After a couple of years away from coaching, Peter Schwellinger is keen to get back into it at Westgate in the FV state league 1 north-west competition
Schwellinger, who has coached a number of club’s in the old Victorian Premier League and FV state leagues, replaces Jim Gacovski as coach.
Schwellinger said Westgate had been in touch with him the past couple of years to come on board and the timing was now right.
‘I’ve been around a few different clubs,” he said. “I ended up coaching in the south-east due to family reasons.
“COVID then caused everything not to finish. Westgate is a big club, has a great fan base and I’ve coached against them.
“The last two years they’ve called me twice [to coach]… I saw the coach had left [end of this year] and I applied for it.
“It’s close to home which is a bonus and I was able to get the job.”
Schwellinger comes into the club after a number of strong seasons. The club finished third in state league 1 north-west this year, finishing second in state league 2 north-west and earning promotion the year before.
The incoming coach knows it won’t be easy to top the past couple of seasons.
“Third last [this] year, it’s going to be hard to do that again,” he said. “We will be aiming for top two.
“Maybe I’ll change things a bit. I hope they take on board what I’m teaching.”
While Schwellinger only met the players last week, a lot of hard work had been going on behind the scenes.
The squad will look very similar to what took to the park this year.
“I think we’re going to do well,” he said. “The main squad will stay and we’ve a couple of additions
“The club’s technical director has talked to all the players and only one has left to play NPL [National Premier League] which is a good thing.
“We have one or two others trialling.”
With work being conducted on its ground, Schwellinger said pre-season training before Christmas would be hard, but they were keen to get into it.
The club said it was excited for the appointment of Schwellinger.
“Despite taking a hiatus from coaching in the past two years due to travel and family commitments, Peter’s return signals a promising new era for Westgate FC,” the club said on social media.
“His wealth of experience and proven track record in elevating teams to higher levels fills us with anticipation for the success and growth he’ll bring to our club.”
Tara Murray
