Canberra local and current GIANTS Academy Head Coach Cameron Bernasconi has been appointed Head Coach of the GIANTS’ AFL Women’s team.

An experienced coach in both  women’s and men’s pathway programs, Bernasconi first became involved in Team GWS as a member of the club’s inaugural TAC Cup side in 2010.

He started his career in the football industry as a Sportsready trainee before being appointed as the Talent and Coaching Manager for the ACT and southern NSW in 2014.

Responsible for running talent programs and coach education across the region, he completed the NEXT Emerging Leader Program and his level three coaching accreditation while in this role. He also worked within the GIANTS’ AFLW program in the inaugural season in 2017.

In 2020 he was appointed Head Coach of the GIANTS Academy, working across the female and male academies in the GIANTS’ region and responsible for the success of the most recent Academy graduates into both the AFLW and AFL competitions.

Bernasconi becomes the third person to coach the GIANTS’ AFLW program, following Alan McConnell and Tim Schmidt.

As a passionate advocate for the growing women’s football, Bernasconi said he is excited to commence his new role.

“It’s an exciting time in the game and I’m really looking forward to working more closely with the players and staff,” Bernasconi said.

“My coaching philosophy is to work with the players’ individual strengths to maximise the strengths of the squad as a whole, with a focus on development and education.

“We want players to become better footballers but also better people while at our club and foster a high-performance, but highly enjoyable, environment.

“We know we don’t have any time to waste, with the next season likely just months away, and I’m excited for our journey together.”

GIANTS Head of Women’s Football, Briana Harvey, congratulated Bernasconi on his appointment.

“After undertaking a national search, we ultimately had a very strong internal candidate in Cam,” said Harvey.

“His philosophy on the direction he would like to take the program is completely aligned to ours and he is the best person for the job.

“It’s a really exciting time for the competition and we look forward to seeing where Cam can take our program.”

The next AFLW season is expected to begin in August this year with the dates yet to be confirmed.