Alan McConnell

Originally from Kolora in the Mount Noorat Football League, Alan played with Terang in the Hampden Football League, under age football with Fitzroy and Victorian Football Association (VFA) football with Preston,

McConnell was a fierce defender at Footscray Football Club in the VFL league and spent three seasons with the club from 1980 until 1982, playing a total of 37 games and kicked 5 goals.{{cite web|url=https://australianfootball.com/players/player/Alan%2BMcConnell/11435|title=ALAN MCCONNELL|access-date=25 March 2022}}

In 1995, he was appointed as the caretaker senior coach of Fitzroy when Bernie Quinlan was sacked during the season.{{cite web|url=https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/death-throes-at-fitzroy-but-only-signs-of-life-at-giants-20130801-2r2a0.html|title=Death throes at Fitzroy but only signs of life at Giants|date=2 August 2013|access-date=25 March 2022}}{{cite web|url=https://www.geelongadvertiser.com.au/sport/afl/alan-mcconnell-gives-reflections-on-fitzroys-demise-24-years-ago/news-story/e4937f1ee74722fc6a0655ecfd9447d5|title=Alan McConnell gives reflections on Fitzroy's demise 24 years ago|access-date=25 March 2022}} He again became the caretaker senior coach of Fitzroy, in the following year in the 1996 season for the last eight games when senior coach Michael Nunan stood aside, but he failed to register a win in either season. McConnell then became the last official senior coach of Fitzroy Football Club in the AFL. McConnell left Fitzroy after the 1996 season, when Fitzroy's AFL operations were taken over by the Brisbane Bears to form the Brisbane Lions.{{cite web|url=https://www.lions.com.au/news/973233/the-merge-what-happened-next|title=The Merger: Where Are They Now?|date=5 July 2021|access-date=25 March 2022}}{{cite web|url=https://www.lions.com.au/news/1012034/25-years-on-the-day-that-changed-everything|title=The Day That Changed Everything|date=1 September 2021|access-date=25 March 2022}}

McConnell then joined Geelong as an assistant coach.{{cite web|url=https://www.gwsgiants.com.au/teams/coaching-staff/alan-mcconnell#:~:text=After%20working%20with%20the%20forward,first%20finals%20appearance%20in%202020.|title=Alan McConnell - AFLW Head Coach & Director of Coaching|access-date=12 December 2021}}

After leaving Geelong, he became the head AFL coach for the Australian Institute of Sport.

McConnell later became the first appointment to the Greater Western Sydney Giants as an assistant coach working with the forward line in 2013, McConnell then later became the GWS Director of Coaching under GWS senior coach Leon Cameron. McConnell was appointed the senior coach of the Giants' AFL Women's side in July 2017.{{cite news|title=Ex-Lions coach takes over Giants' AFLW job|url=http://www.afl.com.au/news/2017-07-21/exlions-coach-takes-over-giants-aflw-job|access-date=21 July 2017|work=AFL Media|publisher=Telstra Media|date=21 July 2017}}{{cite web|url=https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/afl/aflw/greater-western-sydney-giants-appoint-alan-mcconnell-to-coach-aflw-side/news-story/bbfa2c6412c5a77680c9ee717a20ead1|title=Greater Western Sydney Giants appoint Alan McConnell to coach AFLW side|date=20 July 2017|access-date=26 March 2022}} Thus becoming the first person to coach both an AFL and AFLW side.{{cite web|url=http://www.afl.com.au/news/2017-12-19/aflw-giant-challenge-for-a-football-veteran|title=AFLW: Giant challenge for a football veteran|publisher=Telstra Media|work=AFL Media|first=Adam|last=Curley|date=19 December 2017|access-date=19 December 2017}} In the round three, 2018 match against {{AFLW|Col}}, McConnell registered his first win in his entire coaching career, having endured eleven losses from as many matches during his two stints as {{AFL Fit}}'s caretaker senior coach in 1995 and 1996.{{cite web|url=http://www.gwsgiants.com.au/news/2018-02-18/giants-break-through-for-big-win-over-magpies|title=GIANTS Break Through For Big Win Over Magpies|publisher=GWS Giants|first=Sarah|last=Black|work=AFL Media|date=18 February 2018|access-date=18 February 2018}} On 26 March 2022, it was announced that McConnell would step down from his role as senior coach of the Giants' AFL Women's side at the end of the 2022 season and move into another role within the club.{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/afl/story/_/id/33589593/aflw-gws-giants-seek-new-senior-coach|title=GWS Giants to seek new AFLW coach|date=26 March 2022|access-date=26 March 2022}}{{cite web|url=https://www.womens.afl/news/91349/-mutual-agreement-giants-coach-mcconnell-steps-aside|title='Mutual agreement': Giants coach McConnell steps aside|date=25 March 2022|access-date=6 April 2022}}{{cite web|url=https://www.gwsgiants.com.au/news/1085493/giants-to-appoint-new-aflw-head-coach|title=GIANTS to Appoint New AFLW Head Coach|date=24 March 2022|access-date=6 April 2022}} However, on 12 April 2022, McConnell reversed this decision and stepped down early from his role as senior coach GWS AFL Women's side effective immediately and was replaced by Cameron Bernasconi.{{cite web|url=https://www.news.com.au/sport/afl/aflw-cameron-bernasconi-to-succeed-alan-mcconnell-as-gws-giants-new-aflw-coach/news-story/c4bc25a3f12cb91024c14c8034c1581f|title=AFLW: Cameron Bernasconi to succeed Alan McConnell as GWS Giants' new AFLW coach|date=12 April 2022|access-date=24 May 2022}}

