Stories of Purpose & Joy
Brent McPherson
Brent McPherson: Head of Football, Guildford Grammar School
Brent McPherson didn’t set out to become a coach. After years playing senior football, it was the younger players coming through that changed his thinking.
“I started to grow a bit of a passion once I started playing with younger guys,” he says. “And then being involved in leadership as well…I started to enjoy that side of it a lot more as I got older. Once I finished playing, I was desperate to stay involved.”
Leading a Growing Program
Brent joined Guildford Grammar in 2024. Since then, he has helped appoint more than 25 coaches, launched three new girls’ teams and shaped a structure that supports students from Year 7 through to the First XVIII.
His focus is on effort, connection and improvement. “We want kids who want to be here. That’s the biggest one,” he says. “We get a good representation of that when football training finishes and they all want to hang around for another 15 or 20 minutes and have a kick.”
Day-to-Day Impact
The football program runs across multiple year groups and genders. Brent supports coaches, responds to weekend feedback, helps manage injuries and checks in with students.
“It’s an extremely busy program,” he says. “There are three or four games on a Friday, three games on a Saturday, girls’ games on Friday nights or Sundays. There’s a lot of communication to be had on a Monday and Tuesday, then it’s about preparing and trying to be better the next week.”
Participation and Culture
Within our teams, every player matters. “We’re a school with typically smaller numbers, so we really need to maximise what we have,” Brent says. “Participation and inclusion are a big focus.”
The girls’ football program has brought new energy. Around 60 girls are involved, with many playing for the first time. “It’s brought a community aspect,” Brent says. “We’ve got parents helping as team managers, first aiders, goal umpires. There are a lot more people on the sidelines now.”
Measuring Success
Wins are part of the journey, but they’re not the goal. “If we’ve built a place where kids want to come and play football and want to enjoy themselves and want to improve — that’ll be where we consider ourselves successful,” he says. “Most of all, they need to be enjoying themselves while they’re doing it.”
For Brent, it’s not just about football. It’s about building something students want to be part of and can be proud to leave behind.