2025 Coaching Announcements
We’ve got some new appointments and a bit of shuffling in our football department for the 2025 season…
David Rowland
After three years as General Manager of Football, David Rowland will be stepping off the committee.
GM of Football is one of the most critical roles at the club with oversight of the playing list, recruiting, football budget, coaching staff, the Under 19 program, medical, matchday volunteers and more. David has filled this role diligently and with great energy over the past three seasons and leaves our football program in the strongest and healthiest state it has been in a very long time.
Please join us in thanking David for all his hard work in this role. It’s certainly not farewell, you’ll still see him around the club!
Steve Grenda: General Manager of Football
Current Reserves Coach Steve Grenda will move into the GM Football role in 2025.
A former Mulgrave captain and Senior B&F winner, Steve returned to the club in 2023 and took on the Reserves Coach and Chairman of Selectors role in 2024. His vast footy experience on and off the field and his passion for Mulgrave make Steve an ideal General Manager of Football.
We’d also like to acknowledge Steve’s work as Reserves Coach in 2024. His efforts in the role were enormous - he brought his own approach, delivering key messages with a good dash of humour and motivation. There were major challenges toward the end of the year with a ridiculous run of injuries, but Steve was able to drive the team toward great results. Those that performed so well when stepping up to the seniors were yet further proof of his impact. Well done Mongy!
Ned Rowland: Reserves Coach
Ned Rowland will be our Reserves Coach in 2025. Ned joined the club as a player in 2017 and has become an admired figure and leader among the playing group over the ensuing years. He is well placed to move into coaching and it’s fantastic to have him starting that journey with us. Our young and talented Reserves squad will be well served with Ned at the helm.
Jordan Cochrane
Under 19.5 Coach Jordan Cochrane will be stepping down from his role. A Mulgrave senior player, Jordan has done a superb job in this extremely important role over the past two years. He’s overseen a period of transition in the Under 19.5 program, with some great new recruits and a fantastic group of players from Glen Waverley Rovers coming through to Under 19 football over the past two seasons. Jordan has managed this extremely well and created a strong bond and environment with the Under 19 group, who are loving their footy and showing a lot of promise for the future.
Balancing playing with coaching the colts is no easy task, particularly on a matchday - we’re indebted to Jordan for all his hard work, particularly in recent times where he has been living a very long way from the club. Along with this move Jordan and partner Mietta also have their first child on the way, so it’s a very exciting time with footy having to take a back seat for a little while!
Having said that, here’s hoping we still see a little bit of Jordan of a Saturday, albeit in a more relaxed role!
Josh Carden: Under 19.5 Coach
Under 19.5 Assistant Coach Josh Carden will be stepping into the U19.5 head coaching role in 2025.
This is a great outcome for all concerned... Josh is already so familiar with the club and this group of players, so is well placed to take the group forward again in 2025. The vast majority of our 2024 team are again eligible to play Under 19s in 2025, so with a few new additions, we look forward to another enjoyable year with Josh at the reins.
Please join us in thanking Jordan and David for their hard work, and congratulating Steve, Ned and Josh on their new roles.
Senior Coach 2025
We’re thrilled to confirm that senior coach Matt Richards is locked in for a third season at the helm in 2025.
Since taking on the senior role at the end of 2023, Matt has worked tirelessly to drive the standards, performance and on and off-field culture required to push the club forward in an extremely competitive environment. On Saturday the club secured finals berths for all three teams, just as we did last year in Matt’s first season in the senior coaching role.
As our focus turns to 2024 finals campaigns, securing Matt’s commitment gives the committee and the club the stability required to keep planning for 2025 and beyond.
Richo is one of the club’s most loyal servants and much more than just a senior coach. Not a day goes by when he isn’t up to his neck in something to do with Mulgrave. We’re blessed to have somebody of his vision, passion and unmatched workrate at our club.
As we approach our centenary year in 2025 - a time to reflect on past achievements and our hopes for the future - it would be fantastic to see some of the many people who hold Mulgrave dear follow Richo’s lead and start thinking about how they are able to assist the club and our players in continuing the Mulgrave journey. While nobody is expected to come close to Richo’s scale of commitment, running a footy club is an enormous job and can only be done with as many people as possible chipping in. Whether it’s in the football department or off the ground, and even if you can only make a small time commitment, any assistance whatsoever is desperately needed and hugely appreciated. Our great club is in a very good spot once again as we approach our centenary celebrations, with all three teams up and firing and a great vibe around the place... but to push it further forward and really deliver on our potential, we need more people to stand up and be counted. All you need is a good attitude, a bit of work ethic, and a desire to be part of something very enjoyable and positive. Hit us up for a chat, please.
Presentation Night Tickets
From the President: 30thJuly 2024
As we head into the home stretch of 2024 - a season already full of highlights that will hopefully see all three teams go deep into the finals - I thought it appropriate that I formally notify our members and stakeholders that this will be my fifth and final year as President of Mulgrave Football Club.
My journey at Mulgrave started with my son coming across from Caulfield Grammar as a 17-year-old in 2016. I engaged formally in 2017 as Head of Football under the presidency of Ron Gladman, supporting Peter Greenstreet and the rest of the coaching staff. In 2018 and 2019 I continued in the football department and supported Ian Coleman as Vice President.
My presidency started in 2020 and was immediately challenged by COVID and the rebuild of our pavilion. Over the years there have been challenges, but as a club we have met them and continued to move forward.
What I am most proud of over the journey is supporting the birth of the Mully Grubs - a group of past players and supporters who raise hell and money for the club, without any agenda other than helping the club continue to thrive. I thank Boomer, Daniel and Peter for all the hard work and I look forward to playing a more active role moving forward.
Our new playing surface and pavilion rebuild was the results of years of lobbying by past administrations. Working through the execution alongside the Mulgrave Cricket Club and the Eastern Devils Football Club was extremely rewarding, as individual agendas were parked for the greater good of the collective.
As we head into our 100th year in 2025, the Mulgrave Football Club is healthy. It is full of good people that are here for the right reasons: to create and share success while fostering and supporting common values within our community. We all work hard and then play hard on and off the field.
I will be endorsing Rachael Barlow as President for 2025. Rachael has been a member of my committee for two years and is the current Vice President. She is the mother of one of our up-and-coming players, so she will be invested for years to come. She is a professional administrator and has a long history working within football clubs.
With Mark Haywood standing again as Secretary, and Julie Richards as Treasurer, we have real quality and consistency in the engine room of the club. Personally I hope to stay on the committee and continue to work with our sponsors and stakeholders, looking to re-focus how we commercially underpin our existence and add value back to all of our supporters.
It is time for a transition and the injection of new energy and perspective into the club. Announcing my intentions now will allow Rachael to start to work on building her new committee and election ticket for the AGM, as well as working through the existing strategy documents and business plan and making adjustments to ensure we are prepared for the future.
Thank you to all for your support over the past eight years. Don’t stop now! I want our remaining 2024 off-field program to be a massive success, supporting our on-field success.
We have wind in our sails. Come and enjoy the ride!
Scott Davidson
President
sdavidson@tgisport.com.au
