Tara Murray
New Deer Park coach Heath Scotland is excited to lead the club into a new era in the Essendon District Football League.
Scotland takes the reins at the club as it makes the move from the Western Region Football League to the EDFL.
AFL Victoria recently rejected the WRFL’s objection to Deer Park and St Albans leaving the competition, clearing way for them to join the EDFL.
Scotland said the whole club was excited by the opportunities going forward.
“It’s very exciting the whole club is overjoyed to get accepted into the EDFL,” he said.
“The club can challenge themselves in a larder competition and it was felt that the EDFL was the best place for growing the club’s juniors.”
Scotland said he knew about the proposed move when he accepted the role and said it was one of the things that attracted him to it.
He’s no stranger to the EDFL, living in Keilor East with his children playing their junior football in that competition.
The former AFL player turned to coaching after his playing career finished.
Scotland had been involved at Port Melbourne in the back part of last season, having stepped down from his role as senior coach at Sunshine, which he said wasn’t the right fit.
Scotland had previous experience at a number of clubs, including coaching his junior club Darley to a premiership
It was former coach Mark McGoldrick that first suggested Scotland look at the Deer Park coaching role.
“I knew Mark from when he was an assistant when I was at the Western Jets,” he said.
“The opportunity to get to coach at local footy at the right club, a professional club is something I’m looking forward to.
“Deer Park is a great fit, in a new competition and a new era for the club.”
Scotland met the playing group for the first time at meet the coach day earlier this month. He said he had been in touch with the majority of the group before that.
“It was good to meet the playing group and so I can give them a bit of background and what to expect with training.
“We start pre-season training on the 22nd and we will do eight sessions pre-Christmas.”
Scotland said a big chunk of this season’s group had committed for next season. He said there were some along with some new recruits waiting to find out where they were playing before committing.
Scotland said he will be busy working the phones in the next few weeks as they look to add players to the squad.
The Lions finished fourth this year in the WRFL division 1 competition. They are expected to play in the division 1, the second flight of the EDFL.
“We’re the new kids on the block,” Scotland said. “In the EDFL we’re starting from scratch.
“We ant to earn some respect in the EDFL and we think we can have an impact.”
