Richmond’s newly appointed Executive Manager of Women’s Football, Jane Woodlands-Thompson, is committed to building a strong, strategic “blueprint” to drive success for the AFLW program.
“The review that was done over the summer is going to be the blueprint of what we work from, and that was a very comprehensive review,” Woodlands-Thompson said.
“I’ve read the executive summary in my interview process, so I would really like to do a deeper dive into that to pull out what is working well, what needs some tweaks and what we might need to re-do or re-purpose.
“The first job will be to review that, understand the landscape, have a look at the resources and get the org chart right.
“I detailed to the interview panel a bit of a three-year plan involving the new blueprint of where we go from here and how that might come to life.
“Hopefully, we can see some results on the ladder sooner rather than later.”
Woodlands-Thompson has built an illustrious career, working with elite athletes across multiple codes.
Most famously, Woodlands-Thompson was the Head Coach of the Adelaide Thunderbirds Super Netball team, where she led the side to two premierships during her eight-year tenure.
Alongside her role as Head Coach of the Australian Kelpies men’s netball team, her extensive coaching experience positions her strongly for success in her new role at Richmond.
“In coaching, you never know when your time is up, one way or another, so I’ve always had plan B, and for me, that was sports administration, sports management and sports governance,” Woodlands-Thompson said.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to be on the SANFL commission, Ice Hockey Australia Board, so I have dabbled in governance, and I have really enjoyed that part of it.
“I have always had a parallel career since I left teaching and coaching. It has been really good to have that background.”
Combined with her love for football, she gained valuable experiences as Collingwood's General Manager of Women's Sport from 2018 to 2021.
Now returning to football, Woodlands-Thompson comes in alongside newly appointed Head Coach Jarrad Donders. The pair will work closely together as they create a new foundation for the Club going forward.
“I met Jarrad when I was in Melbourne last week, and we had a quick catch-up, and he was great,” Woodlands-Thompson said.
“I loved hearing about his vision for the Club for the on-field program and what he has done in the football world before that.
“We are both PE teachers, which seems to be a bit of a common thread at Richmond.
“We had a lot of synergies in terms of standards, expectations and how we would like to fit out the program...the blueprint and how we would like to run it.
“I’m really looking forward to working with him and seeing him doing his craft.”
Woodlands-Thompson will officially commence in the role on March 24th.
