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AFL DEVELOPMENT coach of the year Chris Maple will lead the Footscray Bulldogs VFL team in its inaugural year.
The Western Bulldogs development manager has been named senior coach of the club’sVFL squad.
The Western Bulldogs will field a stand-alone team in 2014 under the Footscray moniker, playing some home games at Whitten Oval.
Maple, who has been a member of the Bulldogs’ coaching panel since 2008, has headed the club’s development program for the last four years. Prior to that he coached the TAC cup team North Ballarat Rebels.
He will remain as the club’s development manager.
Maple was recently awarded the 2013 Sports Learning Australia Development Coach of the Year award by AFL Coaches Association.
The award recognises outstanding commitment, service and innovation in developing and preparing young players for the rigours of the AFL.
Bulldogs Acting Chief Executive Shannon Rees said Maple’s appointment was a great outcome.
“Chris has played a significant role to date in developing the exceptional young talent that we have here at the Bulldogs,” Ms Rees said.
“His capacity to support and develop our younger group to be the best that they can be — both on and off the field — makes him the perfect person to lead our VFL Team going forward”.
Maple said that he was thrilled by the appointment.
“I am really looking forward to getting stuck in to building the Footscray Bulldogs into a professional, topnotch team that nurtures and develops our future AFL players,” Maple said.
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