Alan McConnell
Alan John McConnell is a former Australian rules footballer who played for Footscray in the Victorian Football League during the early 1980s and later coached Fitzroy. McConnell is currently serving as director of coaching and AFL Women's head coach at the Greater Western Sydney Giants.
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 football with Preston, McConnell was a fierce defender at Footscray and spent three seasons with the club. In 1995 he was appointed as the caretaker coach of Fitzroy when Bernie Quinlan was sacked during the season. He again coached Fitzroy's last eight games the following season year when senior coach Michael Nunan stood aside but he failed to register a win in either season. After leaving Fitzroy he joined Geelong as an assistant coach. After leaving Geelong he became the head AFL coach for the Australian Institute of Sport and later became the first appointment to the Greater Western Sydney Giants.
McConnell was appointed the head coach of the Giants' AFL Women's side in July 2017, thus becoming the first person to coach both an AFL and AFLW side. In the round three, 2018 match against, McConnell registered his first win in his entire coaching career, having endured eleven losses from as many matches during his two stints as 's caretaker coach in 1995 and 1996.
