MEDIA RELEASE
NWFL welcomes Richard Douglas to Executive
Ulverstone, Tasmania
The North West Football League (NWFL) is pleased to announce the appointment of long-standing North West football identity Richard Douglas to the NWFL Executive.
Douglas brings more than four decades of involvement in Tasmanian football across playing, coaching, umpiring and junior development – with significant contributions across both men’s and women’s programs.
Richard’s playing career began in the South, where he represented Old Scholars (OTOS/New Town) from 1984 to 1995, alongside a stint with Glenorchy in the TFL/Tasmanian Statewide League.
He then moved to the North West Coast in 1996 to join Wynyard, where he played until 1999 and served as Assistant Senior Coach in 1998. In 2000 he switched to Yolla as a player, before taking on the senior coaching role from 2001 to 2002, guiding the club to the 2002 Grand Final. He continued playing with Yolla until his retirement in 2005.
Douglas returned to Wynyard in 2010–2011 as Assistant Coach of the Seniors and finished the 2011 season coaching the Under 19s, leading them to a Grand Final appearance against Ulverstone.
After a period “over the fence” as a spectator, he stepped back into the coaching space with the Wynyard Senior Women’s team in 2019 and 2020, culminating in a premiership in 2020.
He was then appointed coach of the inaugural NWFL Women’s Representative Team in 2021, with the NWFL winning both matches and the overall series. Douglas continued as an Assistant Coach with the NWFL Women’s representative side for a further two years.
At state level, he has served as an Assistant Coach with the Tasmanian Senior Women’s team in 2023 and 2024.
Douglas has also remained active on the field in recent years, playing Masters football in 2022 and 2023 and earning All Australian selection in the Over 55s in 2023.
Off the field, he is a member of the Women’s and Girls Football Advisory Group under the banner of the Tasmania Football Club and has been heavily involved in junior development, coaching at Wynyard Auskick since 2017 and serving as Coordinator – a role he continues to hold today.
In 2025, Douglas broadened his perspective further by spending the season as both a goal and field umpire, and will continue in officiating as the Boundary Umpire Coach for the 2026 season.
NWFL President Garry Carpenter said Douglas’ appointment is a significant boost for the League.
“To have someone with Richard’s football nous join the NWFL Executive is fantastic for our competition,” Carpenter said.
“He has seen the game from every angle – as a player, coach, umpire and as a passionate supporter of junior development and women’s football. That breadth of experience will be invaluable as we continue to grow the NWFL on and off the field.
Richard understands the unique challenges and opportunities across our clubs, our umpires and our pathways, and we’re thrilled to have him contributing at an Executive level.”
Douglas said he is excited to help guide the League as it continues to evolve.
“I’m really honoured to be appointed to the NWFL Executive,” Douglas said.
“The NWFL and the North West Coast have been a huge part of my life since I first came up here in the mid-90s, and I’m excited to help continue lifting the standard and profile of the competition.
With the NWFL entering the second year of its Premier League era in 2026, there’s a real opportunity to further support our clubs, players and umpires, and to keep strengthening our women’s and junior pathways. I’m looking forward to playing a role in that journey.”
Douglas joins the NWFL Executive as an appointed member, further strengthening the League’s football knowledge and strategic capability as it prepares for the 2026 season and beyond.
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