Bec Goddard

Rebecca Goddard (born 1978) is a former Australian rules football coach who most recently served as the head coach of the Hawthorn Football Club in the AFL Women's competition (AFLW).

In 2016 Goddard was appointed the inaugural coach of the Adelaide Football Club's AFL Women's team. She was just one of two woman head coaches in the eight team league. She coached the club to the premiership success in its inaugural season the following year. In July 2017 she was named the coach of the Allies team in the AFLW State of Origin match to be played in September of that year.

In 2018 she coached Adelaide the a fifth-place finish, with three wins for the season. She resigned at season's end, electing to return to Canberra to resume full-time work with the Australian Federal Police. In Canberra, she became an assistant coach of the University of Canberra Capitals basketball team. The Capitals went on to win the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) championship in 2019. Goddard attracted the interest of the Gold Coast Suns, who entered the AFLW competition in 2020, when it expanded 14 teams. In 2021 she coached in the VFL Women's (VFLW) competition.

In August 2021, following an announcement that would enter the AFL Women's competition in 2022, Goddard was announced as the club's inaugural coach.

Following the conclusion of the 2023 AFL Women's season, in which Hawthorn finished in 14th position, Goddard resigned as coach.

Coaching statistics Updated to the end of 2023

35 !! 15 !! 19 !! 1 !! 42.9%

Honours and achievements Team AFLW premiership coach : 2017

Individual All-Australian team: 2017 Hawthorn games coached record holder Hawthorn wins coached record holder home and away games coached record holder home and away wins coached record holder Medal of the Order of Australia: 2021

Personal life Outside of football, Goddard previously worked for the Australian Federal Police where she attained the rank of Superintendent, at the time of her retirement she was attached to ACT Policing in charge on Police Communications. She retired from the Australian Federal Police in 2022 to pursue her football career full time. She moved from Canberra to Adelaide in 2015 where she began pursuing a high level coaching career in football in addition to her work with the AFP.