It’s a new league, new facilities and a new coach for the Wyndham Suns Football Club in 2015, with the appointment of Matthew Stoodley as senior coach.
Leading the Sanctuary Lakes Football Club to its first Reserves premiership in Division Three earlier this year, Stoodley is excited to coach his first senior team.
“I've wanted to be a senior coach for many years and was rapt when the Suns gave me the opportunity,” Stoodley said.
“It's a great challenge but one I believe I'm ready for and really looking forward to next year.”
Involved in football for a numbers of years as a player pulling on the jumpers of Werribee Centrals, Laverton, Point Cook, Glen Orden and Sanctuary Lakes throughout his career, Stoodley got his first taste for coaching with Keilor Park assisting with the Under 18s in 2007.
Gaining some valuable experience as a senior assistant and match-day coach for Werribee Centrals, Stoodley spent a year assisting Glen Orden in 2012, before joining the Sanctuary Lakes Football Club in 2013 as a senior assistant and Reserves coach.
“The reception and general excitement around the club has been electric,” club representative Herb Gallina said.
“Matthew is well spoken, organised, driven, has strong values with a high emphasis on club and families, and is also familiar with the challenges of a new group.”
Announcing the shift of its Under 19s from the VAFA to the WRFL at the league’s Senior Presentation Night last month, Wyndham Suns is set to field seniors and reserves for the first time.
Making up the inaugural senior coaching team is John Cott who will take on the role as Senior Assistant and Reserves coach while former Sanctuary Lakes premiership player Michael Seex has been announced as the Reserves Assistant Coach.
“Matthew is well connected and brings with him the talent and support of experienced campaigners to lead our first senior teams,” Gallina said.
“Together with long time club member and former junior coach Shaun Ellis fulfilling another Senior Assistant coaching role, we have the makings of an exciting senior coaching team.”
Currently in the second week of pre-season training at the new-look club facilities, Stoodley goes into 2015 with a crop of young players which he is keen to develop.
“We have the ability to start a team and culture from the bottom up and lay the platform for the club for many years to come,” Stoodley said.
“Obviously the base of our team will be the under 19s who did very well in the VAFA last year, but we are also trying to bring some older, bigger bodies in to help them in their first couple of years so we can spread the load and let the kids play with freedom and confidence.”
Despite his side’s infancy, the new coach is not planning to rest on its laurels next year as the Suns gear up to play in the league’s new Division Three competition.
“We want to be very competitive and play an exciting brand of football in 2015 and we will not accept that this is our first year and use that as an excuse for our performances,” Stoodley said.
“We are coming to challenge everyone we play and they will know they have played the Suns.”
By Kirstie Fitzgerald
Last Modified on 19/11/2014 10:08