It’s been less than a week since Natalie Wood was announced as Essendon’s inaugural AFLW coach, and she's already working on establishing the Bombers’ AFLW program.

With the potential August start date for the next AFLW season, Wood spoke to Channel 9’s Women’s Footy Show about how the Bombers’ full attention will be on acquiring key personnel, including players, coaches and support staff.

Wood has a key focus on diversity, not just through gender and experience, but also ensuring the program has people who think and communicate differently to bring the best out in the players.

“Diversity is really important. Diversity of gender gets spoken about but also diversity of experiences, the way we think and the natural ways we like to communicate and teach our players,” Wood said.

“I really want to make sure we get a coaching group that complements our players but is also willing to challenge each other and have some really robust conversations because we need to get the best out of our coaching group and staff to put the best program in place for the players.”

While coaching for the Western Bulldogs and Geelong, Wood has been impressed by the strength of the VFLW program at the Bombers.

As she works towards the developing the Bombers’ AFLW program, she hopes to use the VFLW as a base to further develop Essendon's women's football program.

“A credit to Essendon and everything that has happened, not just this year but in years prior, they have built a strong foundation for us to launch into the AFLW,” Wood said.

“There’s a terrific culture in the VFLW, there’s a really strong work ethic and there are players who are taking leaps and bounds in their own game and putting their best foot forward.”

When establishing the Bombers’ AFLW list, Wood hopes to use a combination of VFLW players with new additions.

“In terms of how many and who, that’s something with [AFLW contract manager] Georgia Harvey and our list management team will need to look at,” Wood said.

“Obviously there’s different rules we need to look at and how we can get different players so we’re making sure we are using players that have grown through Essendon but also getting other players that really complement our list as well.”

Wood will bring her experiences as a player to her role as Essendon’s AFLW coach, ensuring there is a focus on culture and relationships within the Bombers’ squad.

Over her 17-year playing career, Wood played 197 games for Melbourne University and Darebin while also winning seven premierships, representing Victoria 10 times and being named an All Australian three times.

Wood believes the key to this success was the people involved in the two clubs and the way everyone worked together.

“When you think of Darebin, the facilities weren’t great, everyone will talk about the ground we used to play on,” Wood said.

“But what was really important about Darebin was the people and the way we went about it on-field and off-field.

“I want to make sure I bring the really strong elements of that along to AFLW as well which is ultimately around culture. If you can develop a really strong culture on and off the field, then we are putting our players in the best position to thrive and that’s the ultimate goal.”