The Perth Football League is delighted to announce the appointment of Craig White and Steph Walding as Head Coaches of the 2024 Men’s and Women’s State Teams.

Curtin Uni Wesley’s A Grade Head Coach Craig White will take charge of the Men’s State side for a second year in a row when they take on the Victorian Amateur Football Association (VAFA) on 7 July in Perth.

White was named PFL Coach of the Year in 2022 and has featured in the past three Toyota A Grade Men’s Grand Finals, finally getting his hands on the Sandover Shield in 2023.

Last year, the PFL’s Men’s side travelled to Victoria and showed they could take it up to VAFA in a 37-goal epic that was decided in extra time.

“I’m very much looking forward to the return match against the VAFA, we felt like we did the PFL proud in 2023,” White said.

“While the draw and loss in overtime wasn’t the ideal result, we were pleased that we may have over exceeded the expectations.”

“2024 brings about a different challenge as we will try to back up that performance and prove that the PFL is one of the leading amateur competitions in Australia.”

2023 WAFLW premiership coach Steph Walding will be at the helm of the Women’s State side when they go head-to-head with the VAFA on 7 July.

In her first season as head coach at East Fremantle, Walding led the Sharks to a historic premiership win, defeating the previously undefeated Claremont by 12 points.

Walding also has experience in the PFL as a Player/Coach for Melville, making her familiar with the talent across the women’s grades.

Last year, the PFL’s Women’s side travelled to Victoria and gave it their all but faced a 63-point defeat at Elsternwick Park.

“I’m grateful for the opportunity to lead the PFL’s Women’s team this year,” Walding said.

“The competition is growing, not just in pure participation numbers but also in the standard of play. We’re fortunate to have so many quality players to choose from.”

“Last year’s result wasn’t ideal, but with a great group of coaches and the abundance of talented players in the PFL, I’m confident we can assemble a squad to represent the PFL and WA with pride and really challenge the VAFA this year.”

Both Head Coaches will play a key role in selecting the best talent across the League and implementing a training program over the next few weeks in the lead up to the matches.

Both matches will take place during the Toyota A Grade bye weekend in a double header against the VAFA on Sunday 7 July in Perth.

More information on the matches will be released in the coming weeks.