:Statistics are correct to the end of the 2023 season

{{AFL coaching statistics legend}}

{{alternating rows table|class=wikitable plainrowheaders sortable|style=font-size:90%; text-align:center}}

|-

!scope="col" style="width:4em"|Season

!scope="col" style="width:12em"|Team

!scope="col" style="width:4em"|League

!scope="col" style="width:4em"|Games

!scope="col" style="width:4em"|W

!scope="col" style="width:4em"|L

!scope="col" style="width:4em"|D

!scope="col" style="width:4em"|W %

!scope="col" style="width:4em"|LP

!scope="col" style="width:4em"|LT

|-

| 1995 || {{AFL Fit}} || AFL || 3 || 0 || 3 || 0 || 0.0% || 16 || 16

|-

| 1996 || {{AFL Fit}} || AFL || 8 || 0 || 8 || 0 || 0.0% || 16 || 16

|-

| 2018 || {{AFLW|GWS}} || AFLW || 7 || 3 || 3 || 1 || 42.9% || 4 || 8

|-

| 2019 || {{AFLW|GWS}} || AFLW || 7 || 2 || 5 || 0 || 28.6% || 3^c/8^o{{efn|name=conferences|In 2019 and 2020, the AFLW was split into two conferences. ^c denotes the statistic for Greater Western Sydney's conference, while ^o denotes the statistic if the conferences were combined.}} || 5^c/10^o

|-

| 2020 || {{AFLW|GWS}} || AFLW || 7 || 4 || 3 || 0 || 57.1% || 2^c/6^o{{efn|name=conferences}} || 7^c/14^o

|-

| 2021 || {{AFLW|GWS}} || AFLW || 9 || 4 || 5 || 0 || 44.4% || 9 || 14

|-

| 2022 (S6) || {{AFLW|GWS}} || AFLW || 10 || 4 || 6 || 0 || 40.0% || 9 || 14

|- class="sortbottom"

! colspan=3| Career{{Cite web|url=https://australianfootball.com/coaches/coach/Alan%2BMcConnell/4|title=Alan McConnell|publisher=Australian Football|access-date=20 July 2024}} !! 51 !! 17 !! 33 !! 1 !! 33.3% !! colspan=2|

|}

Notes

{{notelist}}

{{Reflist}}

• {{AFL Tables|ref=A/Alan_McConnell.html}}
• Holmesby, Russell and Main, Jim (2007). The Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers. 7th ed. Melbourne: Bas Publishing.

{{Commons category}}

{{Greater Western Sydney Giants coaches}}

{{Fitzroy Football Club coaches}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:McConnell, Alan}}

Category:1957 births

Category:Living people

Category:Australian rules footballers from Victoria (state)

Category:Western Bulldogs players

Category:Northern Bullants players

Category:Fitzroy Football Club coaches

Category:Greater Western Sydney Giants

Category:AFL Women's coaches