VAFA Community Coach of The Year 2026
It’s About Being Us: Harriet Cooper and the Culture Behind the Port Melbourne Chargers Women's Football Club
On October 7th Port Melbourne Chargers Women's Football Club Director of Coaching
and Head Coach, Harriet Cooper was awarded VAFA Community Coach of The Year.
In just two seasons, Harriet has been central to taking a newly established women's football club from building their first teams and football program from the ground up, to competing in a Grand Final in our second season.
That is an outstanding coaching achievement. The Port Melbourne Chargers Women’s Football Club and our community could not be prouder of Harriet and the acknowledgement from VAFA.
Naturally we are proud that Harriet led us to the Grand Final in our second season, beyond question is the fact that Harriet is an exceptional coach. However, what we are most proud of is the person Harriet that is, the way she carries herself and the impact she has on everyone around her.
Director of Coaching and Head Coach, Harriet Cooper and her coaching team, Harriet Wier, Stuart Dickenson and Brad Cathie led both our teams to finals last year, they did not rest there. Adding to our coaching panel, with Pepa Randall, Aiden Giblett and Rachel Gastin, Harriet then led our players through our second season, into our finals campaign and then to the Grand Final. An incredible achievement on any measure.
At our recent Best & Fairest awards night, our finals campaign was described as a Master Class of our Vision and Values in action, or how to lead your women’s football program to deliver on all the words we often hear sporting clubs say, but unfortunately too often they are simply words and not consistent actions.
The journey to who we are
“Today isn't about doing anything extraordinary or trying to be someone you're not. It's about being us.”
Those were the words of Director of Coaching and Head Coach Harriet “Haz” Cooper as the Port Melbourne Chargers prepared to run onto the field for the biggest game in our short history, a Grand Final in only our second season.
They were simple words, but they captured two years of work and belief.
Because the Chargers didn't get to a Grand Final by suddenly becoming a different team. We got there by building a culture, by setting standards, developing trust, learning to play for each other. At the centre of that journey has been Haz.
Creating the environment where people feel safe to grow, where individual care and contribution matters
Ask Haz to describe her coaching style and she has said:
“To develop a positive team culture and understand each player personally.”
It would be easy for those words to remain a coaching philosophy on paper but not for Haz, she lives them. Creating environments where people feel safe to grow, lifting confidence in those who doubt themselves. Building standards through care, not fear. She leaves an imprint that stays with players long after the final siren.
This is transformational leadership and it sits at the core of who she is.
Before the Grand Final, she wrote every player a personalised note, recognising them individually, what they bring to the team and the contribution they’ve made.
At the biggest moment of the season, every player knew something important:
My coach sees me, my coach knows me and what I contribute matters.
That individual care is one of Haz's greatest strengths, but it shouldn't be mistaken for a lack of expectation. It is built on her ability to recognise what each player is capable of, even if they don’t always see it for themselves.
Haz has built relationships and trust that allows her to challenge and develop players, allowing them to rethink what is possible for themselves and creating the aspiration to greater heights.
Creating the trust and belonging that enable players to reach higher standards.
Over two seasons, those individual relationships have become something much bigger: a collective standard owned by the playing group.
“We built this together”
Haz reminded the team of that before the Grand Final:
“We didn't get to this Grand Final by accident... We got here because of an unrelenting, uncompromising standard of work that we've built here together.”
Built here together.
Those words matter. This wasn't a coach standing in front of her players, making demands in the moment before their biggest game in history, or claiming ownership of the team’s success.
This was a coach reminding them that they had built it.
She spoke about individual players and the qualities they brought, pressure, intensity, composure, courage, reliability and selflessness.
But she also spoke about those who weren't taking the field. Naming teammates who had pushed the group and helped establish its standards. Acknowledging players who had injuries and continued to show up. And she recognised the coaches, volunteers, supporters and everyone who had helped build the Chargers from the ground up.
Then she brought it back to what mattered:
“Trust the work you put in, trust your preparedness... lift the teammate next to you.”
And finally:
“Play with absolute freedom. Play for each other.”
Preparation, trust, individual recognition, selflessness, know your team mate will lift you, collective standards and responsibility.
That's Haz's coaching.
When the players become the culture
But perhaps one of the greatest demonstrations of Haz's impact came immediately after her own speech.
Jess Pham had asked Haz if she could say a few words to the team. After injury last season Jess couldn't take her place in the Grand Final. She desperately wanted to be playing and had continued to turn up throughout the season to support her teammates.
She stood in front of the group and said:
“We've earned our spot here.”
Then she reminded her teammates:
“A Grand Final isn't just about the players named on the team sheet, it's about the whole club.”
And when things became difficult:
“Look after the teammate next to you... stick together and keep going.”
Her final challenge?
“Fight for each other.”
Something quite powerful had happened.
Jess wasn't repeating a club slogan. She was expressing what this playing group had come to believe.
