Waters eager to enhance Devils’ reputation as destination club

NEW Darley senior women’s head-coach Danyel Waters has more than a premiership four-peat on her mind as she takes over the reins at the Devils.

She is determined to make Darley a ‘destination club’ for women’s football.

The AFLW-experienced Waters’ appointment as the successor to 2025 premiership coaches Brett Faulkhead and Emmerson Hitch was unveiled by the Devils late last week

It came on the heels of the announcement two weeks earlier of Faulkhead’s appointment as the Devils’ inaugural under-19 girls coach.

Waters brings a wealth of experience to the role from her time in the AFLW, VFLW and Coates Talent League systems and at local level with Gisborne Rookies.

Most recently she was the head-coach of Essendon’s AFLW pathways program and an assistant coach with Calder Cannons’ under-18 female program.

An excited Danyel said she was impressed by Darley’s reputation and its plans to evolve its women’s program.

“Darley has such strong support for their female program,” she said.

“It’s a testament to a club when they take an already successful team and ask, ‘how can we make this even better?'”

Waters, a former Essendon District interleague coach, said she was excited to find her way to a club willing and ready to take its women’s program to the next level.

“When the role came up, it felt like it was meant to be,” she said.

“It’s one thing to have a winning side, but to have a club truly invested in the success of their program, beyond wins and losses, as well as alignment between their women’s and men’s programs, and a stellar culture as well – Darley ticked all the boxes for me.”

Drawing upon her background in nutrition and human movement, Walters feels she has more to give back to community level footy after three years in the pathways space.

“I hope to bring a high performance layer to the program. Looking at holistic player development, not just at their football skills,” she said.

Darley will enter the 2026 BFLW season chasing a premiership four-peat, following a 21-point grand final triumph over fierce rival Redan.

Charli Parsons-Jones and Lilli Condon (three goals) snared the respective best on ground medals as awarded by AFL Victoria and the umpires.

Beyond a fourth-straight flag, Waters has her sights set on future growth opportunities.

“I want to make Darley the destination club; the premier development hub for the Ballarat and Western region,” she said.

“I want it to be known as the place female footballers want to come to.

“That Darley is the gold standard of the league, and not just ours, but other leagues as well.

“To find a club so willing to pour resources into the women’s department and start from the ground up in terms of development, that’s what makes me so excited about my partnership with Darley.”