Tim Clayton with Adam Kyle at the Season Launch.

By Tallon Smith

After two years at the helm of the Yass Magpies, First Grade/Club Coach Adam Kyle will step down from the role at the conclusion of the 2024 season.

The announcement, which came as a shock to many, has triggered the beginning of a process to find a replacement for a job that Kyle has filled so admirably over the past two seasons.

The Yass Valley Times spoke to the man himself about his tenure at Walker Park as he reflected on his achievements and memories of his stint in the role.

“I’ve absolutely loved the job,” Kyle said.

“Two years [at] the oldest club in Canberra [Region] has been a terrific experience for me and my family.”

The outgoing Magpies mentor spoke of how he fulfilled one of the major objectives he was recruited for, creating a greater club culture and sense of synergy between the five grades.

“One of the big parts that the committee wanted me to do when I took this job was to really, I guess, re-energise the culture within the place,” he said.

“When I first took over the role a couple of years ago, a lot of the grades weren’t really harmonised together, so I really took it upon myself and worked really closely with the president, Tim Clayton, to build a set of values that we wanted to sort of stand by as a club.

“The players and the committee have been right across that and really pushed that forward, and our culture now for me is the strongest I’ve seen in any club I’ve been at.

“You can see that across training, we do a lot of training together, [on] Tuesday nights we do whole club sessions and we’ve got 60, 70, 80, 90 people between the men and the women’s teams, all training together, having a good laugh, working hard together, and we see that also built into our functions as well. 

“So [I’m] really, really proud of that, and hopefully that will continue after I leave.”

While First Grade success may have eluded the Magpies during Kyle’s tenure, he senses that success in the lower grades isn’t far away, and that First Grade will follow.

“I was brought in to try and really help not just as a first grade coach to get results but across the club to really build a club first approach and try and bring players through the grades whether that was the men’s or the women’s, and we are definitely seeing that as something I’m really proud of. 

“I think outside of First Grade, every grade still has an opportunity to make the semi finals going into the last four games, so for us that’s terrific, and we’ve got numerous rep players across most of our age groups as well which is fantastic. 

“So yes, that first grade success hasn’t [occurred as such], I think as a club we’re certainly heading in the right direction.”

As for his next move, Kyle said that he hasn’t made any plans as he looks to spend time with family, and while he won’t be at the helm next season, he will still be cheering the Magpies on from afar.

“I love coaching first and foremost, I’ve been a coach for a very long time and I absolutely love coaching, and while nothing’s locked in or cemented at the moment, I’m certainly open to opportunities,” he said.

“But I’ll certainly be cheering on the Magpies going into next year, I’m really excited about that.”

Coaching applications for the Yass Magpies First Grade team are now open, with more details available on the club’s Facebook page.

 

Matthew Stadtmiller

Managing Editor