Hoppers Crossing Soccer Club coach Alfonso Opazo has left the building in a far better state than he found it.
Opazo joined the Reds a month into the 2013 season with the team languishing in the relegation zone and struggling to buy a goal.
The first-time coach drew on his 15 years of experience in the top-level Victorian Premier League to turn the club around, culminating in last month’s state league 4 west title.
“I’d like to think I’ve left them in a good position,” Opazo told Star Weekly.
“The foundations are there for whoever takes over. Certain cultures and expectations are in place. Gone are the days where the team was just happy to exist.”
After 17 seasons of non-stop football – 15 as a player and two as a coach – Opazo has decided to press the on-hold button for 12 months. But after dipping his toes into the coaching waters, Opazo is serious about building a career in the caper.
He will use his time away from the game to build his knowledge on players and teams in higher divisions and obtain higher coaching certificates before putting his name forward for roles in 2016.
“I really haven’t had a break from football for 17 years,” Opazo said.
“I’m looking to have a year off but now I’ll have a bit of time on my hands, I’ll develop myself in terms of higher coaching courses and going around seeing what other leagues are like higher up. My plan is to put my hand up for a coaching gig after a year off.”
Opazo made a fine first impression coaching Hoppers Crossing and it took him just 18 months to get the Reds from relegation fodder to promotion to state league 3.
“I just tried to put a bit of professionalism into the club from early on,” Opazo said.
“If certain players didn’t like that professionalism of coming to training and being committed to the cause, I’d rather them be honest and move on straight away before we even kick a ball in pre-season.
“Also the culture of winning . . . I tried to bring that winning mentality into the team.
“We set some pretty high internal goals and one of them was to win every game.
“Once we dropped three points in one game we reassessed and said ‘Right, let’s not lose another game for the rest of the season’.”
The Reds lost just one game en route to the west section title, finishing 16 points clear of second-placed Melbourne City.
They made it all the way through to the SL4 final but were overawed by a Danny Allsopp-inspired Croydon City Arrows.
“I’m definitely proud of what we achieved,” Opazo said.
