Before the GIANTS were the GIANTS, before Greater Western Sydney had even been granted an AFL licence, when the first machinations of a brand-new club were starting to stir, there was Alan McConnell.
A former Footscray player in the old VFL, the last coach of Fitzroy before it merged with Brisbane, McConnell found himself charged with identifying talent for a team that would become the AFL’s 18th club.
Speaking at the Under 16 national championships as he watched the NSW/ACT team compete back in July 2009, a line the Western Sydney high performance coach told afl.com.au proved prophetic.
“My job is going to evolve, just as the club will.”
Since being appointed in the initial high-performance coaching role with the club back on July 1 2009, McConnell has proven himself adaptable to fill the ever-changing needs of the club.
Alan McConnell speaks to Team GWS during a match against the AIS Academy in 2010
There are not many roles in the football department that McConnell has not held in his decade-long reign at the GIANTS that followed a distinguished stint as the AIS Academy Coach.
He’s held various development and management roles, as well as the title of backline coach, forwards coach, senior assistant coach and is currently director of coaching in the AFL program, as well as serving as the Head Coach of the GIANTS’ AFLW team over the past two years.
GIANTS Chief Executive David Matthews has congratulated McConnell on the way he’s carried himself throughout the decade he’s been at the club.
Phil Davis and Alan McConnell celebrate the GIANTS' first win, back in 2012.
“There’s no doubt that Al holds a special place in the history of our club and we’re grateful for the contribution he’s made in the foundation years of the GIANTS,” Matthews said.
“His ability to always remain positive, especially throughout the trying circumstances we were presented with in the early nomadic days of this football club, speaks volumes of the kind of person he is.
“He’s always had the ability to build strong relationships across the club and there’s no doubt our AFLW program is as strong as it is due to the time and hard work he puts in.
“No matter what role Al has held, he’s had the ability to look at the bigger picture and understand what’s best for the club and code as we continue to grow the GIANTS into a big and successful club that the people or Western Sydney, Canberra and the surrounding areas are proud of.”
McConnell’s influence has been significant on both the men’s and women’s programs at the GIANTS.
The GIANTS AFLW team refer to themselves as “Dad’s Army”, in tribute to the coach who has inspired the playing group in his two seasons at the helm.
For GIANTS vice-captain Alicia Eva, McConnell’s influence has been particularly profound.
From her first meeting with the club when considering a move from Collingwood ahead of the 2018 season, through to her current status as both a player leader and an assistant coach with the GIANTS’ NEAFL team, Eva said it’s
McConnell’s genuine care for people has been central to the huge buy-in from his charges.
“He’s a large reason why I made a decision to come up here, off the back of that (first meeting),” she said.
“I left (that day) thinking this place has people who really want to invest in their people.
“When you look at him as the ‘Grandfather of the GIANTS’ and the director of coaching in the men’s space, you know you’re going to be working with someone who has a wealth of experience and knowledge.
“Being a part of the men’s program, he brought everything that he knows and delivers in the men’s program over to the women’s.”
Alan McConnell and AFLW player and NEAFL assistant coach Alicia Eva share a laugh in the clubrooms.
McConnell’s work rate as coach is a something remarkable. When both the AFL and AFLW programs are running simultaneously, he rolls straight from one into the other, never missing a beat, and never giving anything less than his best commitment to both groups.
Eva said while McConnell would likely downplay the significance of someone of his stature working in the AFLW space, its significance was not lost on the players, or the rest of the competition.
“It’s been really great to have Al in our corner,” she said. “What I mean by that is we know that AFLW is in its infancy, but to have someone of his standing come across and take on a team, it almost creates a domino effect for other clubs interstate to switch on to (the fact) AFLW has arrived. This is the real deal.
“We’re seeing some really big changes come across the competition come off the back not only of Al’s campaign, but also someone from the men’s program investing a heap of time.
“They’re not separate entities, it’s one club here and I think the way Al has approached that, it’s been for the betterment of the rest of the competition.”
