EFNL 2024: Kris Fletcher appointed Upper Ferntree Gully coach for 2025

A triple Beaconsfield premiership winner has taken the reins at the Eastern Division 3 club ...

EFNL 2024: Incoming Upper Gully coach Kris Fletcher. Picture: Upper FTG FNC

The time was right and Upper Ferntree Gully aligned.

Kris Fletcher will steer the Kings next season following his appointment as the Eastern Division 3 club’s senior coach.

He replaces outgoing mentor Mark Fisher, who split with the club during the home-and-away season.

Fletcher served stints as playing-coach of Officer and Nar Nar Goon before flanking former AFL Magpie Andrew Williams as assistant at Monbulk.

This season he’s worked under premiership coach Mick Fogarty at Eastern Division 1 outfit Beaconsfield, which is contesting a preliminary final this weekend.

“I’ve been in the coaching system for quite a while now,” Fletcher said.

“I felt the time was right for me to get out there and have my first crack at being a senior coach as non-playing, having learnt a lot off ‘Hottie’ (Williams) and Mick in that time.”

Fletcher said Upper Gully’s strong foundation of emerging talent made the job an attractive prospect.

“I had a look at the Upper Gully vacancy with interest, seeing that their under-19s had a pretty good year last year making the grand final, and they again finished pretty strongly this year,” he said.

“They’ve got good juniors coming through and their reserves and seniors have both shown improvement.

“I had a look into the age demographic of their list and had seen there were a lot of good local kids in the area playing for the club.

“I thought there was a lot of potential there, and it suited the kind of list I was looking to coach – I thought why not have a go at it?”

Upper Ferntree Gully finished the season in sixth with a 6-12 record, following two consecutive years of relegation.

Fletcher said development must continue as a priority.

“I think it’s really important, with the direction the club’s going, to really consolidate the good young group that they have coming through and invest a lot of time into the development of what’s there,” he said.

“It’s really important that it’s an enjoyable environment, it’s inclusive where we’re having a lot of fun and we’re enjoying the work we’re doing.

“That’ll encourage the players to want to be around and want to get the best out of themselves and give them the chance to work on the areas they want to work on and own their own careers.

“A good, stable club with a good junior base and a strong, healthy relationship with the junior club is critical to where I think local footy’s heading at the moment.

“I don’t think there’s a need to bring in a heap of players … the club will have their direction, but we’ll look at the list over the coming weeks.”

Fletcher began his playing career with Berwick before winning premierships with Beaconsfield in 2003, ’04 and ’14.

He also won a best and fairest at Beaconsfield and made the 2005 MPNFL Casey-Cardinia Team of the Year.

The incoming coach declared getting the process right was the key to returning Upper Gully to success.

“To me, it starts with a blank canvas for everybody, and everybody’s going to get that opportunity to put their hand up and show what they want to get out of their footy as well,” he said.

“I’m very much process-driven more than I am results-driven … you get that right, results fall into line and that’s where my focus will come over the next 12 to 24 months.”