Chris Bishop named Coach of the Year
AFL NSW/ACT is delighted to announce Chris Bishop from the Terrigal Avoca club has been selected as AFL NSWACT State Coach of the Year for 2015.
Bishop steered the Panthers’ Premier Division side to a Black Diamond flag in 2015, having coached the team to premierships in 2014 and 2012.
The 32-year-old also helmed the Black Diamond representative outfit that knocked off a NEAFL U23 side at Blacktown earlier this year, and continued his stellar work with the Sydney Swans Academy on the Central Coast.
Although Bishop’s primary role is coaching the senior side, he works closely with all grades through the club in a number of different roles, including the administration of the club.
He is a strong advocate for promoting quality youth footballers through the club and has introduced a number of U/17’s into the senior side this season.
After relocating to Sydney from Western Australia and playing for North Shore and Wests, Bishop moved to the Central Coast and set about entrenching himself in the community, becoming a franchisee of a local Subway outlet.
Bishop linked with Terrigal Avoca soon after, and quickly established himself as a rare commodity in coaching; a mentor with genuine football nous who communicated succinctly, free from cliches and contrived messages.
A hallmark of Bishop’s coaching over nearly ten years at the Panthers has been the quality and depth of his player relationships, tailoring his advice and feedback to suit the range of individual personalities at the club and get the most out of each player.
Put simply, Bishop along with President Chris Aitken is the heart and soul of the Terrigal Avoca club, and he’s a deserved winner of return airfare, accommodation and entry to the National Coaches Conference.
