kate sheahan

Kate Sheahan, born on January 9, 1982, has established a significant career in sports, initially as a professional tennis coach before moving into Australian rules football administration and playing. She pursued her education in Exercise Science at Australian Catholic University from 2001 to 2008. Her early career included roles such as Talent Development Coach and Victorian State Squad Assistant Coach for Tennis Victoria from 2008 to 2010. She also served as a Tennis and Strength & Conditioning Coach for Bayside P-12 College from 2009 to 2017, and a Recognized Talent Development Coach for Tennis Australia starting in 2011.

Sheahan’s involvement in Australian rules football began at a young age, playing in a boys’ league until she was fourteen. She briefly returned to football in 2005 with the Melbourne University Mugars, but a wrist injury led her to focus on her tennis coaching career. In 2016, she was approached by Australian Football League CEO Gillon McLachlan and signed as a rookie player for Collingwood in the inaugural AFL Women’s (AFLW) season, making her debut in Round 4, 2017. Following a season-ending knee injury during her debut, she transitioned into an administrative role. In May 2017, Sheahan joined the Richmond Football Club as the AFLW football operations manager.

Since joining Richmond, her career has steadily progressed. She served as Football Operations from June 2017, and by April 2019, she was promoted to Head of Women’s Football. In April 2025, she achieved the position of Executive Head of Women’s Football at the Richmond Football Club. Her media experience includes working as an AFLW Commentator for FOX SPORTS Australia from 2017 to 2019 and as On Air Talent for Sports Entertainment Network from 2017 to 2018. As an administrator, Sheahan has been instrumental in the Richmond Football Club’s efforts to secure and develop their AFLW team.