By Parker McKenzie
Upper Ferntree Gully Football Netball Club has appointed Mark Fisher as head coach for the 2023 Eastern Football League season, with the aim of bringing a “winning culture back,” after a challenging 2022 season.
Fisher has had previous roles as head coach of Mt Evelyn in the Outer East from 2018 until the start of 2022 and as a midfield coach with Essendon’s VFL side in 2015, alongside several other roles at Eastern Ranges and Vic Metro.
Club President Mark Godfrey said Fisher is coming to the club to make changes with the intent to have an impact.
“He’s coming in with his eyes wide open,” Godfrey said.
“He wants to go back to basics and put together a positive pre-season.”
Upper Ferntree Gully Football Club was relegated from division one after a disastrous season where they were operating out of temporary marquees without access to their club rooms, finishing bottom of the ladder with zero points from 18 games.
In an online statement, Fisher said he is under no illusions about the challenges the club faces after being relegated this year.
“The club has gone back to the second division after not winning a game in 2022,” he said.
“As a club, we need to embrace the challenges ahead and work together as one.”
Fisher last coached Mt Evelyn during the cancelled 2021 season, where they won 10 out of 12 games completed throughout the season and featured 22 homegrown players in the squad.
Godfrey said Fisher explained he wanted to promote youth players from the u19s and junior teams, making him the right man for the job.
“The boys need to get that winning culture back,” he said.
Fisher said the club seemed like the perfect fit after positive discussions about the coaching position.
“After presenting my vision, game plan, culture template and general football philosophy to the club during the interview process and listening to the club’s needs with the current playing group, it became very clear to me that UFTG was the club I wanted to coach in 2023,” he said.
“Thankfully the club, after a thorough process, offered me the senior coaching role.”
Upper Ferntree Gully Football Club play at Kings Park in Upper Ferntree Gully.
