GAMBIER Centrals Soccer Club will welcome three highly-qualified coaching staff to its men’s and women’s teams in preparation for the 2018 season.
Nathan Fleetwood will take the reigns as playing coach of the Senior men’s side, replacing the outgoing Robbie Nagy, while David Beaman will be in charge of the Reserves and assist the A Grade.
For the women, Scotland’s Jim Erwin has been appointed as the Senior head coach, following his move to Mount Gambier towards the end of last year.
Each of these coaches will bring decades of knowledge and experience and will see Centrals in good stead after what was a solid 2017 season.
With a successful career in the National Premier Leagues, Fleetwood will be more than up to the task of leading Centrals to finals again this year.
“I have played most of my career in Adelaide in the NPL,” Fleetwood said.
“I played for Campbelltown, Adelaide Comets and Raiders.
“I have also played overseas at the University of Kentucky and spent a number of years playing in the lower leagues in America.”
With Centrals’ A Grade falling just short of the grand final last season, Fleetwood said the premiership will not be on his mind as he takes on the role for 2018.
He believes in order to be successful, the first step will ensure there is a positive environment within the club.
“I’m a firm believer in getting the culture right, then learning the way we want to play and then performing,” he said.
“And if we perform well, then I think the sky is the limit.”
With little knowledge of the league, Fleetwood’s initial aim will be to become familiar with the association, as well as his team.
With culture such an important aspect of his game, Fleetwood’s position as playing coach will allow him to build that from the inside, but he said it will take some time to adjust to the combined roles.
“You are kind of wearing two hats,” he said.
“But as a person I am very open and I think the players will see they can come and talk to me as either a player or a coach.
“It might be a bit difficult at the beginning, transitioning from playing to coaching, but I’m excited by the challenge.”
Fleetwood has coached juniors over the last few years in both the FFSA talent identification and at club level, but this will be his first head coaching role in Senior competition.
Centrals was just off the mark in 2017, going down to Apollo in the preliminary final.
However, this year could see the side set the benchmark, with players returning from its 2016 premiership side to join forces with the already talented squad.
“This year we see some returning players from our premiership team who had the year off,” co-president Shane Dycer said.
“Luke Pitson, Mitchell Cutting and we are hopeful Thomas Renzi will pull on the boots as well.
“Norton Fuller is over his injuries and fighting fit and it looks like Robbie Nagy will be right to play as well.
“We are really looking forward to this season.”
The only loss for the side so far is young talent Fergus Shoemark, who has moved to Adelaide to play soccer at a higher level with Sturt.
In addition to Fleetwood, Beaman will lend his services as assistant coach of the Senior side, while taking the reigns of the Reserves on game days as well.
He will also be involved in the junior development at the club.
“He played in premierships and coached premierships at our club and has done that at other clubs as well,” Dycer said.
“He moved to Adelaide and coached premier league up there, but has recently returned to Mount Gambier after retiring.”
For the women, Erwin has come to Australia on a mission to raise the bar of the game.
After arriving in the country in time for the 2017 South East Women’s Football Association grand finals, Erwin said there is plenty of room for improvement.
“I’m coming from a country where women’s football and football in general is the number one sport, so there is going to be a difference in the level,” he said.
With two decades of experience in women’s soccer, Erwin will use this knowledge to help make the women’s competition the spectacle he believes it should be.
“I think I’m at that stage now where what for me would be the best is what we call the aesthetics of the game,” he said.
“So if we watch a Barcelona or a Manchester City game, how they play is more so important than winning the game.
“I would like to see the game as a show-piece, something that someone can turn up to and walk away from saying ‘that girl’s soccer was quite good, I was pleasantly surprised’.”
Erwin understands this development will not happen overnight, but he hopes his coaching experience in Scotland will help see gradual results.
“I have been fortunate enough to work with some professional clubs,” he said.
“I was at Hamilton Academicals for a long period of time – a Scottish Women’s Premier League club – and also Motherwell.
“I was head coach at both of those at the Under 17 level.
“This experience will hopefully stand Centrals in good stead.
“They are already doing a lot of positive work at the club.”
The registration day for Centrals’ Seniors and Under 17’s will be held on Sunday, February 4, with all welcome to attend.
