Tara Murray
Jason Hayne goes from player to coach at Sunbury United for next year’s FV state league 3 north-west season.
Hayne was part of Sunbury’s line up this season but when the opportunity arose to step into coaching, he jumped at it.
He said the chance to coach the side he had been playing at was really exciting.
“I’m really looking forward to it, it’s a great opportunity,” he said. “I had been playing since I was three years old and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to play for another year or take up coaching.
“This opportunity came out and I thought I would give it a crack.
“Hopefully we can change the culture a bit and bring Sunbury back to where it wants to be.”
Hayne said having been involved in Sunbury makes a huge difference stepping into the role as he already knows the club, the culture and playing group.
He said he was chatting with the existing players now and was hopeful that the majority of them would return for 2025.
Sunbury had a solid season in 2024, finishing in sixth spot, 16 points behind the promotion teams.
“I don’t think we were too far off last season,” he said. “I think we ended up with 12 draws. Even if we turned half of them into wins we would be up the table.
“I think we were missing a couple of components last season. Hopefully I can change a few things and build on the structure and culture.”
Hayne said they would look to add some new players to the squad to help close the gap and add some depth to the squad.
He said they wanted to bring in some key ingredients and they would also look at a different game plan
Hayne said the club wanted to continue putting things in place to rise back up the ranks.
“I remember when I was playing at Altona Magic several years ago in state league 1,” he said. “They were hard to face at home.
“We want to start moving up. We want to be moving up consistently not just dropping straight back down.
“I’m looking forward to the season and hopefully Sunbury people coming down and watching.”
The club said that Hayne brings a wealth of playing experience and a deep passion for the game.
“Jason brings a strong leadership presence to our club,” the club said.
“We are confident that under his guidance, the team will continue to progress and achieve new heights in the upcoming season.”
