Meet new leaders of Far North footy
NEW dawn is here for Far North football after the region’s NPL club revealed their coach and technical director to lead the rebranded Cairns FC next season.
As revealed in the Cairns Post last week, Danny Graystone will be the head coach, which will be a full-time role over a three-year term.
The 40-year-old, originally from Manchester, has shared pitches with some of the game’s elite and lists former ALeague coach Miron Bleiberg as one of his key mentors.
Graystone said he jumped at the chance to move to a new location after 15 years playing and coaching in Adelaide.
“When I came up and met the board up here, I was really impressed with the plans they had for the club going forward and it was something I wanted to be part of,” he said.
“Everyone I spoke to about FNQ Heat spoke very highly of the club ... it’s a great region to be involved in football-wise and obviously a couple of years ago they came very close to winning a grand final, so you’ve obviously got some good places here.”
Graystone said workrate would be key in the trials this week, no matter the skill level.
“I was always a hard worker as a player, so I always look for a player that’s willing to work hard initially and add on to that the technical side of it,” he said.
“I’m hoping we’ve got a few players here who are willing to work hard and be successful.
“I’m extremely organised, so I’m hoping to raise the professionalism around the senior squad here and bring some results along with it.
Mark Boyd, a Football Queensland regional development officer in the Far North a decade ago, has been appointed technical director and was eager to return and bring stability to football in the region.
“It’s not just about the Heat, we’re here to try to use that as a vehicle to try to raise the profile of the game within the region,” Boyd said.
“I think you’ll probably find our first team will be a relatively young side and that’s important because players looking to aspire to play in the A-League, generally around 23, need to have the desire and the ability to go there.”
The new coaches met with FNQ Football club representatives last night.
I’M EXTREMELY ORGANISED, SO I’M HOPING TO RAISE THE PROFESSIONALISM AROUND THE SENIOR SQUAD HERE AND BRING SOME RESULTS ALONG WITH IT
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