Monday 14 November 2022
Coburg Football Club wishes to advise all members of a change to the Men’s VFL Senior Coach for the 2023 season.
Current Senior Coach Andrew Sturgess will depart the club, having been offered a full-time coaching position within the AFL industry.
Andrew was appointed as Coburg FC’s Senior Coach in the lead up to the 2020 VFL season and had the unenviable task of leading the club through the 2020 season which was eventually cancelled due COVID-19. the 2021 VFL season which ended early once again due to COVID-19 and the full 2022 season. In all, Andrew coached 28 games for Coburg FC for 7 wins, however under his coaching the team displayed great improvement on previous years and had memorable wins for the club, such as in 2021 when we defeated Carlton in the team’s first game to unveil the club’s newly redeveloped facility, beating Brisbane in Brisbane in 2021 when the club travelled interstate for premiership points for the first time and in 2022 with wins over Port Melbourne, Frankston, Gold Coast and Geelong.
Under Andrew’s leadership, Coburg FC has created a very strong and united culture within the playing group and has increased player retention year on year.
He has provided the club with great transparency with his AFL dealings; there is disappointment in losing the passion, care and commitment that Andrew has brought to the coaching role, but we wish him all the very best for the next chapter in his coaching career. He makes the move to a full-time coaching role with the club’s full support, understanding that it is required for Andrew’s own career progression to one day join the AFL coaching ranks.
With the club’s VFL preseason to commence on Monday, 14 November it was clear for the club’s Board and Chief Executive Officer, Sebastian Spagnuolo, in conjunction with Senior Captain Jesse Corigliano, that the Board of Directors move quickly to appoint a successor for Season 2023.
With that said, Coburg Football Club is pleased and excited to announce that Jamie Cassidy-McNamara has been appointed the club’s Senior Coach for 2023 and 2024.
Jamie officially commences in the role of Senior Coach today, 14 November 2022, and comes to Coburg FC having been Old Trinity Grammarians’ Amateur Football Club Senior Coach in the VAFA Premier A competition in 2022.
Prior to his time at Old Trinity, Jamie spent six years at Collingwood FC where he held many roles across the club’s AFL and VFL coaching department, many of those spent working alongside Nathan Buckley, Robert Harvey, and others. Jamie has also provided consultation from a training preparation and strategy point of view, for Chelsea FC in the English Premier League and the English Rugby Union team.
Nathan Buckley has been a key support person for Jamie and will continue to be a mentor for Jamie, which will have major benefits in his role with Coburg.
Jamie has been consulting to and supporting Andrew Sturgess and the Coburg FC coaching department for the past few months and has played a large role in the design and structure of the 2023 preseason training plan and game plan, he brings a high-level tactical knowledge and skill set.
On Sunday 13 November, Jamie was introduced to the playing group, staff and volunteers at a meeting at Coburg Football Club – there’s a high level of vibrancy and excitement around Jamie’s appointment. Jamie is excited to firstly meet all Coburg FC players and staff and begin that process of getting to know everyone within the Club, he is also very excited to meet club members and supporters, and to bring further on field success in Season 2023.
The club welcomes Jamie along with partner Rachel to the club and we look forward to starting a new chapter under Jamie’s leadership as our new Men’s VFL coach.
Coburg Football Club would like to sincerely thank Andrew Sturgess for his contribution to the Club and wishes him, his wife Bianca and sons Leo and Archer all the very best into the future. Andrew, a former Coburg FC player, and with his brother Ryan remaining a Coburg player, we know that he and the family won’t be a stranger to Coburg, and we already can’t wait to see him back at Piranha Park.
Coburg Football Club also thanks the Committee of the Old Trinity Football Club who have supported Jamie’s progression to Coburg and ongoing support will be offered to their club as they have also been impacted by this situation.
More information regarding Jamie Cassidy-McNamara and the VFL Men’s 2023 coaching panel will be released in the coming days.
Preseason training commences this evening, and the 2023 preseason is at RMIT Bundoora, which provides our players with the best possible opportunity to train on a full-sized oval that is in great condition, suitable for VFL level footballers.
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