Alfonso Opazo is undertaking a labour of love as the new coach of Laverton Park in Football Federation Victoria’s men’s state league 5.
Opazo was a highly sought-after coach following his days of leading Hoppers Crossing from the doldrums to promotion, but after 17 years of non-stop football as player and coach, he needed time-out to give back to his supportive family.
During his two years away from the game, Opazo continued to field calls from clubs in the upper echelon of the state leagues, but it was one from the fifth tier that caught his attention.
“I wasn’t really looking to coach this year,” the 39-year-old from Manor Lakes said.
“Laverton Park came knocking and said they were looking to change direction and turn the club around.
“It’s a club with a Chilean background. My parents are Chilean, so I’ve got that background and my father played for them back in the ’70s.”
There are few tougher assignments than having to rescue a club that had fallen all the way to state league 5.
It’s a division normally associated with expansion clubs making their way in the state league ranks, not an established club that was once a permanent fixture in the middle tiers of the state leagues – which goes to show how far the Reds have fallen in recent seasons.
“The club used to be at a decent level back in the day – they were in state 2 or 3 – but they’ve had some hard times and, for whatever reason, they’ve ended up where they are now in state 5,” Opazo said.
“A new committee has jumped on board and they’ve got a similar vision to my own in regards to trying to get this club back up the ladder.
“It excites me a little bit because they’re basically starting from scratch again. Similar to where Hoppers Crossing was when I took over there, the club decided enough’s enough and we’ve got to turn this ship around.”
There has already been a noticeable lift in professionalism at Laverton Park since Opazo took over.
Pre-season training has started much earlier and the numbers on the track have increased significantly.
“In the past couple of years, I’ve been told they’d be lucky to get eight or nine players show up to the first pre-season training,” Opazo said. “There’s already over 45 players at our disposal in the seniors and reserves.”
The new regime has resulted in a massive recruiting haul.
The latest big-name signing is speedy striker Juan Nilo, a former NSL player with the Gippsland Falcons and long-time Victorian Premier League star at Oakleigh Cannons and Bentleigh Greens. Like Opazo, Nilo played in the juniors at Laverton Park before entering the higher levels.
Opazo has also brought in defender Julian Zach, winger Zia Sherzai, midfielder Tom Orndahl and striker Jean-Paul Cardonne, all players proven at higher levels.
“We needed five or six senior boys who have played at that level, who know what it takes and how training should be,” Opazo said. “It’s brought a buzz within the community again about the team.
“We have a really multi-cultural squad. We want our club for the whole community, not only the Chilean community. We’re trying to tap into the whole of Laverton and the Hobsons Bay area.”
