THE Stawell Pioneers Soccer Club has announced the appointment of Gary Bloomfield as senior coach for the 2020 season.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Club development officer Rob Lembo said the club decided to recruit a senior coach to ease the workload on Chris Sirre, who was coaching both seniors and juniors.
"He was helping out with the Soccer Mums and the Mini Roos and doing all the coaching, so clearly we had to reduce his workload," Lembo said. "We've still got a junior coaching position open and we're hoping to recruit, but if we can't Chris will still be around."
Bloomfield gave the role some consideration before agreeing to sign on.
"They sent me a text one night out of the blue saying they'd like me to be their coach," he said.
"I initially said I'd like to have a conversation with president Jason Oosthuizen and Rob Lembo because I didn't really know anything about the club."
Read more: Folkes' cricket career continues into season
After a few meetings over coffee Bloomfield agreed to bring his extensive soccer experience to the Pioneers.
"I've played indoor five-a-side in Stawell and Ararat, and played in competitions in outdoor soccer for Stawell, competitions in Warrnambool, and when I was in England I played soccer on Saturdays and Sundays for about 14 years."
Bloomfield hails from England and has been a Manchester United fan "since I can't remember."
He also coached senior soccer teams in England and said his international experience might help things locally, where he said he sees a lot of talent.
"I've probably got a different perspective on how the club can do things, and I've got some new ideas and the club has taken some on board," he said.
"I wouldn't have agreed to take on the role if I didn't think there were prospects where I can help the club go forward.
Read more: Swifts sign duo as senior netball coaches
"There are a lot of young kids with talent and it would be a shame to lose them to Ballarat when there is a club right here."
An upcoming come and try day will hopefully help attract some of that talent.
The club is preparing to kick of its 2020 season recruitment campaign and will hold the day at North Park in Stawell on December 8. Juniors in the 9 to 16 year age bracket will kick off at 1pm and seniors will start at 3pm.
Bloomfield said the day will be an open forum where people can ask questions and have a kick without any pressure to join.
"The main focus is to get people to come along, enjoy the day, see what it's all about and have a chat," he said. While you're with us, you can now receive updates straight to your inbox each Friday morning from the Stawell Times-News. To make sure you're up-to-date with all the news from across the Northern Grampians shire, sign up here.
