Beaconsfield has announced Scott Kerr as its senior coach for the 2026 season.
The Eastern League Division 1 club made the announcement last Thursday, with Kerr committing less than three weeks after the surprise resignation of incumbent coach Mick Fogarty.
Kerr has previously held roles at the Eagles, before coaching Hallam in 2023 and being part of the Nar Nar Goon coaching panel for the past two seasons.
Nar Nar Goon won the West Gippsland Football Netball Competition Senior premiership in both of his seasons at the club.
As well as being involved with the senior program, Kerr coached the reserves to back-to-back grand finals, saluting in 2024.
Beaconsfield President Troy Robinson indicated his blend of experience, leading a Hallam side which won just one game in 2023 before learning what success looks like at a competition powerhouse was a significant factor behind his appointment.
“Scott knows how to handle himself with success and he knows how to handle himself with failure so to have somebody like that is great,” Robinson said.
“He’s adaptable and open to taking on challenges which is the important part.
“He knows what mentality you have to apply and what has got to happen when things aren’t going right which is the grounding we were looking for in someone.”
Beaconsfield finished third but bowed out in straight sets in 2025 after a preliminary final appearance last season.
With upheaval to the playing list ahead of the 2026 season, the club will draw on its strong pool of juniors as it looks to consolidate its third-placed finish this year, so Kerr’s ability to build relationships stood out.
“We found some really good candidates but probably just needed somebody who was going to really connect with the playing group and help their journey and Scott stood out,” Robinson said.
“Scott’s got a previous history at Beaconsfield and ticked all the boxed from a resume and grounding point-of-view and he has modern-day game-style management within him.
“He’s very confident and well spoken as well.”
Kerr is excited for the role and believes his experiences position him well to take Beaconsfield forward.
“I really enjoyed coaching in 2023 where we were up against it most weeks but remaining positive and feeding that back to the group was really important,” Kerr said.
“What does success look like in that group at that point in time and how are we going to achieve it was a challenge and learning a bit of resilience and composure when things aren’t going your way was important.
“At Nar Nar Goon, it was about keeping the group motivated because success doesn’t always come so you have to embrace it and stay humble.
“There might be times where we were up and well in control of the game but weren’t playing our style so it was about bringing it back to reality.”
Aware of the legacy Fogarty leaves in supporting young players’ transition into senior footy and backing them in to perform, Kerr is keen to maintain a similar philosophy at Holm Park.
“I want to promote the football talent at Beaconsfield so I’m open to playing a kid if he’s ready,” Kerr said.
“I’ll work closely with the Under-19s and Under-17s to get players senior football ready; yes we want to keep our finger on the pulse for the here and now but we also need to build for two to four years down the track.”
The club has appointed highly respected former Belgrave coach Darren Hamilton as a senior assistant coach who will provide integral wisdom for Kerr to learn off.
Mark Winterton, meanwhile, will take over from Peter Brough as Under-19s coach.
“We earmarked Darren really quickly once we found out he finished at Belgrave and he’ll bring a wealth of football knowledge,” Robinson said.
“Mark has a development mindset which will be perfect for the role and he’s coached a number of junior teams at Beaconsfield and is very articulate.”
