Is Don Is Good for the Snowdogs

St Bernard’s Old Collegians Football Club is proud to announce the appointment of its senior coach for Season 2023 – Steven Alessio.

Steve comes to the Snowdogs after famously walking into the Essendon Football Club and after asking for a training trial, followed this up with a decorated playing career, representing the Bombers in 184 games and being a member of the 2000 premiership team.

After retiring as a player, Steven has worked for both the Essendon Football Club and the Richmond Football Club in various operational and football programme roles and also spent time within the AFL Players Association.

More recently Steve has successfully coached within the EDFL taking the team under his guidance to premiership glory. Steve’s family is already closely associated with St Bernard’s with three sons currently being educated at the College.

Steve’s appointment will coincidently see him becoming the second EFC player to wear the No 27 guernsey coach the Club after Bombers legend Simon Madden, and continues the strong association St Bernard’s has with the Essendon Football Club.

“I’m excited by the challenge of Coaching Senior VAFA Football. My family has been involved at St Bernard’s for over a decade, so I have strong connection to the College and broader community.” Steve said to St Bernard’s media.

“I look forward to getting pre-season underway and working with the team both on and off the field.” he continued.

St Bernards OCFC President Andrew Vinecombe said “The fact is all three of Steve’s boys attend the College so he already had a connection to the St Bernard’s community and he’d mentioned in our discussions that he’d keep an eye how we were always going.”

“This is a great extension of that and is a great fit for our young group of players. Although we are now in Premier B, we were very competitive in A section games this year so Steve knows the group is a very committed one.

He’s had a successful history of communicating and galvanizing a young playing group. I’m sure that’s going to be the case with our group and indeed the whole club to have a successful 2023 season.”

On behalf of the St Bernard’s and the wider VAFA community we warmly welcome Steve and his family to the Club and wish him every success in his future endeavours.