VAFA: Jamie Cassidy-McNamara appointed senior coach of Old Trinity

A member of Nathan Buckley’s support team at Collingwood will steer Old Trinity in VAFA Premier next year.

New Old Trinity coach Jamie McNamara-Kennedy.

A former member of Collingwood’s football department has been appointed the new senior coach of VAFA Premier club Old Trinity.

Jamie Cassidy-McNamara served under Nathan Buckley at the Magpies as “skill acquisition coach’’.

He was involved in designing training sessions and skill development for more than six years.

This year he served as an assistant coach and high performance manager at Seaford in the Mornington Peninsula Nepean competition.

Old Trinity president Neil Bowman said: “A thorough process was conducted by the club, which concluded that Jamie’s professional coaching experience, along with his teaching and training credentials were the right ingredients for our football club.

“We are genuinely excited about the professionalism and fun that Jamie can bring to our football program.’’

Old Trinity director of coaching Paul Griffiths said Cassidy-McNamara impressed the selection panel with his ability to “clearly articulate his philosophies, as well as demonstrate a sound knowledge of how he aimed to teach the game’’.

“Jamie spent five years working full-time at Collingwood working closely with Nathan Buckley and Robert Harvey in planning and delivering AFL training,’’ Griffiths said.

“In that time he also had stints as an assistant coach in their VFL program, coaching both the forwards and the backs.

“We believe these experiences will arm him as he takes over the reigns at the OTGAFC.’’

Old Trinity said Cassidy-McNamara was a teacher with a degree in exercise science, had consulted to English Premier League club Chelsea and was “the ideal candidate to take our exciting young list forward’’.

Old Trinity was 1-10 and on the bottom of the Premier ladder when the season was cut off by Covid.

The club parted ways with senior coach Bernard Dinneen during the year.