Adelaide Rush have announced Jeff Fode as the new head coach for the 2024/25 Australian Women’s Ice Hockey League season (AWIHL).

Fode who is the current South Australian state women’s team coach, has previous experience as head coach of the U15 Defris team, assistant coach of the U13 Ginsberg team and was assistant coach under Joey MacDougall throughout the 2023/24 AWIHL season.

The announcement comes after MacDougall stepped down from head coaching duties after successfully guiding the Rush into the AWIHL Finals.

“I am looking forward to carrying the momentum we built last year and continue adding to the building blocks that Joey [MacDougall] put into place over the last five years,” Jeff Fode told Hockey Hype Australia.

“We have a really exciting mix of veterans who are playing at the top of their games at the moment and enjoying coming to the rink.

“Mixing that into a steady flow of young athletes that are pushing the pace from the junior ranks.”

Rush went from bottom of the AWIHL during the 2022/23 season to rise up the standings finishing second in 2023/24.

Furthermore, Fode played an important role on the bench to help guide the Rush team to a bronze medal finish at the AWIHL Finals held at O’Brien Icehouse Arena.

Rush would defeat the Brisbane Lightning in a tight and tense bronze medal match 4-2.

Steady progress under outgoing coach MacDougall has seen a change of fortunes for the Adelaide team, who will now look to Fode to continue the growth of the organisation.

To read the full Adelaide Rush announcement, click here.

For more news from Hockey Hype Australia regarding the AWIHL can be found here.