Haz had spent two seasons teaching us that every person matters, everyone contributes, standards belong to the collective and you look after the person beside you.
Then, on Grand Final day, one of the players who couldn't even take the field stood in front of her teammates and gave that philosophy straight back to them.
The team had become a mirror of its coach and of the human being Harriet is.
There may be no greater testament to a coach.
“A great coach can change a life”
That impact has been reflected in player feedback since our first season. One player perhaps captured it best:
“A good coach can change a game, a great coach can change a life. That applies wholeheartedly to Haz. She's a great coach but also a wonderful person who genuinely cares for others. I will never forget how kind and welcoming she was to me when I joined the team.”
Others describe her as compassionate, reliable and positive.
Someone who always shows up.
Someone who makes every player feel genuinely valued.
Someone whose faith in them helps them become better footballers and better people.
One player simply described Haz as:
“The backbone of the club.”
Another said:
“Haz has fostered the most positive and driven environment for us. She goes above for each and every one of us and shows she truly cares. Beyond being reliable, she is genuine and leads with her passion.”
Those comments reflect a playing group that doesn't just respect its coach.
They trust her.
Building the Chargers from the ground up
Harriet has been integral to the Port Chargers since our inaugural season in 2025.
As both Director of Coaching and Head Coach, she has coached and developed players, supported our broader coaching group and stepped into countless roles while we established an entirely new football program.
But the thing she said she was most proud of was the culture that had already begun to define the Chargers.
Twelve months later, that culture is even stronger. Our players have continued to develop, and our performance continued to lift throughout the season.
And then there is our youngest charge, Mackenzie
As if all of the above was not enough to lead, in January, Haz and our Captain, Maegan Harrison, welcomed their daughter Mackenzie.
They have not skipped a beat. Haz continued leading our coaching and football program with the same passion, energy and commitment and Mackenzie has simply become part of Chargers life. Mackenzie comes to training and game days, an integral part of our football family, embraced by our players and the club.
Once again leading by example, the culture we are trying to build at the Chargers isn't only about what happens on the field. Our club is the place where women can continue to participate, coach, lead and contribute through each and every stage of their lives.
Every training session, game day and event includes Haz, Maegan and Mackenzie, giving us a glimpse of what a club built for women actually looks like.
Putting women at the front of sport
Haz brings more than a decade of experience playing women's football, including with the St Kilda Sharks. She holds a Bachelor of Health and Physical Education from Deakin University and qualifications in Sports Therapy from the Australian College of Sports Therapy, giving her a strong foundation across education, performance, rehabilitation, injury management and athlete wellbeing. So yes, she clearly has the qualifications and the experience, but that is not the main story
Performance comes from the foundations, not the other way around.
Our first-year coaching team returned for season two, Harriet Wier and Stuart Dickenson, Brad Cathie’s outstanding high-performance coaching was recognised by Sandringham VFLW, you will still see him at the club every chance he gets.
Haz added to our coaching team this season with Pepa, Aiden and Rachel and will continue to build our coaching team each year. Our players trust Haz, they know she cares about them, they want to work for her, for each other and for the jumper. This is the work, this is the culture, the foundations that deliver performance. This is the Port Melbourne Chargers Women's Football Club way.
While you're here, do you want to know more about how to Join The Charge? There are many ways to get involved.
Interested in Playing?
Be part of something bigger. The Chargers are building a women’s football club where everyone belongs — whether you’re picking up a footy for the first time or looking to take your game to the next level.
Come down to preseason training and get involved
Volunteer With Us
The Port Melbourne Chargers Women’s Football Club is a community‑driven, values‑led club building a sustainable pathway for girls and women in football — from juniors through to senior competition. We don’t exist without volunteers. Full stop.
Volunteering with the Chargers means contributing to a club that prioritises belonging, inclusion, leadership, and excellence, while helping shape the future of women’s sport in Port Melbourne. Whether you can give a few hours a month or want to be deeply involved, there’s a role for you.
Interested in Partnering or Sponsoring a Player?
The Port Melbourne Chargers Women’s Football Club is a community‑driven, values‑led club building a sustainable pathway for girls and women in football — from juniors through to senior competition. As a new club, partnerships and sponsorships play a vital role in helping us grow that pathway and strengthen opportunities for women in our community.
Player Sponsorship — $750
Player sponsorship is an accessible way to directly support our players while aligning your name or business with the growth of women’s sport. Sponsors receive recognition across our channels and at club events, and help reduce the financial barriers for players representing the Chargers.
Club Sponsorship Opportunities
We’re also welcoming conversations with businesses interested in partnering with the club more broadly. As a young and rapidly growing program, there are still opportunities — big and small — to join with our Foundation Sponsor, Salta, on our jumpers and across a range of club assets.
Whether you’re looking to support a player, elevate your brand, or contribute to the future of women’s football in Port Melbourne, reach out to find out more.
Your next chapter starts here.
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