A statement from the Whitehorse Pioneers…
THE Whitehorse Pioneers Football Club is pleased to announce the appointment of Ben Russian as senior coach for season 2014.
Ben is a former player and Reserves coach at the Pioneers. He has spent the past couple of seasons as Assistant Coach of the senior team at Wandin in the YVMDFL.
‘Having followed Whitehorse Pioneers for many years, I believe this to be one of the best coaching opportunities in the EFL,’ Russian said.
‘The work the committee has done off the field in bringing stability and fantastic new facilities has been second to none.
‘I look forward to working with an extremely young and talented list to bring sustained on-field success over a number of years to come.’
Ben will replace Tony Vitacca, who has stepped down from the senior position after five seasons in the role. We thank Tony for his efforts over the years and welcome Ben and his family back to Pioneers.
The club is also pleased to announce the appointment of David Griffen as our Under 19’s coach for the 2014 season.
David has coached at our junior affiliated club – Whitehorse Colts – for the past few seasons.
Having recently enjoyed premiership success with our junior teams, David is keen to re-establish the underage team at our senior club.
Supporting David in an assistant role will be current senior player Jake Whiting.
The club is excited to have both Jake and David on board to build our player pathways and strengthen our ties with our junior club.