Western Bulldogs coach Nathan Burke has put pen to paper on a contract extension, keeping him at the helm for seasons eight and nine of AFLW.
First taking over the reins in 2020, Burke has overseen 17 wins across his four campaigns so far.
The Australian Football Hall of Famer also led his side to just their second finals series in season seven.
“To have another two seasons working with this group - it’s probably hard to narrow down what excites me most,” Burke said.
“There’s working with the actual players on their growth – we’ve been taking more steps forward each year, so what that end picture of success looks like excites me - but also just being part of the Western Bulldogs for another two seasons and getting to come here and work with great people.
“I’m under no illusion that my fifth and sixth seasons as coach comes with a bit more responsibility and expectations, but to have that is great.
“The fact that the Club has shown that faith in me is amazing.”
The new contract will also see Burke employed at the club in a full-time capacity, which will allow him to focus more on the individual needs of each player across the week, while looking and planning ahead.
He will become one of seven full-time AFLW coaches that work across their respective clubs year-round.
Bulldogs’ Executive Director of Football, Chris Grant, said there is no better person to lead the Club’s AFLW program.
“Under Nathan’s tutelage, our AFLW team has continued to develop and improve, including making the AFLW finals in season seven. This was the first time since our inaugural premiership in season two, 2018 ,” Grant said.
“Nathan is very invested in all players in the team, and the connections and trust they are building together provide a great foundation for them to achieve great things together over coming years.
“We’re thrilled to have Nathan extending his tenure with us in a full-time capacity, and we look forward to our AFL Women’s program continuing to improve over seasons eight and nine of the AFL Women’s competition.”
The eighth AFLW season is set to begin in the back-half of this year.
