Peta Searle has today been named the 2014 Football Woman of the Year at the annual Grand Final Comedy Debate at Crown Palladium.

Searle is the first ever female to hold a coaching position at an AFL level, joining St Kilda Football Club in June this year as a development coach.

Following a highly acclaimed and successful ten-year playing career, Searle was appointed Darebin Head Coach in the Victorian Women’s Football League (VWFL) in early 2006 and took the team to a Grand Final before winning five consecutive flags.

Searle was then appointed coach of the Victorian State team and in the same year, was the first ever woman appointed to a VFL assistant coaching job – at the Port Melbourne Football Club alongside Gary Ayres.

The Football Woman of the Year Award recognises women in the industry who have made a significant contribution to the game of Australian Football. Presented by the Essendon Women’s Network (EWN), this prestigious award is judged by an independent panel and is open to any woman involved in football regardless of club or profession.

An inspiring trailblazer, Searle was the winner of the Professional Category as well as the overall Football Woman of the Year. Danielle Bleazby – Events and Special Projects Manager of the AFL and Tanya Gallina – General Manager of Consumer Services and Tasmania of the Hawthorn Football Club were also nominated in the Professional Category. Narelle Smith, President of the South Australian Women’s Football League was named the winner of the Honourary Category.

This year, the inaugural Emerging Leader Award was presented to Nadine Rabah – a Multicultural Community Ambassador for AFL Victoria. The 20-year-old has selflessly given much of her time to volunteer roles in football and officiates in both the Essendon District Football League and the Victorian Women’s Football League.

An independent panel including Alisa Camplin – Director, Collingwood Football Club, Rosie King – General Manager of People and Culture, Geelong Football Club, and Emma Quayle – Senior Journalist at The Age newspaper, selected the winners based on a selection of criteria.

Past winners of the Football Woman of the Year Award include; Irene Chatfield (1998), Jill Lindsay (1999), Caroline Wilson (2000), Katrina Pressley (2001), Beverly Knight (2002 – joint winner), Bev O’Connor (2002 – joint winner), Jenny Williams (2003), Edna Daniher (2004), Jennie Loughnan (2005), Barb Cullen (2006), Terry Bracks (2007), Susan Alberti (2008), Debbie Lee (2009), Anna Durante (2010), Lesley McGrath (2011), Belinda Duarte (2012) and Michelle Cowan (2013).