Welcome: Andrew Panetta

The Perth Football Club would like to welcome Andrew Panetta who has been appointed as coach of the Development team for 2015.

His appointment marks a meteoric rise for someone who only got his level one coaching accreditation four years ago after taking on a coaching role at the Thornlie JFC.

It was at the coaching course where Panetta’s enthusiasm, football knowledge and ability to demonstrate drills in a clear and precise manner stood out.  One of the coaching mentors noticed this and recommended him for a possible role in the Perth Development Program

In 2011 Andrew began his association with the Robert Wiley Foundation (RWF) as assistant coach for the 14’s development squad.  In 2012 he took on the role of midfield coach in the 16’s program as well as being the head coach for the 14’s squad.  In 2013 he continued in his role with the 16’s team while also gaining his level 2 coaching accreditation.  All this lead him to taking on a defensive coaching role for the Perth Reserves team under then coach Michael Saunders midway through the 2013 season.

“Andrew was asked last year to coach the reserves and after giving it some thought he decided to knock it back due to his commitments to his family”, Perth CEO Marty Atkins said.

“He reapplied for the position and it certainly was an easy decision when we knew that someone we wanted to appoint last year but couldn’t, was available again.”

Having been involved in the RWF over the last four years, Panetta is already quite familiar with majority of the younger players currently at the club.

“I’m lucky enough that I have got quite a good rapport with a few of the boys and have worked with them in the past.”

Panetta believes that one of his strengths as a coach is his ability to communicate effectively with players and to adapt to different game styles and structures that the senior coach wants.  This will be crucial as one of his main roles will be developing players and getting them ready to seamlessly transition into the league side.

“As a Development Coach your job is to develop as many of the young blokes as possible and get them ready to play league football.  If I can do that then I think I have played my role.”

As part of his new role Andrew will be dealing with many different types of players who have either been dropped from the league team, progressing through the colt’s side, mature aged players and developing players.  This is a role that the CEO firmly believes he is capable of doing.

“He is very much a people person and he loves being involved in the development side of football.”

“He is the sort of person that I can see being a very good link for us in relation to the pathway of football from colts, reserves to league and we are very pleased to have secured him for next season.”