High-performance coach Will Maher brings two decades of elite sporting experience to his new role with the UC Capitals. Photo: Accelerate Physiotherapy.
For two decades, Will Maher has been coaching sportspeople — including Nick Kyrgios — to meet exceptional potential, but his latest gig with the UC Capitals strikes a personal chord.
“I have two daughters aged 14 and 12,” he says. “I am grateful for the opportunity to be involved with women athletes of this calibre, and I’ll be tapping into all the skills I have acquired over the past 20 years in this role with the Capitals.”
Originally a physio, Maher is now a high-performance coach who has spent the past decade working with the Association of Tennis Professionals and the rugby community. UC Capitals coach Paul Goriss has brought him in to lead a team of high-performance partners and help take the squad to the next level.
The team includes leading sports physician Dr Kylie Shaw, psychologist Sue Read and Gaby Mora, a nutritionist with the Women’s National Basketball League.
“High performance requires a holistic approach; ensuring the players are taken care of as human beings, on court and off,” Maher says. “We know humans who are happy and looked after generally endure longer and respond better under pressure.”
The team has also launched a high-performance program with the Australian Academy of Sport (ACTAS), complemented by strength and conditioning at The Den — run by a team with major elite sporting credentials — and recovery sessions at Reset Strength & Sports Recovery Centre, a purpose-built facility featuring everything from a cryo plunge pool to infrared light therapy.
Maher says it’s a levelling out of the playing field.
“People say there’s a gap in women’s sport. I prefer to think of it as an opportunity to bring women’s sport up to the level it deserves,” he says. “This kind of high-performance approach is common enough in elite sports, so it’s about giving these talented sportswomen the best possible program, to put them on a level playing field.”
Maher describes his roles as organising the puzzle pieces to complete this picture.
“There’s no point having all these amazing puzzle pieces if you can’t put them together,” he says. “I’m here to assist Coach Goriss to ensure everything lines up. If something doesn’t fit, we have a dynamic feedback loop for the players and the facilities to make changes, thanks to an amazing high-performance team.
“The Capitals have an incredible blend of youth and experience, and an ability to come together for a common cause. They work hard, support each other and push each other. I’m committed to getting the right processes in place to support that. Those processes over months build to habits, and those habits build to performance outcomes. It’s really exciting.”
The team’s new executive general manager, Christy Collier-Hill, a former Capital herself and, more recently, head of the WNBL, says the addition of Maher is part of an exciting new era for the UC Capitals, and one she hopes will take them to new heights within the league.
“We wanted to ensure that when we work with our athletes and identify areas where we need uplift, we have services lined up to support them. Will has been central to this. We haven’t had a head of high performance to coordinate all the elements of the program, and that’s been incredibly valuable,” she says.
“We want to be the most professional team in the WNBL, and part of that is retaining our athletes and coaches moving forward, ensuring those playing with us this year want to be there next year. So we’re putting in place the best structure possible to achieve that.
“So far, the feedback from the team has been super positive.”
The Capitals are just a couple of weeks from the first game of the season — an away game against the Southside Flyers, for which organisers are shooting for a record crowd of 8000.
“It’s the first game of the entire WNBL season and we’re pleased to be a part of it,” Collier-Hill says. “It’s exciting times.”
The UC Capitals‘ first home game is on 25 October at AIS Arena. Book through Ticketek.
