New appointments at Football Tasmania

Photo:  Greg Calvert has extensive experience in football as a player and coach. [PlessPix] 

There have been a couple of new appointments at Football Tasmania for the 2023 season.

Greg Calvert is the new General Manager.

He is a former top player and coach at the highest levels of the game in Tasmania.

He has considerable management experience in the corporate world and will be an asset to the organisation.

Lucy Poskitt is the new social media manager.

She has been a journalist at The Examiner and more recently was the communications adviser to the Australia Health Practitioner Regulation Agency.

Football Tasmania CEO Matt Bulkeley is currently on leave and David Smith is the action CEO in his absence.

Smith is Football Tasmania’s Coach Development Manager but will perform both roles until Bulkeley returns from leave.

Emma Brown is the competitions coordinator and should be releasing draft rosters soon.

I understand that this season’s Summer Cup at the NPL level will involve the four southern NPL teams and the four northern NPL teams playing a round-robin series in their own regions with the top teams from the north and south meeting in the semi-finals and final.

Nathan Coad continues as Referee Manager, while Jayden Hey is still the Futsal Manager.

Photo:  The new artificial pitch at KGV Park. [PlessPix] 

The new artificial pitch has been installed at KGV Park and the six floodlight towers are up and the lights just need to be wired.

They look good and I can hardly wait for a night game to see what lighting of 500 Lux does for the spectacle.

Photo:  One of the new set of lights. [PlessPix] 

Work on the grandstand, toilets and change rooms is not expected to start at KGV Park until later in the season.

Meanwhile, Metro have had to find a new training venue in Claremont as work continues on their pitch.

Photo:  We still have a way to go to match the lights (left) at the Glenorchy AFL ground. [PlessPix]
 

Photo:  Work on the grandstand, change rooms and toilets won't start until the middle of the season. [PlessPix]

Photo:  Out with the old and in with the new.  One of the old floodlight towers and lights lying on the ground. [PlessPix]

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There will be only 10 teams instead of 12 in this season’s Southern Championship.

Glenorchy Knights and Clarence Zebras will not field teams in this competition as they don’t think they have enough players for this competition following the introduction of the State-wide Under-21 league underpinning the NPL Tasmania competition. 

Merry Christmas and happy New Year

 Photo:  The new artificial surface at KGV Park is looking superb. [PlessPix]  

I wish all football followers  -  players, officials, referees, administrators, volunteers, club members, media and fans  -  a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year.

All the best of health, fortune and success in 2023.

I am not on social media, but many people have made me aware of the numerous  congratulatory comments that have been made in regard to my induction into the Football Australia Hall of Fame on 12 November 2022. 

I am deeply humbled by the honour, and by the comments from my former students, friends, colleagues, acquaintances, family members and people involved in the game here, interstate and overseas.

Never in a million years did I expect it.

I hope the 2023 season will be a beauty and that the local game will rise to new heights.

I can hardly wait for the new season to start.

The early signs, such as the refurbishment of KGV Park, are promising.

The new artificial pitch is in place and is looking superb, while the new floodlights look like the real thing at last.

The best of luck to every club, and to everyone involved, in whatever capacity, in our beautiful game.

Photo:  One of the new floodlight towers at KGV Park. [PlessPix]
 

Photo:  I can hardly wait for the first night game at KGV Park next season. [PlessPix]

Photo:  Let there be light at KGV Park. [PlessPix]

Shackcloth new Eagles coach after 20 years at the club and his first aim is to complete a hat-trick of titles

Photo:  New Eagles coach Adam Shackcloth (left) with the hugely successful previous coach of the past two seasons, Tommy Fotak, who is now the senior technical director at the club. [PlessPix] 

New Town White Eagles have appointed Adam Shackcloth as their senior coach for the 2023 Southern Championship season.

He replaces Tommy Fotak, who coached Eagles to the Southern Championship league title for two years in succession.

Eagles were the champions in 2021 and 2022.

Fotak becomes the club’s technical director for the senior program.

Photo (L-R):  Eagles' new coaching team of Adam Shackcloth. Wade Savage. Tommy Fotak, Jack Harrison and Nick Taylor. [PlessPix] 

Shackcloth, who was Fotak’s assistant in those two title-winning seasons, will have Wade Savage and Jack Harrison as his assistants.

The technical director for the club’s junior programs will be Nick Taylor.

The facilities rebuilding program at Clare Street is progressing well and will be completed in time for the start of the 2023 season.

Shackcloth is looking forward to being senior coach.

“It’s always a challenge when you’re going for three in a row and you all of a sudden become the hunted,” Shackcloth said.

“We’re looking forward to seeing what 2023 brings.”

Photo:  A story I wrote about Adam Shackcloth making his Eagles' senior debut in The Mercury in 2006.  

Shackcloth, 34, is a former Eagles player who made his debut with the club in 2006.

He said it was too early to say if the club would recruit new players for the 2023 season.

“We probably won’t know until pre-season in January, but what we do know is that when you have success it brings people along,” Shackcloth said.

“Our doors are always open and year after year we’ve seen new talent come in.

“I expect the same next season.”

Photo:  The coaching staff in one of the new dressing rooms. [PlessPix] 

Shackcloth said Eagles’ ultimate aim was to play at the highest level possible and did not rule out promotion to the NPL Tasmania top-flight competition in years to come.

“That’s been our focus for the past three or four years now and we’ll continue to develop in areas that Football Tasmania is asking for in terms of NPL criteria and we’ll keep chipping away at that,” he said.

“But, at the end of the day, for us, we just want to make sure that we’re a place where anyone can play football and, if that ends up being at State League level, which we aim to achieve., then excellent, because we want to have that top-flight success again.

“But, we also want to make sure there’s somewhere for the kids to play and to feel at home so that they don’t hop, jump and skip clubs.”

Photo:  Work in progress at Clare Street. [PlessPix] 

Shackcloth is delighted with the way facilities are being improved at Clare Street.

“This is my twentieth year at the club and it’s the first time I’ve seen carpet in the change rooms,” he said.

“I’ve got to put that down as a win, and it’s a credit to the committee working with the State and Federal Governments to get the funding we needed to get this project off the ground.

“The new facilities are going to make a huge difference to morale and the welcoming factor when people do come to the ground because it’s not just those old raggedy rooms that have been there since the year dot.

“They are now warm and inviting and it may bring more players but certainly a better environment.”

Photo:  Clare Street, the home of New Town White Eagles. [PlessPix]