MURRAY United has landed a major coup, signing Boomers women's coach Steve Hayes as a senior assistant.
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And the Albury-Wodonga Football Association life-member has made his intentions clear from the outset.
“Part of my role will be to try and bridge the gap between the AWFA and Murray United,” he said.
“There's certainly a need to establish more of a relationship between the two organisations.
“(Chairman) Mark Byatt made it very clear that we should be striving to work together a bit more.
“Given my history in the AWFA it makes sense that I'll be a part of that.”
Hayes said ensuring United's junior ranks remained viable would be vital to the club's sustainability and future success.
“When you have that many kids travelling to Melbourne for the majority of junior fixtures, it's hard to see them doing it for more than one or two seasons,” he said.
“It's a heavy burden, and we don't have the numbers to keep it going if a few drop out.
“To expect junior players to make that travel commitment from under 12s through to under 20s is unheard of.
“For a country-based club like Murray United, finding a way through that is vital.”
The veteran coach said he was also hoping his experience would prove worthwhile on game day.
“I think James Coutts has a great deal to offer local football,” he said.
“I'm really keen to assist the younger coaches as well, I've been helping Andrew Grove at Boomers for some time now.
“I'm excited to be a part of it.”
There's certainly a need to establish more of a relationship between the two organisations.
- Steve Hayes
Senior coach Coutts agreed, adding that Hayes’ years of experience would be beneficial for Utd.
“We're really happy to have him on board officially, he's been with us for a little while now … his experience and knowledge of the game will be really important in the coming season,” Coutts told The Border Mail.
“He'll be a good person to bounce ideas off.
“I felt it was important to get someone in to help me out a little bit with the seniors, given that the other assistants have some responsibilities with the other grades.
“Steve's philosophy in terms of how the game should be played fits well with my own and what we're trying to achieve here.
“Jon Shaw will come into the fold a little bit as well.”
Coutts said the clubs was well placed ahead of it's first pre-season hitout on January 23.
“We've had a good break over Christmas and the New Year - everyone has come back looking very fresh, very sharp and ready to play,” he said.
“Preparations are also going really well for our first pre-season game, and round one against Dandenong City will also be upon us before we know it.
“We'll have some new recruits to unveil towards the end of next week as well.”
United finished its debut NPL1 season with six wins to their name.