Sandringham Football Club announces Jake Batchelor as Senior Coach and Mark Williams as Senior Assistant Coach for the 2021 season.
Sandringham Football Club is excited to announce Jake Batchelor as our Senior Coach and Mark Williams as Senior Assistant Coach for the 2021 season. Both bring a wealth of AFL and VFL, playing and coaching experience to the roles.
Since finishing his AFL career with Richmond in 2017, Jake has spent time as an assistant coach with Frankston and Sandringham in the VFL and at St Kilda where he has been a development coach since 2018. The 28-year-old is seen as the perfect person for the role and already has a great relationship with the staff and players at Sandy from his time at the Club over the past two years.
Hall of Famer, Mark “Wilbur” Williams, won a premiership with the Zebras as a player in 1992 and then coached the Club to three premiership wins in a row from 2004 to 2006. Since then Mark has had coaching roles with Melbourne and Richmond in the AFL and is a welcome addition to the 2021 coaching panel.
Speaking on his appointment, Jake was thrilled to be working as a Head Coach for the first time.
“I’m very excited. It’s probably come a little bit quicker than what I was expecting, but I’m really excited and I’m looking forward to getting back into it whenever we can,” he said.
“The rules (for next season) will probably be finalised soon and in the coming weeks we’ll find out a bit more, but it’s going to be a really good challenge for not only myself but the other coaching staff and the players to get something done next year.”
With next year’s competition set to be restructured and include teams from the recently disbanded NEAFL, the young coach is ready for a strong level of competition.
“The opportunity to potentially fly interstate is a good chance to get away together and test ourselves against some of the best teams all across Australia, he said.”
“It’s going to be a good challenge and something we’ll look forward to when the time comes.”
Jake is eager to work with Williams again, someone he already has a good relationship with from their time together at Richmond.
“I’m really excited that Wilbur’s decided to jump back on board,” he said.
“He’s a great coach and a great person and he’s going to be able to bring a lot of expertise to the coaching side of things. Basically, he’s going to coach us coaches. So it’s going to be good fun.”
Mark, who says some of his best football moments are at Sandringham, is just as excited to be back coaching at the Club and working alongside Jake.
“I think it’s a wonderful appointment. [Jake] is a very smart, young fella,” he said.
“He got the most out of his own football career in regard to playing and it’s one of his strengths just being able to get the most out of people.”
Speaking on his own new position, Williams said his role is sort of like the coaching group’s “high-performance coach”.
“It’s really all about supporting Jake and his assistant coaches because they’re young coaches and it’s Jake’s first time coaching his own team,” he said.
“They’ll bring plenty of ideas and energy and youthful enthusiasm and it will be my job just to support them and hopefully use my experience to help and support Jake.
“I’m really fortunate to have been offered this opportunity and it fits in really well with the next stage of my coaching, which is performance coaching.”
Due to Government Covid-19 regulations, as well as the restructuring of the VFL, we are unsure at this stage as to when players will be able to begin 2021 preseason training.
We continue to be led by the Victorian Government and the AFL, while player, staff and community welfare remains our absolute main priority.
Written by Matthew Hughes - Sandringham Football Club Media
Will do.
Really excited about Sandy games next year.
Can we get Nick’s brother under the brother/brother rule ? A new rule just for Saints players starting right now .Start things off with the news that Nick Coffield's brother signed on for 2021 with the Zebs;
Sandringham Sign Ross and Coffield for 2021
www.sandringhamfc.com.au
it is my belief that since we are helping Sandy we should have first access to their players. Just like if Carlton or Collingwood develop players in the 2s they also should have 1st access to them. however it probably would be rorted .
Alabakis
Well it was all positive until you said his name
They just can’t stop ******* with the game...
Interchange cut for AFL, second-tier comp to trial new zone rule in 2021
The AFL has cut rotations next year to 75 from 90 and will trial a rule in the new second-tier competition requiring teams to reset in zones at every boundary throw-in and kick-in.www.theage.com.au
Don't really know how I feel about this. I like rule changes that don't have the ability to negatively impact the fabric of the game and feel this is one of them.
Nomination of ruck rule should have been eliminated....simple two players from same team free kick.
I hate it already , why do they have to keep messing around with rules . Pretty soon it will be like netball , players can only go to sections of the ground . It’s a stupid decision which I can’t imagine many supporters want to see happen .Interchange cut for AFL, second-tier comp to trial new zone rule in 2021
The AFL has cut rotations next year to 75 from 90 and will trial a rule in the new second-tier competition requiring teams to reset in zones at every boundary throw-in and kick-in.
Don't really know how I feel about this. I like rule changes that don't have the ability to negatively impact the fabric of the game and feel this is one of them.
I'd love to jump in on my his hear some updates on Tyson Milne too please
And Voss!
I hated it in junior footy when they had it in under 9s. It seems like a dumb idea that makes the game more complex.Interchange cut for AFL, second-tier comp to trial new zone rule in 2021
The AFL has cut rotations next year to 75 from 90 and will trial a rule in the new second-tier competition requiring teams to reset in zones at every boundary throw-in and kick-in.
Don't really know how I feel about this. I like rule changes that don't have the ability to negatively impact the fabric of the game and feel this is one of them.
