PORT Adelaide has continued to build its off-field team ahead of joining the NAB AFLW for season seven, with Naomi Maidment announced as the club's inaugural list manager.
Maidment has spent the last five years running Port Adelaide's female Next Generation Academy and has been closely monitoring the emerging talent in South Australia, putting her in the box seat to identify a strong inaugural AFLW list of 30 players.
She will continue as head coach of the Academy as she takes on this new list management role.
"It’s a good natural progression role for me from coaching the Academy group and now with the opportunity to create our first AFLW list during what is a really exciting time for the club," Maidment told portadelaidefc.com.au.
Maidment will focus on building a list primarily from South Australian talent, including the SANFLW competition, club Academy, state programs and local players currently on other AFLW lists.
"Naomi has an excellent understanding of the traits, skills and characteristics that we as a club are looking for to achieve sustainable success in the women’s program," Port Adelaide's head of AFLW Juliet Haslam said of Maidment's appointment.
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Enjoying playing cricket, tennis, basketball and footy as a junior, an eventual build-up of injuries saw Maidment transition from player to coach.
She spent time coaching at West Adelaide in the SANFL, including two years coaching the women's team before taking over a boys' under-16 side for four years.
Port Adelaide will join the AFLW at the end of 2022 in a final round of expansion, alongside Essendon, Hawthorn and Sydney, taking the AFLW to an 18-team competition.
Expansion clubs may not start building their lists until the 2022 AFLW season has been completed.
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