The Australian Sports Commission (ASC) is pleased to announce the members of the newly formed National Coaching Advisory Panel.

The ASC Board will be represented by Liz Ellis and the following members have been selected from the Australian coaching community to bring a wealth of diverse skills and experience to the Panel:

• Wayne Bennett — head coach of the St George Illawarra National Rugby League team 
• Iryna Dvoskina — Australian Institute of Sport coach for athletes with disability
• Gary Ella — head coach and club coach of the Randwick District Rugby Union Club
• Frank Murray — head coach of the Australian Hockeyroos women’s hockey team
• David Parkin — four time AFL premiership coach 
• Jan Stirling — former coach of the Australian Opals women’s basketball team
• Alan Thompson — head coach of the Swimming Australia team
• Ann Zhang — coach of short track skating at the Olympic Winter Institute of Australia.

ASC CEO Matt Miller welcomed the appointment of the eight coaching experts, along with former Australian Netball Captain and ASC Board representative Liz Ellis.

‘The members bring a wealth of diverse skills and experience to the Panel,’ Matt Miller said.

‘The Panel will assist the Commission in creating a nationally coordinated and holistic approach to coaching across the Australian sporting system.

‘One of the challenges the Panel will be asked to assist us with is the retention of elite level coaches.

‘Australian coaches are in significant demand overseas and we need a collaborative strategy to retain coaches across the sporting industry. We are committed to working with national sporting organisations and system partners to develop and retain our best coaches,’ said Mr Miller.

The Panel has been established by the ASC in response to the Australian Government’s Australian Sport: Emerging Challenges, New Directions paper, which recognises the importance of coaching to Australia’s future sporting success.

The aim of the Panel is to provide strategic advice to the ASC on all facets of coaching to ensure the Commission continues to provide national leadership in this area.