WTA: Darren Cahill joins Australian football club board of directors

Darren Cahill announced a few weeks ago that he will no longer work as Simona Halep’s coach in 2019 because he wants to take care of his family. Nevertheless, he succumbed to a very special lure call from the Australian Football League (AFL).

On the training court with his ex-protégé Simona Halep, Darren Cahill stood every now and then in a T-shirt with the inscription “Football”. Not “king football” was meant, but a much more physical sport – Australian Football. On the fifth continent, there is the only professional league (AFL) in this sport where the players, unlike in American football, do not wear protective devices.

Cahill is Australian, born in the beautiful city of Adelaide. And he has been an ambassador for his home club Port Adelaide FC for many years. Now the 53-year-old has accepted the offer of the association’s head David Koch and will be a member of the AFL member’s board.

“I grew up loving this club. And although I have been on the other side of the world for many years, I have always followed its development with great interest,” said Cahill and said, “I look forward to helping David and his board to move this great club forward to the future.

And that with his experience, which he has gained over many decades as a coach on the tennis tour. In 2004 “The Power”, as the team from Adelaide is called, had won their only championship title so far.

And Cahill, who despite his great successes as coach of André Agassi, Lleyton Hewitt and Simona Halep has somehow a special connection to football: he was born on 2 October 1965. On this day, an AFL final game, which has cult status in Australia, was played by chance.