MELBOURNE coach Paul Roos says AFL clubs are open to employing women in football department roles traditionally held exclusively by males.
 
The Demons coach said a shift in attitude was taking place across professional sport and women were slowly breaking in to coaching roles.
 
The Arizona Cardinals employed Jen Welter as a training camp/pre-season intern training linebackers in July, with coach Bruce Arians saying if the individual "can make a player better" then they would be hired.
 
Roos has been a strong supporter of women's football and the coaches such as West Australian Michelle Cowan, who is involved with Melbourne's women's team.
 
He said attitudes were changing.

AFL clubs hope to attract more women to traditional roles
 
"I think all clubs are up for it now. It's just finding the position and making sure they're qualified, which a lot of them are," Roos said.
 
Club CEOs had a brainstorming session at the recent CEOs meeting about how to involve more women in football, with one CEO saying progress would be made if women could break into roles in the football department men traditionally held.

Roos said the attitude of those doing the hiring for those jobs was no longer the barrier it once might have been but it would take time for the change to become obvious.
 
"If there was a suitable role I'm sure we'd look at filling it if the woman was a person who had really good credentials," Roos said.
 
However, the question remains as to how women gather such skills.
 
Roos said the women's game was a great opportunity for women to gain experience and involvement in the lower levels with men and women would break down stereotypes.
 
"Traditionally men are coaching the VFL and men are coaching the TAC Cup, so it's almost breaking the traditions at the lower levels," Roos said.
 
"The women's game is a great opportunity for women to gain (experience).
 
"But we also need to break those stereotypes at the lower levels so we see women coaching the under-15 rep team out in Beverly Hills. That's basically the way men get in and get their credentials."
 
St Kilda has employed Peta Searle as a development coach and Cowan is an assistant coach at South Fremantle in the WAFL as well as coaching Melbourne's women's team.
 
Melbourne's women's team plays the Western Bulldogs' women's team in a curtain raiser to the AFL game on Sunday.