Women are making a positive mark in Australian Rules in so many roles: trainers, administrators, team managers, media, statisticians and umpires. Playing ranks are booming, particularly in youth girl ranks. But female football coaches of boys, or men, are rare.

Brooke Brown is the first in the AFL Goldfields region, taking charge of Lake Wendouree’s under-10 reserves this season. Brown’s appointment is fantastic for the promotion of women in heart of the game. To be clear, this is not a token choice simply to promote parity in match-day leadership roles. Brown is at Lakerland to be treated like a coach, not a female coach.

This is how it should be.

Lake Wendouree has recruited a coach with extensive experience in elite juniors, as team manager for TAC Cup team North Ballarat Rebels. The club, on advice from former Rebels coach and Brown’s long-time mentor David Loader, deemed Brown the best fit for the role.

Brown has the football smarts. Now Brown is learning the coaching trade with Lakers’ under-10 reserves.

In a complete contrast to working with a talented pool pushing for the AFL, Brown is helping juniors officially getting their first taste of the game. They are raw, enthusiastic and absolutely pumped when Brown introduces modified drills from Rebels training.

Juniors offer Brown a new perspective on the game and Brown hopes to bring something a little different to Lakerland, drawing on Rebels advice and a few keen Rebels’ helpers.

This is the classic two-way path an elite team in town can offer grassroots development with a clear, bold reminder of what the game was truly about. Brown, alongside under-10 seniors coach Brad Wootton, aims to channel juniors’ energy and keep them having fun.

“I think anyone wanting to coach footy should get out and have a go at grassroots junior level – and that should go generally for any sport,” Brown said. “I get a kick out of the kids, they’re just boys enjoying their footy.”

Brown grew up in the game with her dad heavily involved in the club in Donald. It was taking stats one day in the car, while her brothers played for Waubra, that Brown picked up a role for the Kangaroos under then-coach Shane Skontra, who led her to the Rebels.

Football was never really an option for Brown to be actively involved in while growing up.

Football culture is gradually changing. Peta Searle captured attention as the first female AFL coach when she joined St Kilda as a development coach in 2014. This was after an extensive apprenticeship under Gary Ayres in Victorian Football League club Port Melbourne. Rebels’ TAC Cup rival Calder Cannons has decorated women’s footballer Alicia Eva as head coach for the club’s development team.

Brown says she has done nothing remarkable to earn a coaching post. She just loves being part of the game.

These women have earned their coaching roles on knowledge, experience and leadership. They show what is possible in a male dominated arena and, slowly, those in the game are starting to realise too.