Surf Coast Suns begins search for its inaugural senior coach

The president of the BFNL’s newest team has outlined what it is looking for in its inaugural senior coach.

The Surf Coast Suns will join the BFNL in 2026. Picture: Surf Coast Suns.

The Bellarine’s newest outfit, the Surf Coast Suns, have already received several expressions of interest less than 24 hours after announcing the search for its inaugural senior coach had officially begun.

They could be tyre kickers, time wasters or even decent prospects, but Suns president Jay Williams is simply excited about what lies ahead at this early stage.

The Suns will join the BFNL in 2026 following a league restructure by peak body AFL Barwon, and now it needs a coach to get the ball rolling further.

However, Williams says the successful candidate will need to ensure they have left 2025 wide open, and preferably bring some assistants in tow to plot and recruit ahead of its Bellarine debut.

He said there were a few names on a list of possibles and probables already that could fill leadership positions.

“There are a few names that I’ve got on the radar that would be good fits for the place,” Williams said.

The Surf Coast Suns boast 19 junior football teams. Picture: Alan Barber

“A few people that are at the club already with sons that play, that are on the periphery at the moment.

“Also some contacts that I’ve got in the GFNL that have got a few people ... that might be interested that are a good fit, people that I respect that have talked to me about that.

“We’re definitely open minded (about the successful candidate), you’ve got to be in terms of a playing coach or not.

“Young or old, we’ve got to look everywhere.

“But for me, the key things are they’re looking for two years, minimum.

“And hopefully for three and possibly more if they’re the right person.”

He said an open 2025 was integral considering they were building a senior list almost from scratch.

“Someone who isn’t playing or coaching next year is probably a big thing, we want 12 months of them to be able to recruit and dedicate their efforts and time into us,” he said.

“Not someone who has a foot in both camps.

“I’ve already had four or five emails ... expressions of interest.”

The Surf Coast Suns will spend 2025 recruiting new players. Picture: Surf Coast Suns.

He said the club was keen for the successful candidate to bring some key assistants to help foster the club’s values and culture.

In a perfect world, the right coach would have “genuine experience” in leadership across playing or coaching, in different environments and at various levels.

Meanwhile, Williams said the Suns would embark on a major recruiting drive, requiring two thirds of its senior stocks to be experienced players, combined with some youngsters coming through its under-18s team.

“Ratio wise you’d probably like to work with two thirds experienced, at the start especially,” he said.

“There’s the whole beginning of a new club, culture-wise.

“More experienced heads are a better way forward to push and drive and create that.

“We’ll be definitely looking at 65, 70 per cent experienced players to come across and help drive it.”

Williams is keen for the Suns to have a strong impact from the start.

“Even though the job’s going to be tough, I don’t expect we meander at the bottom because we’re a new club, I want to hit the ground running,” he said.

“We need to ensure we make a fairly good impact straight away.”

The Surf Coast Suns will join the BFNL in 2026. Picture: Surf Coast Suns.

He said the club was about providing opportunities for young footballers who might not get a game at Torquay, with the Suns currently boasting 19 underage teams.

“We’ve got a huge junior base at the moment,” he said.

“They don’t necessarily have to go into Geelong or look elsewhere to play if they can’t make seniors at Torquay.

“They’ve got somewhere else to play.”

On a personal level, Williams said he was excited to be a part of creating history.

“All three of my children are at the Suns, and I’ve coached there for the last six years,” he said.

“Seeing my boys there and my daughter playing netball from under-9s to now, and seeing they’ve got a senior path to go on with, was the reason why I stepped into the role (as president).

“Being able to have a big impact in building it from nowhere ... is super exciting for me.

“To be able to do that and have a hand in that, is what excites me the most.

Originally published as Surf Coast Suns begins search for its inaugural senior coach