Chris Rademacher has no doubts about the size of the job ahead as he leads Riverside Olympic's step up to the Women's Super League.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
"It's the toughest gig in town I reckon," said the Windsor Park club's inaugural statewide women's coach.
"I've thrown myself in the deep end. But I knew the club and I knew the girls and I think in women's football there's a lot more positives.
"It's a challenge from a coaching point of view, and I like a challenge."
A few years after Launceston United made the same move, Olympic have doubled the region's WSL involvement and would love to follow their double-winning neighbour's trajectory.
Captained by prolific goal-scorer Meg Connolly, the side has attracted Chilean import Fatima Otero, recruited from across the North and opted not to field a women's side in the Northern Championship.
The club has been discussing the move for several years and Rademacher believes the step up is "not as big as it should be".
"The team didn't know that they were going to be in it this year so we didn't have a year to build into the WSL. But for me coming in, it's an easy transition because of how the girls are. They all get along. They're a great group and the culture here is really good. It's really positive.
"It's definitely a development squad but what team isn't in Tasmania?"
Estelle Tomkinson, Izzy Taylor, Kathleen Fuller and Georgia Creese are among the new players while Rademacher has been technical director at Northern Rangers, head coach with the Female Football Initiative and coaching in Football Tasmania programs.
"We're just going for small gains each game," he added.
"The players will transition OK. it's just a confidence thing to back themselves and realise they can actually do this. They've got the skills.
"But we've got to work on the basics. In the last game we made some basic mistakes but we had more positives come out of it than negatives and that will happen the whole season.
"From a development point of view it's doing the best we can this year and building on that next year and the years to come."
Rademacher said Otero has wasted little time making a big impact. "Fatima is a livewire. We've managed to get her to stop taking out our players in training because she's pretty lively and likes getting in there. So it will be interesting to see how she goes when she comes up against actual opposition."
OLYMPIC
- Home ground: Windsor Park
- Coach: Chris Rademacher
- Opening fixture: v Kingborough (a) March 23, 12pm
- Last season: 4th in NCW (P21, W14, D1, L6, GF88, GA37, GD51)
- Statewide Cup: R1 lt Devonport 0-13
- Captain: Meg Connolly
- Ins: Fatima Otero (from Chile), Kathleen Fuller (United), Estelle Tomkinson, Izzy Taylor, Georgia Creese
- Outs: Chelsea Wing, Amelia Wing (both United)