CHELSEA FOOTBALL CLUB - HOME OF THE SEAGULLS

THE COACHES - Arthur, Alan

Alan Arthur

Years Coached: 1938 - 1939

Alan Arthur's football career commenced at the Sandhurst Club in the Bendigo Football League before he was recruited by Essendon, where he played 30 games from 1928 to 1930. In 1931 he returned to Sandhurst and played there until 1935.

In 1936 he was appointed as captain-coach of the Golden Square Football Club, also in the Bendigo league, and in 1937 he transferred to Dimboola Football Club as captain coach. At Dimboola he coached both the first and second sides to premiership success in his one and only year at the club. 

In 1938, Arthur's success in the Bendigo League, and his reputation as a football tactician led Norwood to sign him as coach after unsuccessfully attempting to bring Essendon's Dick Reynolds across as playing coach.

Although the team performed reasonably well under Alan Arthur they were not able to finish higher than third in 1938 and fourth in 1939.

At the end of 1939 the club decided to replace Arthur with A J J Smith, who was captain-coach of West Torrens, but he enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) early in 1940 and Kevin Hardiman, the former Essendon and South Adelaide player was eventually appointed as coach.

Alan Arthur's son Graham, captained and coached Hawthorn Football Club.

W Heading Aug 2014 

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