Former Australian international player Katie Allen will be the new coach of the Real Club de Polo de Barcelona men’s first team for the next two seasons.

Allen, an Olympic gold medalist in Sydney 2000 and world champion in 1994 and 1998 – among many other titles – will take over from Roger Pallarols, who has been on the team’s bench for the last three years.

The arrival of Allen is part of a new sports project for the club’s men. In addition to managing the first team, Allen will also directly supervise the Honor Division B team and the youth team.  

Her experience on the sidelines began in 2009, directing the hockey program at the Victorian Institute of Sport. Allen was the first woman to be appointed manager of a men’s Premier League team in Victoria in 2017.

From 2018 and until March this year, she had served as an assistant to the Australian women’s team. She has also collaborated with the technical staff of the Spanish men’s national team, working with players such as Marc Reyné, Luis Calzado, Llorenç Piera and Marc Miralles.

She will be the first female coach to take charge of the RC Polo men’s first team who were Spanish runners-up last season.