Paul Feltham (born 1 October 1948) is a sport psychologist and 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 and coach. He is best known for a short stint as caretaker senior coach of the Brisbane Bears in 1989.

Playing career

Early in his career, Feltham played for Box Hill in the VFA in 1967, Eastlake Football Club in the ACTAFL and Balmain Football Club in the NSWAFL. His talent was his tough, courageous determination and his quick handball. Feltham played as a winger and midfielder North Melbourne from 1970 to 1976. He played in the

1974 VFL Grand Final The 1974 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Richmond Football Club and North Melbourne Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 28 September 1974. It was the 77th annual grand f ...

and was one of the best players in North Melbourne Football Club's first Premiership in 1975. He later joined Richmond in 1978, but his best football games were played at North Melbourne Football club during the '70s.

Coaching career

Early career

Feltham captain-coached Mordialloc in 1979, then left to coach West Canberra in 1980. Later in the 1980s he moved to Queensland, where he coached the University of Southern Queensland's Australian football team to back to back premierships in the Darling Downs AFL competition in 1986 and 1987 and the

Morningside Football Club The Morningside Australian Football Club, also known as the Morningside Panthers, is an Australian rules football club based at Jack Esplen Oval in the suburb of Hawthorne in Brisbane. The club consists of Masters, Amateurs, Women's, Junior and ...

( QAFL),

Brisbane Bears

Feltham joined the underperforming Brisbane Bears in a part-time role as sports psychologist for the 1989 season. When incumbent senior coach Peter Knights was sacked with seven games remaining in the 1989 season, Feltham was surprisingly appointed caretaker senior coach ahead of any of the existing coaching panel. The Bears immediately rallied to win five of the remaining matches, which included an upset win over the eventual premiers Hawthorn, who only lost three matches over the home and away season. Feltham was not considered for the permanent senior coaching position for the following season, reportedly due to a clash with particular senior players and certain club personnel, most notably football manager Shane O'Sullivan. He was replaced by another caretaker senior coach, former coaching assistant and ex- Fitzroy player Norm Dare, for the 1990 season while the search for a permanent senior coach continued for 1991.

Other coaching roles

For most of the 1990s, he disappeared from the spotlight, but reappeared in 1999 as an applicant for the vacant coaching role with

Woodville-West Torrens Woodville-West Torrens Football Club is an Australian rules football club playing in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL). It was formed in 1990 from an amalgamation of the neighbouring Woodville and West Torrens football clu ...

. He applied for the same position again the following season. He also applied for the coaching role with Hawthorn in 2004. He was unsuccessful in each of these applications. He is currently based in Canada, where he is coach of the

London Magpies Australian Football Club London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a major se ...

, and is also a sports psychologist with AFL Canada's national side, the Northwind.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Feltham, Paul 1948 births Living people North Melbourne Football Club players North Melbourne Football Club Premiership players Richmond Football Club players Brisbane Bears coaches Australian rules footballers from the Australian Capital Territory Eastlake Football Club players Balmain Australian Football Club players Australian psychologists Mordialloc Football Club players Mordialloc Football Club coaches One-time VFL/AFL Premiership players