Development is the Aim for our Futures Team

In a bid to elevate the performance and foster the development of our Futures team, John Simmons has been appointed as our new head coach. Stepping into the role for the first time at this level, John brings a wealth of experience developing the best sporting talents in WA, previously coaching a six year stint with the School Sport WA State 15s boys, and has a keen focus on developing players' skills and capabilities.

We caught up with John at a training session this week to get to know him better and hear his vision for the Futures team for 2024. Catch our Q&A below.

How long have you been coaching for?

Three years. I got onboard with the under 14s, helped out and assisted with them, then got involved with the Futures last year and have now taken on the head coach role.

Have you coached anywhere else?

Yes, I have coached many school teams, as I am a teacher. In terms of my coaching career my background is the School Sport WA State 15s boys. I’ve been involved with them for six years, traveling interstate to the National carnivals and have plenty of experience with the development of the best young talent in WA. 

What is the aim of the futures program this season?

The big word is 'Development' and that’s the main key word that we’re going to keep pressing onto the boys because it’s really important that they continue to develop and grow. They are a very strong group and have had good success in the past, but it’s all about trying to improve and not standing still. A real focus is stepping up to the program and trying to get to that Colts level, even though they aren’t there yet, to try and match that standard. 

This Future’s group looks very strong. What do you expect from the team?

That word development. The idea is to improve individually and collectively. Hopefully they just soak up all the information, the skills and the strategies we throw at them, and put it into practise. They are a competitive group, so it’s just continually challenging them to get better in all kinds of ways and that’s the aim of the program. 

To get to know you a little bit better, what do you do outside of football?

Well, I mentioned I am a teacher so education is my background. I like working with young people and I’m a high school teacher at St Marks so I run the sports program there outside of school, with extracurricular sports that keeps you busy with all kinds of teams. So I’m definitely used to developing young students and athletes. 

What is your biggest personal goal (outside of football) for the year?

Well I love footy too much, so my goal is probably to find more time for my family around footy. I think that’s important so I’m going to try to find more time to spend with them. 

What is the number one thing on your bucket list?

Travel. I love to travel and used to travel a lot when I was younger. Since having children, time is a little bit trickier but I want to get back into traveling. My bucket list might be to go to the States as I’ve been to Europe and a couple of other parts of the world, but haven’t been to the US, so a bucket list item might be to watch an NBA game.

To view the Futures fixtures, click the following link and select the "FUTURES" tab. 

https://wafl.com.au/club/subiaco

The 2024 Futures program is proudly sponsored by Nichols Building.

Nichols Building is known for their professional approach, adaptable and flexible working arrangements, and they manage and deliver quality outcomes on all our projects. Their can-do attitude results in ensuring the completion of your project, as well as ongoing maintenance requirements. For enquiries contact Ant Nichols ant@nicholsbuilding.com.au