Brisbane Lions, General Manager of Football Operations, Dean Warren, today said the Senior Coach appointment process has been very thorough and expects the Senior Coach recruitment panel to be in a position to make a recommendation shortly, with an announcement to follow in the next 2-3 weeks.
The Senior Coach recruitment panel responsible for recommending the appointment of the Brisbane Lions’ Senior Coach completed a second week of interviews last week.
For those members unaware, the panel consists of Malcolm Holmes (CEO), Brett Burton (Elite Performance Manager), Leigh Matthews, Peter Schwab (AFL Director of Coaching) and myself.
AFL Coaches’ Association Operations Manager Paul Armstrong, is also sitting on the panel in a non-voting role.
The appointment of the Club’s next Senior Coach is a critical decision for our short to medium term future, hence the involvement of both internal and external expertise on the selection panel.
The process has been very thorough with significant due diligence completed to identify the shortlist of candidates to be interviewed.
The new Senior Coach will be responsible, with the support of our Football Department staff for delivering of our primary objective – to build a highly competitive team capable of genuinely challenging for a Premiership. The shortlisted candidates are being assessed against the following key performance areas:
1. Technical Skills - Ability to develop, articulate and implement a competitive game plan and style of play.
2. Leadership and Culture - Proven ability to manage, educate and develop people (players and staff) by creating a collaborative, motivating and enjoyable environment. Ability to lead and drive a culture that pursues high performance
3. Communication - Effective communication skills with key stakeholders including players, staff, members and fans, sponsors and the media.
To date, the panel has interviewed five high-calibre candidates, with each candidate required to present on the following key areas:
- What they believe to be the role of the Senior Coach?
- What is their coaching philosophy?
- What does a successful playing list look like?
- Where does the lions list sit compared to their ideal list?
- What personal and professional qualities would they bring to the club?
The panel has been left impressed by the candidates’ professionalism and readiness to step into a Senior Coach position.
From here, the panel will further short-list the candidates, which, as you can understand, will be a tough task in itself.
We expect to be in a position to make a recommendation shortly with an announcement to follow in the next 2-3 weeks.
This would be welcome news for everyone at the Club as well as our Members.
Finally, I want to make it known that all candidates have expressed a desire to speak to some of our younger players, who have made their homesickness known, before final list decisions are made.
Thank you for your patience and we look forward to introducing to you the Club’s new Senior Coach shortly.
Dean Warren
General Manager – Football Operations
