WRFL: Newport re-signs coach Ziggy Kadour as club praises players
Western Region Football League Division 2 outfit Newport has decided who will lead it in 2021, with president Marwan Abouzied crediting the club’s players for their loyalty.
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Newport has reappointed coach Ziggy Kadour for next season as it eyes a finals berth in Western Region Football League Division 2.
The club advertises yearly in a bid to secure the best coach available but has reaffirmed its faith in the stalwart.
Kadour, who was captain of Newport’s inaugural senior premiership in 2016, will extend his tenure into a third season after the 2020 campaign was cancelled.
“We sat down as a board and discussed it, and decided it was only fair to give him the option of going around, especially since this year was canned,” Newport president Marwan Abouzied said.
“We thought it was the right thing by him. He’s done the right thing by us the last couple of years, so that was the least we could do. It was just a no-brainer.”
Newport claimed four wins in its first season in Division 2 in 2017 before Kadour led it to six victories in 2018 and eight last year.
Abouzied said the club was “definitely in a good spot” as it looks to push into the top four.
“There’s definitely been a bit of a cultural shift. A lot of the boys are buying in to what Ziggy’s brought to the club,” he said.
“A lot of it has to do with the previous presidents and what not who put in a lot of time and effort.
“The club’s in a really, really good place at the moment … and everyone’s buying into what we want, and that’s just being respected off field and just having a good, hard crack at it on field, and we can’t ask for any more.
“You’d hope (the club could contest finals in 2021). Two years in a row we just missed out.
“Looking at this year and the training the boys did … they were very confident we were going to push for a finals crack.”
In another boost, Newport appears set to retain the bulk of its senior squad.
Division 2 teams will have $80,000 to spend on players next year as a result of the coronavirus crisis after the salary cap was set to be $100,000 in 2020.
“A lot of (the players) are understanding of the situation. They know the position we’re in in terms of finances,” Abouzied said.
“I think most of the boys are going to stay, and we’ll hopefully pick up a few more if we can.
“Full credit to the boys at the club, a lot of them aren’t really fussed about money. They just want to be part of a good club with a good culture and really enjoy themselves.
“I know some players can demand a lot more money elsewhere.”
West Footscray is the only Division 2 yet to settle on a coach for next season.
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