Dear Members,
I am writing to inform you that after 9 years at the helm, Simon Goodwin will be departing the club.
The Board and I came to the decision earlier this week that it is time for a new voice to lead our AFL playing group and program forward.
Simon has given every ounce of his passion and energy to our club over his 11 years here, and as we look to transition to our next AFL premiership, the Board believes that a new senior coach is required to maximise the opportunity ahead of us.
Obviously, decisions like these are never easy to come to, but ultimately, we have made this decision in the best interests of the football club. While Simon leaves an incredible legacy, it is now time for someone else to take the reins and bring with them new energy and new ideas to revitalise our playing list and program.
As a club we have confidence in our playing group and what it can achieve, this decision is about ensuring we maximise our potential and put the right person in place to drive us to our next AFL premiership.
While we have made the decision to part ways with Simon, that should not dampen the extraordinary legacy he leaves behind. Simon leaves our club as one of only four coaches in the club’s history to take our AFL program to a premiership and sits behind only Norm Smith, Frank Hughes and Neale Daniher, for games coached at the Dees. A legacy, he should be incredibly proud of.
On behalf of the entire football club, I would like to take this opportunity to thank Simon for everything he has given to the red and blue over the journey. The role of a senior coach is an incredibly demanding one, and despite the challenges along the way, Simon has poured his heart and soul into the Melbourne Football Club.
While this is the end of Simon’s tenure at the Dees, he will always be a Melbourne person, and we wish him, his wife Kris and their family, all the best in their next adventure.
Simon will finish with the club effective immediately and assistant coach Troy Chaplin, will step in as caretaker coach for the remainder of the 2025 season. Troy has been with the club since the end of 2016 and is well equipped and ready to guide the program over the next few weeks.
We will now commence our search for the next Senior Coach of the Melbourne Football Club. As you all know, this is a crucial appointment and one which will significantly shape the future of our club. The Board will assemble a panel to lead the search for our next Senior Coach.
We will confirm the full structure of the panel early next week, but for now I ask that today we focus on celebrating and thanking Simon Goodwin for his incredible contribution to our footy club.
