Tara Murray
Peter Bugden will step down as Thomastown coach at the end of the Northern Football League division 2 season, with his heart no longer in.
Bugden, who returned to coaching this season after previous stints at Whittlesea and Craigieburn, said that he didn’t feel like he could give 100 per cent to the role going forward.
“I let them [the club] know a couple of weeks ago what was going on,” he said.
“I’m 57 in February and I was thinking to myself there is a lot of work in coaching.
“I have said throughout the process it’s a challenge coaching a football club. It takes a hell of a lot of work, 30 hours a week during the season.
“As you get older other things become more important.”
Bugden said he returned to coaching to see whether he still enjoyed it like he used to and always said to the club that he would reassess after the season.
He said he knew pretty early on that he wasn’t likely to coach on for a second year.
“There’s a lot of great people at the club,” he said. “There’s still a fair bit of work to be done.
“I had to think about what I want to do with my time. I’m freshly retired from the police force and I want to do a bit of travelling.”
President Rob Mazniovski said there were mixed emotions about the departure of Bugden.
He said Bugden had poured his heart and soul into the club.
“As many of you may know, coaching is not just a passion, it’s a way of life. In his many years as senior coach at three different clubs he has witnessed significant change in the world of coaching,” he said.
“The demands and challenges have grown, making it a greater sacrifice for him and his family and not something he feels he can commit to any longer.”
Mazniovski acknowledged that the results hadn’t been what they had hoped, but said Bugden had remained steadfast in his dedication to the club.
He said Bugden had played a pivotal role in creating an enjoyable environment that fosters growth on and off the field.
“It is important to us to acknowledge the immense contribution Peter has made to our club,” he said.
“In particular his contribution and push to help us field an under-19s side for the time in over a decade.”
The Bears sit in seventh spot after 14 rounds, two games outside the top five.
Bugden said they were still a mathematical change of making finals and he was 100 per cent committed for the rest of this year.
“We should get Ty Leonardis, Anthony Capeci, Michael Tang and Anthony Bradford back this week,” he said.
“There’s a lot of players coming back into the team. We’ve played 46 players and seven under-19s, more than the rest of the division.”
