The Brisbane Lions are excited to announce senior coach Chris Fagan has agreed to a new deal with the Club.
The two-year contract extension ties Fagan to the Club until the end of 2023.
Since arriving ahead of the 2017 season Fagan has guided the Lions from the wooden spoon to consecutive 2nd place finishes at the end of the 2019 and 2020 home and away seasons and back-to-back finals campaigns.
Last year Fagan steered the Club to an historic first finals win in a decade when the Lions defeated Richmond by 15 points in the qualifying final at the Gabba.
The Lions ultimately fell short of a Grand Final berth, but the coach is convinced the preliminary final against Geelong will only serve to spur the Club on to work even harder in 2021.
“I’m thrilled and grateful to be given the opportunity to continue to serve our Club,’’ he said.
“I love the fact that at the Brisbane Lions we are all in this together, everyone at the Club shares the same drive to constantly improve.
“I feel that shared attitude and passion has made the Club a great place to be, a place where players and staff grow both professionally and as people.
“It is why I know the preliminary final loss last year, while disappointing, is also viewed as a growth opportunity.
“That is what we have been doing since the day I arrived here, seeing each experience as something to learn from.
“And I’m excited to have committed to the Club for a few more years to see where that desire to improve can take us.”
Fagan has become a much-loved figure amongst Lions fans in his four years at the Club and he says the feeling is mutual.
“I think we have the best fans in the competition,’’ he said.
“Prior to the Covid outbreak I thought the Gabba was the loudest venue in the league and the support we received from the fans last year, when crowds were limited, meant the world to us as a Club.’’
Lions CEO Greg Swann said the Club was delighted to lock Fagan away for two more years.
“It was a no brainer for us,’’ he said.
“He is a terrific coach who has made a huge impact in his time here and is a great ambassador for our Club and our code here in Queensland.
“He is revered and respected by the players and loved by the fans.’’
Fagan’s new deal coincides with the contract extension for coaches’ partner Youi who have also extended their support for another two years.
“All the coaches really appreciate the support we get from Youi, it is great to partner with a great Queensland success story and I’m thrilled they will be along for the ride for another couple of years,” Fagan said.
