Walsh –Malaysian Men’s National Coach 19901-1994  Nethlerlands Men’s Head Coach 2004-2005 ; USA Field Hockey as Technical Director 2005-2012, Indian Men’s Head Coach 2013-2014 .

Netball

  • Margaret Caldow – England National Coach 2004-2007
  • Sue Hawkins – England National Coach 2008-2010
  • Julie Hoornweg – Fiji National Coach 1997-1999, 2014, – England National Coach 2000-2002
  • Jill McIntosh – Singapore Head Coach 2009, Jamaican Technical Coach 2011-2015, Northern Ireland 2012
  • Norma Plummer – South African National Coach 2015-2019
  • Vicki Wilson – Fiji Head Coach 2016-2019

Rowing

  • Marty Aitken – Great Britain Men’s Coach 1989-1993, Switzerland Men’s Coach 1994-2000, Great Britain Head Coach GB Women’s and Lightweights 2000-2004
  • Noel Donaldson – Rowing New Zealand Men’s Lead Sweep Coach 2013-2019
  • Brian Richardson – Rowing Canada Head Coach 1993-1996 and 2001-2004
  • Peter Shakespear – British Rowing 2001-2006 and Rowing Canada 2013 Talent Development roles
  • Paul Thomspon – British Rowing Women’s Head Coach 2001-2018, Chinese Rowing Head Coach 2019-2021

Rugby League

  • Daniel Anderson – New Zealand Men’s National Coach 2004-2005
  • Wayne Bennett – England and Great Britain Men’s National Coach 2016-2020
  • Michael Maguire – New Zealand Men’s National Coach 2018-
  • John Monie – French Men’s National Coach 2005-2008
  • David Waite – Great Britain Men’s National Coach 2001-2003

There have been numerous Australians coaching English Super League clubs.

Rugby Union

  • Michael Cheika – Argentinian Men’s National Coach – 2022-
  • David Clark – Canadian Men’s Head Coach 2000-2005
  • Duncan Hall – United States Men’s National Coach 2000-2002
  • Scott Johnson – Wales 2006, United States 2008-2009, Scotland interim 2012-2014
  • Eddie Jones – Japanese Men’s National Coach 2012-2015., English Men’s National Coach 2016-

There have been numerous Australians coaching in Great Britain, Ireland and France including Owen Finegan, Lawrie Fisher, Andy Friend, Pat Howard,  Brian Smith

Squash

Swimming

  • Matt Brown – Chinese Swimming National Coach in Brisbane 2015-2019, Nanjing Sports Institute Head Coach 2019-2021
  • Dennis Cotterell – Coaching Chinese swimmers on Gold Coast 2011-2020
  • Tery Gathercole – City of Midland Aquatics, Texas USA Head Coach -1969-1974
  • Brett Hawke – Auburn University Head Coach 2009-2018
  • Jan Cameron – New Zealand National Coach 2001-2008
  • Doug Frost – British Swimming Scottish ITC Coach – 2009-2011
  • Mark Regan – Danish Swimming Head Coach 2002-2008, Swimming New Zealand Head Coach 2010-2013
  • John Rodgers – Swimming Canada University of Toronto HP Centre – 2009-2012
  • Shannon Rollason – Danish Swimming Head Coach 2013-2014, University of Edinburgh High Performance Swimming Coach 2017-2018
  • Greg Salter – Swedish Swimming Head Coach 2010-2012
  • Bill Sweetenham – Hong King Sports Institute Head Coach 1991-1995, British Swimming Team National Performance Director 2000-2007
  • Don Talbot – coaching in Canada and United States in 1970’s
  • Stephan Widmer – Head Coach Singapore Swimming Association 2017-2021
  • Scott Volkers – Brazil National Team Coach 2016
  • Ken Wood –Coached Chinese Olympic swimmers in Brisbane 2004-2012

Tennis

  • Bob Brett –  coached Boris Becker and Goran Ivanišević
  • Darren Cahill – coached Andre Agassi, Andy Murray, Ana Ivanovic, Fernando Verdasco, Daniela Hantuchová, Sorana Cîrstea, and Simona Halep.
  • Peter McNamara -coached Grigor Dimitrov
  • Roger Rasheed –  coached Gaël Monfils, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga,  Grigor Dimitrov,
  • Renae Stubbs – coached Karolina Pliskova and Conchita Martinez

Triathlon

  • Darren Smith – coached London Olympic silver medallist Lisa Norden of Sweden, US Olympian Sarah True and British Olympic medallist Vicky Holland
  • Jamie Turner – coached American Gwen Jorgensen to the Gold medal in Rio Olympics

Volleyball

The list highlights that sports such as cricket, track cycling, hockey, rowing, swimming and rugby codes elite coaches are sought by Australia’s major competitors. This can be correlated with Australia’s international performances in these sports. It also highlights that Australia has a strong coach education program dating back to establishment of the Australian Coaching Council in 1978.

Most of the coaches have returned to Australian sport system – their overseas experience can only benefit our system.

  1. Nicole Jeffery. AIS has $5m to ward off poachers, The Australian, 27 May 2006
  2. Greg Blood, Contribution of Overseas Coaches to the AIS and Australian Sport, Australian Sport Reflections, 11 August 2020

 

This article is courtesy of Australia Sport Reflections