Photo: Smile for Peter
Bulleen Lions have appointed former Dandenong City manager Aaron Healey as their new head coach for the 2017 NPL Victoria season, replacing Dom Barba at the helm.
The former Australian U17 representative brings a wealth of experience to the Veneto Club, having served for six seasons as Melbourne Victory’s assistant manager under the reign of Scotsman Ernie Merrick.
A foundation member of the club, Healey won two titles with the Victory in a largely successful spell as the second-hand man in the Victory’s backroom staff.
He served as an assistant coach of the Victorian Institute of Sport – under the stewardship of Merrick – for almost a decade prior to his spell at the Victory, having entered coaching in his early-20’s.
Healey spent time coaching and teaching youth talents during his time with VFA Learning, before taking up the role as Technical Director at Dandenong City for their inaugural NPL Victoria campaign.
The 43-year-old succeeded head coach Ivan Duzel to take the top job at Frank Holohan Soccer Complex, his first senior coaching position in his blossoming career.
He guided the club to successive third-place finishes as the NPL2 East side missed out narrowly on promotion in both seasons.
“I thank FC Bulleen Lions for this exciting opportunity,” Healey said in a press release.
“I look forward to working hard with the players and support staff at Bulleen to consolidate our position in NPL and bring success to this proud club.”
Healey was succeeded by Stuart Munro at the helm at Dandy City, while the man he’s replacing Dom Barba has taken up a role as head coach at Port Melbourne Sharks.