Marie Spagnoletti wins FFA's Female Community Coach of the Year

Football Federation SA congratulates Metro United WFC Coach, Marie Spagnoletti on being named Football Federation Australia's Female Community Coach of the Year!

The award is apart of FFA's Female Football Week and were established to identify players, coaches, administrators, referees and males who have gone above and beyond in women’s football.

Female Football Week’s national ambassadors assessed nominations and selected a winner for each category based on a set of criteria.

“There were a number of exceptional nominations received from both Hyundai A-League clubs and Member Federations from right around the country which made the task difficult for the judges to decide,” said FFA General Manager Women’s Football, Sarah Walsh.

“It is great to see so many dedicated members of our football community working towards growing the women’s game and supporting females along their journey in football, and we thank all of those who provided nominations for these awards.”

“All of the nominations were worthy candidates and it highlights the efforts of many in our game.”

Each of the winners will receive a Westfield Gift Card and a signed Westfield Matildas playing shirt.

Marie started playing football in her late teens before becoming the founding member, player, committee member and now Head Coach of Metro United Women’s FC.

As a player, Marie was exceptionally gifted, excelling in State/SASI/WNSL and for her club.

Marie started coaching the Under 13 Team at Metro United in 2012 after completing her senior coaching licence.

Her skills as a coach were evident as she was able to accommodate a variance of abilities within the team, succeeding in achieving a playing environment that benefited all levels of players and assisting players in their development.

In 2013, Marie coached the Under 17 team at Metro United, the team going through the season undefeated.

Marie is committed to developing players and her reward is seeing the players move through the player pathway. In being able to achieve this, she is committed to upskilling and developing as a coach and as a consequence she undertook the Asian C licence in October 2013. Following the completion of this course she was appointed as Head Coach of Metro United WFC in Season 2014 and has held this position ever since.

Marie has lead the club to win back-to-back Championships in 2015 and 2016, being the first coach to win the PlayStation 4 Women’s NPL South Australia in 2016.

Marie continues to be committed to her own personal development by undertaking coaching courses, attending coaching conferences and also working with other coaches to assist in her own development.

One of her development highlights has been coaching the Under 13 State Development Squad with Sharon Black, ex-Matilda, whom she holds in high regard.

Marie Spagnoletti caught up The Advertiser Sport's, Rob Greenwood, having won this award. You can read Rob's story HERE.

Football Federation SA congratulates all award winners from Member Federations around Australia below:

Player of the Year - Shell Tims - Football Federation Victoria.
Administrator of the Year - Kathie Bestwick - Northern NSW.
Referee of the Year - Alexandria Georgopoulous - Northern NSW.
Male Champion - Strat Kapolos - Northern NSW.

Football Federation Australia's story on the award winners can be found HERE.