Triple premiership coach Chris Fagan has joined Carlton as the club’s Director of Coaching, ending the race for his services after he stepped down at the Brisbane Lions.
The Blues confirmed the appointment on Saturday morning, announcing on the club website that Fagan will fill a newly created, full-time role as a trusted advisor and sounding board to senior coach Josh Fraser.
Carlton said Fagan will mentor the entire coaching group, set up development pathways for the club’s coaches and help drive an elite, sustainable football program. He will report to general manager of football Chris Davies, and the role includes a match-day component.
‘Too good to pass up’
“While I loved my 10 years as a Senior Coach, this is a role I am passionate about and where I know I can have a real impact in this next phase of my football career,” Fagan said.
“Supporting people to get the absolute best out of themselves is what I love most about football, so the chance to now be able to do that on a full-time basis is incredibly exciting.”
Read more: AFL: Chris Fagan Steps Down as Lions Coach After Three-Peat
Fagan said the club’s leadership had been aligned on how to make Carlton a great football club. “To have the senior leadership of a football club share such clarity in their direction, combined with a role that gives me genuine purpose, makes joining Carlton an opportunity too good to pass up,” he said.
Davies said the club wanted to build around good people, “and they do not come any better than Chris Fagan”.
“Most importantly, he is a proven winner who knows what it takes to build a consistently high-performing environment,” Davies said.
Reunited with Graham Wright
Fagan took the Lions from the bottom of the ladder to three premierships across 10 seasons, with eight finals campaigns and four grand finals. Before that, he worked closely with current Carlton chief executive Graham Wright at Hawthorn, where the Hawks won four premierships in eight years, including the 2013-2015 three-peat.
Read more: Chris Fagan Courted by Melbourne as Max Gawn Makes His Pitch
Fagan had also been linked with Melbourne, with Demons captain Max Gawn publicly making his pitch, before he settled on the role at IKON Park. He is a three-time AFL Coaches Association Coach of the Year.
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