2025 National Careers Week I Rachel Orchard 

This week is National Careers Week, and Volleyball Australia is celebrating by highlighting members of the volleyball community who have found the perfect balance between their career journey and a passion for sport. 

Former Volleyroo, Rachel Orchard is now working with Volleyball South Australia as the Head Coach – Performance and Talent, a transition she has found a love for. 

“After my playing career, I spent some time volunteering as an assistant coach for the Women’s Volleyroo’s Team,” Orchard said. 

“During that time it made me think a lot about making sure that athletes are being valued and that their wellbeing is looked after, along with the coaches welfare. 

“I wasn’t necessarily drawn to the coaching aspect of it as a career, but how to help value our athletes better and provide a great experience for them.

“I was influenced to transition into a full-time role as I felt I could make a greater impact with the athletes this way. 

“I always wanted to do more and be more available for the National Team athletes, but as a volunteer, there is only so much time to be able to prioritise for them. 

“Being full-time with VSA, I have 24 athletes that I directly manage and being able to see them week in-week out I have a better idea of their life around volleyball, which in-turn, should help their performance on court.”

Making the decision to step away from playing professionally was a change Rachel welcomed, but her return to the sport in a coaching role has allowed her to add her unique perspective and experiences into her coaching toolkit. 

“When stepping away from playing professionally, I needed a break from sport, which was planned pre-covid, but it fell into place really well,” she said. 

“I moved home from China the week before Beijing shut down. I started a small business and we were also growing our family during that time too. 

“There wasn’t much time for sport, and coaching was never actually on my radar to do. 

“Sport is often viewed with rose coloured glasses – there are many aspects that aren’t very pretty in professional sport. 

“I didn’t stop playing because I couldn’t physically do it anymore, but because of the politics around playing – I was mentally exhausted and I needed to recover from that.

“Valuing an athlete and listening to what the athlete thinks is best for them is really important to me. 

“It’s something that I feel was missing during my career. I want to provide the athletes with a safe space for them to explore the type of player they are, try new things and also to have a space where they are able to express when something isn’t right for them. 

“Everyone and every body is different. I try not to be a ‘one size fits all’ kind of coach.

“Being adaptable and accepting of change was very important during my professional career. 

“Now, working on the other side, I bring first-hand lived experience and knowledge to the athletes and an insight as to what they might want and need and the ability to take on feedback for improvement in helping to build a great program.

Having found a career in the sport she loves, Rachel knows how important the education journey is for athletes in preparation for their ‘post-sport’ careers. 

“Education is really important to me,” she said.  

“I didn’t choose to push hard in High School and I was fortunate enough to have a great education in college in America on a volleyball scholarship. 

“Over the years since graduating, the value of having that education behind me has been shown time and again. 

“You could say I’m still trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up, and having that degree behind me makes it just that little bit easier to build on what that might be. 

“One thing that I would say to planning on a post-sport career, is that I’ve found it best not to lock it in 100% in your late teens / early 20’s, but to explore and find out what you do and don’t like. 

“There are so many different classes that are available that can be relatively easy to do while playing, so if you don’t know, then try some different things out. 

“I was definitely working on and building my plans out before retiring and that eased my transition out of playing.”

Now in a leadership role, Rachel’s passion for working alongside the next generation of volleyball players has only grown, with some big goals on the horizon. 

“I would love to have a Well-Being and Engagement Officer / Player Development Manager at the State Sporting Organisation level to help prepare athletes for success beyond their competitive playing years, but the reality is that it’s not currently possible in volleyball,” she said.

“Kell Lean – our other full-time Pathway’s Coach – and I are working hard on providing athletes with the knowledge of how to go further with their volleyball careers so that we have more people playing the sport we love for longer. 

“We are flexible around the realities of managing training and apprenticeships, which can have long and strenuous hours, schooling and work commitments. 

“We are encouraging athletes to continue their education, go to university and explore the options that volleyball has to offer, which not only includes playing, but coaching, refereeing and sports admin.”