World Footy News

The Greater Western Sydney GIANTS today announced the appointment of former Australian Test cricketer Simon Katich as Player Development Coordinator.

Katich will deliver a range of programs and initiatives to provide on and off field leadership and mentoring to the club’s leadership and playing group.

As Player Development Coordinator he will work closely with Head Coach Leon Cameron, General Manager Football Graeme Allan and Slater & Gordon GIANTS Academy Coach Mark McVeigh.

Katich played 56 Test matches for Australia between 2001-2010, scoring over 4000 runs at an average of 45 including 10 centuries. 

Katich captained New South Wales between 2002-10 and played county cricket for Lancashire last winter. He grew up in Western Australia and has been a lifelong AFL fan.

Chief Executive David Matthews said the club was delighted to secure Katich for this important role.

“Simon has played sport at the highest level, has proven leadership credentials and will be a great asset for our club to help develop our young playing group,” Matthews said.

"We are building a strong, team oriented culture throughout the club. Simon knows what it takes to win and he also knows how important it is to build a good culture and be part of a team.

“He will work closely in the selection and development of the club leadership group and also with individual players to implement strategies and techniques to consistently deliver high performance outcomes.

“As someone who relocated from WA to Sydney for his own career, Simon understands the resilience required to settle into a group and develop to your full potential. Simon's role will be transferrable in order to bridge programs from the Slater & Gordon GIANTS Academy to the NEAFL to the AFL.”

Katich said he was excited to be joining the GIANTS. “I am a passionate AFL person and with my cricket playing career coming towards a close, it is timely to pursue my management career," he said.

"I was asked to address the GIANTS players along with Steve Waugh before the start of last season and was very impressed by what I saw. Since then I have done some mentoring with Stephen Coniglio, who also moved from Perth to Sydney.

"I am passionate about the opportunity to help develop a young and talented playing group. With a new Head Coach in Leon Cameron and some fantastic recruits including Heath Shaw and Shane Mumford, the club has an exciting future and I look forward to being part of it."

Katich has a commerce degree from the University of Western Australia and was a member of the Australian Cricketers' Association executive between 2007-13.

He will begin his role in a part time capacity immediately and become full-time role in February when he completes his Big Bash commitments with the Perth Scorchers.