Club Statement: AFLW ReviewRichmond Football Club will implement changes after a comprehensive external review of the Club’s AFLW program.
By Richmond Media
Dec 4, 2025, 4:11 pm
Richmond Football Club commissioned a comprehensive external review of the Club’s AFLW program in October.
The review was led by former AFL Club executive Brad Lloyd with the support of independent high-performance specialists with extensive experience across elite women's team sports.
The scope of the review included program structure and governance, culture and leadership, coaching and player development, high performance and medical support, recruitment and list strategy.
Wide-ranging consultation was undertaken across the Club including program staff and the playing group. In depth benchmarking and data analysis was also considered as part of the review.
Richmond CEO Shane Dunne said the review has been thorough and carefully considered.
"We could not ignore our on-field results in 2025. Ultimately this is about building a program that gives our female athletes the best chance of success,” Dunne said.
Following the completion of the review, the Club will implement the following changes:
The Club has informed senior coach Ryan Ferguson that he will not continue in the role."Ryan is a good football person and has been a valued part of the Richmond Football Club for more than a decade across our AFL, AFLW and VFL programs,” Dunne said.
“Ryan was at the helm for our first-ever AFLW win and our first finals’ appearance – historic moments and sources of great pride for the Club.
“We thank him for his significant contribution and wish he and his family all the very best for the future.
"Ultimately the decision was made that we needed a different voice, and we will now commence the search to find the best possible senior coach for our AFLW team.”
Ferguson said he leaves the Club with pride.
“I’ve loved my time at Richmond, worked with so many amazing people and I’m proud to have given everything I possibly could to every program I’ve been involved in,” Ferguson said.
"I believe in this group and wish them great success in coming seasons.”
The football department will be restructured. The role of Executive Head of Women's Football has been made redundant, and the Club will appoint a General Manager - Women's Football reporting directly to the CEO."
As Executive Head of Women’s Football, Kate Sheahan has done a huge amount of work building our AFLW program from the ground up and we thank her for her dedication and commitment," Dunne said.
“It has taken an enormous amount of energy and passion, and Kate has brought that from the moment she walked in the door. We wish her and her family the best for whatever comes next."
Sheahan said she is proud of what has been built.
"I am grateful for the opportunity Richmond Football Club gave me to lead the establishment of its AFLW program. I will cherish my time at the Club and the relationships I built with the staff and players. I wish the Club and the AFLW program every success in the future,” Sheahan said.
Among a number of other decisions taken, the Club will:
• Develop a new AFLW Performance Strategy that defines how we will close the gap and consistently compete in finals.
• Re-structure the high-performance and medical functions to drive standards and create better alignment and clearer accountabilities.
• Increase its investment in leadership training for the player leadership group to more effectively drive agreed values and behaviours.
•Re-define list build principles to align with the future game model.
• Appoint a full-time AFLW Operations & Scheduling Manager to centralise communications and accountability."We are absolutely committed to delivering a successful AFLW program and this review was an important part of that," Dunne said.
"We have now established a clear direction, and we look forward to the work ahead as we prepare for next season and beyond."
https://www.richmondfc.com.au/news/1939032/club-statement-aflw-review
