It certainly wasn’t news we were expecting this week, however on Tuesday Murray United Senior Coach Mick Richards met with the MUFC Board to inform them he was resigning the position as senior coach. With growing concerns that the role’s requirements were taking an unreasonable toll on family and business commitments, the popular coach felt the time had come to step aside.
In an address to the playing group last night, Mick acknowledged the relationships he had formed with the players, coaching, and support staff, stating he was disappointed he couldn’t go the full journey with the team. Mick stated that despite not having a formal role with the club, he was keen to maintain some contact with players and coaches as the year progressed.
Also speaking last night, Board Chairman Mark Byatt said “It is disappointing to see Mick leave, he has done an outstanding job in bringing the senior team together and developing them throughout the season. It was with much regret that we as a board have accepted his resignation.”
Going forward, highly qualified Under 20’s Coach James Coutts has been appointed as Senior Coach for the remainder of the season. Speaking highly of the relationship with Mick; James is confident that with the quality of assistant coaches and support staff around him, the team will continue to develop over the remainder of season 2015.
At this mid-way point of MUFC’s inaugural season, the clubs Board has already initiated a full review of the Senior Coaching positions, the Technical Director role, and Board roles; with recruitment processes for Senior coaching positions and TD for the 2016/2017 seasons expected to get underway shortly.
The club (and the broader football community) should take confidence that despite Mick’s sudden departure, we are able to look within to source a high quality replacement, this in itself is testament to the early depth of capability within the ranks of MUFC.
Murray United FC would like to acknowledge and thank Mick Richards for the important role he has played in the club’s establishment phase, and in particular the development of the MUFC senior squads; we wish him every success in his future endeavours.
We now move into an exciting second half of season 2015, and begin our planning for 2016/17 and beyond. The Board is confident that we are establishing a strong and resilient foundation for Murray United FC future.
