George Wakim to coach VAFA club Preston Bullants for free in 2021
Preston Bullants and coach George Wakim will continue their historic relationship in 2021 despite both being hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic and the coach has made an incredible sacrifice.
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George Wakim will lead Preston Bullants in their maiden VAFA Premier C campaign in 2021.
COVID-19 hit the Bullants and Wakim hard this year but after four premierships together not even a global pandemic and cancelled season could separate them.
To ease the financial burden on the club, Wakim will coach for free next season.
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He hopes it will cement the club’s culture.
“I had put it on the club to show me what they were putting in place to make my life a bit easier but after a few meetings I found out they’re probably in a worse position.
“The club took a bit of a whack (due to COVID-19) and if we had to go through pre-season again and the season doesn’t kick off we’d be struggling.
“The last thing I want to do is see the club struggle, so if I see an opportunity to help the club I’ll do it.
“I think it’s a good opportunity to show leadership … when you’re expecting players to put their bodies on the line when they could have been earning $500 to $1000 in the Northern footy league.
“It reinforces the right culture at the club … it sets the right tone.”
After the senior club’s first season in 2013, it’s been a rapid rise for the Bullants.
Wakim has led the Bullants to premierships in 2013 (Division 4), 2013 (Division 3), 2016 (Division 2) and 2019 (Division 1).
The re-signed coach was confident his promotion-winning squad would return for a crack at Premier C in 2021 with several key additions.
A number of players trained with the Bullants following the Northern and Eastern football leagues decision to cancel their seasons in June and Wakim was confident he could lure them full-time in 2021.
“I measure success by how many blokes leave the club at the end of the year,” he said.
“I think that’s a real reflection on whether people are happy and that’s hard in the ammos and in the heartland of Northern footy with money and that sort of thing.
“We’ll have pretty much the same side plus players that have returned and players that trained with us when Northern and Eastern stopped.
“As soon as I accepted the role I got on the front foot and there are really positive signs that they’ll stick around.
“We’ll be really competitive in Premier C, which is really exciting for a club like ours that doesn’t have the same financial backing.”
Preston Bullants are still looking for coaches and support staff for season 2021 and inquires can be made at prestonbullantsafc@gmail.com.