Bradley Gotch (born 23 June 1962) is a former

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...

er who played for

Fitzroy Fitzroy or FitzRoy may refer to: People As a given name *Several members of the Somerset family (Dukes of Beaufort) have this as a middle-name: **FitzRoy Somerset, 1st Baron Raglan (1788–1855) ** Henry Charles FitzRoy Somerset, 8th Duke of Beau ...

and St Kilda in the Victorian/Australian Football League (VFL/AFL). He is currently the head coach of

West Adelaide Football Club West Adelaide Football Club is an Australian rules football club in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL). Commonly known as The Bloods and Westies, the club's home base is Richmond Oval (South Australia), Richmond Oval (current ...

in the

SANFL The South Australian National Football League, or SANFL ( or ''S-A-N-F-L''), is an Australian rules football league based in the Australian state of South Australia. It is also the state's governing body for the sport. Originally formed as the ...

. Gotch was one of smallest players of his era at 165 cm and possessed an accurate left foot pass. Debuting in

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street bridges, 14th Street Bridge in ...

for Fitzroy, Gotch played thirty games in his first three years. In

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...

he played three games in the first six rounds before being delisted by Fitzroy and finishing the season with

Port Adelaide Port Adelaide is a port-side region of Adelaide, approximately northwest of the Adelaide CBD. It is also the namesake of the City of Port Adelaide Enfield council, a suburb, a federal and state electoral division and is the main port for the ...

in the

South Australian National Football League The South Australian National Football League, or SANFL ( or ''S-A-N-F-L''), is an Australian rules football league based in the Australian state of South Australia. It is also the state's governing body for the sport. Originally formed as the ...

(SANFL). After impressing at Port Adelaide, he returned to

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

to play for the

St Kilda Football Club The St Kilda Football Club, nicknamed the Saints, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, Victoria. The club plays in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier league. The club ...

. His best goal kicking feat was for St Kilda against his old side Fitzroy where he kicked seven goals in a game in

1987 File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, k ...

. He finished his career playing for

Dandenong Football Club Dandenong Football Club was an Australian rules football club which played in the Victorian Football Association (VFA). Based in the Melbourne suburb of Dandenong, the Redlegs wore navy blue and red as their club colours. Club history From 1 ...

in the

Victorian Football Association The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football league in Australia serving as one of the second-tier regional semi-professional competitions which sit underneath the fully professional Australian Football League (AFL). It ...

(VFA).

Coaching career

Gotch coached Williamstown in the

Victorian Football League The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football league in Australia serving as one of the second-tier regional semi-professional competitions which sit underneath the fully professional Australian Football League (AFL). It ...

(VFL) from 2002 to 2009, becoming the second-longest serving coach in the club's history, coaching the club to finals in six of the eight years including the 2003 VFL premiership. He also worked in development coaching roles with both Collingwood and the Western Bulldogs alignments during those years. In 2010 Gotch was appointed senior coach of the

Casey Scorpions The Casey Football Club, nicknamed the "Demons" and formerly the "Scorpions", is an Australian rules football club based in Cranbourne East, Victoria. The club, which was known until 2005 as the Springvale Football Club and the Casey Scorpions ( ...

, taking over from

Peter German Peter German (born 2 February 1965) is a former Australian rules footballer. Since retiring he has become a successful coach. German coached Subiaco to the 2004 and 2006 WAFL premierships and was rewarded by being named as an assistant to ...

. He joined

as an assistant coach on 19 October 2011. In 2014, Gotch signed a two-year contract to coach South Adelaide in the SANFL. Gotch's sons also play high level sport. Xavier Gotch plays for South Adelaide under Gotch, and

Seb Gotch Sebastian Edward Gotch (born 12 July 1993) is an Australian former cricketer who played as a wicket-keeper batsman. He made his List A debut for Cricket Australia XI on 5 October 2015 in the 2015–16 Matador BBQs One-Day Cup and his debut in t ...

plays cricket for the Melbourne Stars.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gotch, Brad 1962 births Living people Fitzroy Football Club players St Kilda Football Club players Williamstown Football Club coaches Casey Demons coaches Australian rules footballers from Victoria (state) Port Adelaide Football Club (SANFL) players Port Adelaide Football Club players (all competitions) South Adelaide Football Club coaches Dandenong Football Club players Dandenong Football Club coaches