Four coaches will battle it out for the KPMG Coach of the Year award at the 2021 SportWest Awards.
In her second season at the helm of the Perth Scorchers, Shelley Nitschke guided the team to their maiden Women’s Big Bash League title.
Nitschke helped Perth win their first minor premiership, finishing atop the standings with nine wins, three losses and two no-results from 14 games before they defeated the Adelaide Strikers by 12 runs to claim the title.
PGA professional Ritchie Smith possesses one of the best stables of young professional golfers worldwide.
Smith coaches world number seven Minjee Lee, 26th ranked Hannah Green and world number 51 Min Woo Lee, all of whom succeed on the world stage in 2021.
Minjee Lee and Green both represented Australia at the Olympic Games in Japan, and Minjee Lee won her first world major golf tournament. While Min Woo Lee won the Scottish Open and improved his world ranking to now sit just outside the world’s top 50.
Kookaburras silver medal winning coach Colin Batch is also in contention and he has an impeccable record with the Kookaburras over the past 12 months.
He coached them to four wins in four Test Matches against New Zealand and two wins in the two matches in the Pro League Tournament. At the Tokyo Olympics, the Kookaburras recorded four wins and a draw in the group stage and two wins and a narrow defeat in the finals stage of the Olympic Games.
After one of the most successful seasons in Australian swimming history, Simon Redmond has now cemented his place as one of the most respected coaches in the country.
His 2021 season has been one of his most impressive, most notably for how quickly he has helped swimmer Ben Popham soar upwards in the world rankings to become the best sprinter in the world.
The winner of the KPMG Coach of the Year will be announced at the SportWest Awards on 24 February at Optus Stadium.
Tickets for the Awards are $95 per person and include substantial finger food and drinks.
