Football Queensland (FQ) is pleased to announce the four nominees for the 2019 Football Queensland Premier League (FQPL) Coach of the Year Award.
Paul Arnison, Andrew Ogden, David Booth and Scott MacNicol have been nominated for the FQPL Coach of the Year Award, which will be presented at the 2019 Football in Queensland Awards Night next month.
Paul Arnison led Sunshine Coast Wanderers to the FQPL Premiership and promotion to the NPL Queensland in only their second season as a club. Wanderers began the year in fine form, recording wins in their first five matches and going on to win 13 of their 18 regular season games. One of the best attacking sides in the competition, Arnison’s side dominated the second half of the season, recording seven straight wins in the back-end of the season and falling to defeat only once in their final nine regular season matches. A Semi Final win against Ipswich Knights set Wanderers up for a chance at Grand Final glory as they met Rochedale Rovers in this year’s Grand Final. Arnison’s success with Sunshine Coast Wanderers earned him selection as Coach of the Month on two occasions in 2019.
Andrew Ogden’s Ipswich Knights had a mixed start to the 2019 FQPL season, before finding their form at the right time of the year to book their spot in the Finals Series. Ogden’s dark horse side ended the regular season undefeated in their final five matches, finishing in sixth to qualify for the 2019 Elimination Finals. It was here that Knights produced some of their best football to record an upset victory against Logan Lightning, a side that had only just been fighting for a promotion spot. After their undefeated run, Knights fell to defeat at the hands of the Premiers in their Semi Final clash.
Capalaba FC were one of the strongest sides in the FQPL this year with David Booth at the helm. Booth’s side secured promotion to the NPL Queensland after finishing the regular season in second. Six straight wins early in the season laid the foundation for Capalaba’s success in 2019 as one of the competition’s best sides in both attack and defence. Locked in a close battle with Logan Lightning for the final promotion spot in the back-end of the season, Booth’s Capalaba FC were undefeated for their last six regular season matches to confirm their top two spot and their place in the Finals Series. The battle for promotion went down to the last game of the regular season, where Capalaba came out victorious against Logan Lightning in their must-win encounter. Booth’s success with the team saw him selected as Coach of the Month for May.
Scott MacNicol led Rochedale Rovers to Grand Final glory in the 2019 FQPL after finishing the regular season in fourth. After some varied results early in the season, Rochedale found their form towards the middle of the season. Despite a mixed bag of results at the end of the regular season, MacNicol’s Rochedale held onto fourth spot to book their place in the 2019 Finals Series. In the Finals Series is where Rochedale showed their best form, recording a win against Mitchelton FC in the Elimination Final, before going on to secure an upset Semi Final victory against Capalaba FC to progress to the 2019 Grand Final. Meeting the Premiers in the Grand Final, Rochedale came out on top to claim Grand Final glory. MacNicol was named Coach of the Month in August thanks to his side’s impressive finish to the season.
READ: FQPL Player of the Year nominees
READ: FQPL Young Player of the Year nominees
How coaches are nominated
The Coach of the Year is awarded to the best First Team coach during the regular season. As per the 2019 Competition Regulations, votes are cast on a 3-2-1 basis by the Head Coach of each club following the conclusion of the regular season.
A Head Coach is ineligible to win the Coach of the Year if the Head Coach has been suspended as a result of being sent from the Field of Play during a match or as the result of a Disciplinary Committee Hearing.
The eligible Head Coach who receives the most votes for the regular season will be awarded the Coach of the Year Award.
The 2019 Football in Queensland Awards Night will be held on Saturday, 2 November in the Grand Windsor Ballroom at the Pullman Hotel in Brisbane.
A variety of awards will be presented on the night, recognising the outstanding achievements of individuals and clubs at both community level and from FQ’s Premier competitions.
Buy tickets to the 2019 Football in Queensland Awards Night here.
Find out more about the 2019 Football in Queensland Awards Night.
