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The Plymouth Admirals have
announced that Head Coach Steve Perry will be stepping down at the end of this
season. His departure will bring to an end a six year tenure as Head Coach and
a thirteen year association with the Admirals.
“It was an extremely tough
decision to make”, said the former England international lineman. “I have
dedicated a huge chunk of my life to the Admirals and in different
circumstances I would love to carry on doing that. But I informed the committee
at the start of the year that I would not be around for 2009. I’ve got personal
plans that I’ve been putting on hold while I still had commitments with the
team. The truth is they can’t wait any longer and I am moving to the USA in
just a few weeks. I could have gone earlier in the year but I felt strongly
that I wanted to finish the season before moving on. It’s for that reason that
my main focus at the moment is our game this weekend against Hampshire.”
Perry’s links with the Admirals
began as a much feared defensive lineman in 1996 and he was a vital part of the
notorious Admirals defense of the time.
After
taking up the role of Defensive Co-ordinator in 2001, the opportunity to
progress to Head Coach arose after the 2002 season. Inheriting a squad
decimated by retirements it was a baptism of fire as a young, inexperienced
squad struggled to find its feet in a particularly tough conference.
“Sometimes in sport you need
patience and overnight turnarounds are rare. It took a while but we have
certainly made strides recently as a result of the work we put in several
seasons ago. That’s not just limited to the Admirals senior side. It very much
includes the club’s work with the youth side and the Plymouth University team.”
The University side is also a
result of Coach Perry’s input into the sport. In 1999, whilst studying at
Plymouth University, he founded and coached the Plymouth Blitz Collegiate side.
Admirals General Manager Sam
Holder-Mark has worked under Perry since 2000.
“Coach Perry is one of the most
dedicated people I’ve ever met his impact on the sport has been colossal. All
in all I’ve had 10 seasons working with him at the Admirals and Blitz and in
that time I don’t believe he’s missed more than 6 weeks of training or games,
such is his commitment. He’s a big character whose enthusiasm is infectious.
The number of players who have been introduced to the sport by him must be huge
and many have gone to play at regional or national level. His will be massive
shoes to fill when we shortly begin the search for his replacement. The whole
American football community wish him well in the future.”
Anyone wishing to discuss the
vacant Head Coach role, or any other coaching positions on the team should
contact the committee through plymouthadmirals@hotmail.co.uk
or by calling 077807 17752.