The Western Bulldogs’ most successful coach, Luke Beveridge, has re-signed with the Club for a further two seasons.
The new deal sees Beveridge at the helm until at least the end of the 2025 season, which will see him tally eleven seasons in charge of the Bulldogs.
Beveridge famously took the Bulldogs to premiership glory in just his second season, before reaching the grand final in 2021.
He has a winning percentage of 57% from his 183 games as coach of the red, white and blue, and has taken the Club to six of the past eight finals series.
Of the 35 coaches to lead the Bulldogs across the history of the Club, Beveridge has the most wins (104), most finals appearances (12) and most finals wins (7), and will overtake Ted Whitten’s games record of 228 by the end of his new contract.
As it stands, only Charles Sutton and Beveridge have managed to take their teams to the ultimate glory, with Grand Final success coming in 1954 and 2016.
Bulldogs’ President Kylie Watson-Wheeler said the Board was thrilled to extend the tenure of Beveridge, with the players, coaches and staff fully supportive of extending the coach.
“This is a significant moment for our football club and its people,” Watson-Wheeler said.
“Luke’s passion for the Club is evident and his record speaks for itself, taking us to our first premiership in 62 years, while finding sustained success through his eight seasons at the helm.
“We are so fortunate to have a strong and committed leader driving the Western Bulldogs’ AFL team forward into the future, establishing an exciting playing group and building a culture that has helped the Club’s brand grow and membership surpass 50,000.
“The decision to extend Luke’s contract was unanimously agreed by our Board in conjunction with our CEO, Ameet Bains and Executive Director of Football, Chris Grant.
“There is plenty of excitement ahead for our members and fans, as we look forward to what the Club can achieve together over the next three seasons.”
Beveridge was pleased to lock away his future at VU Whitten Oval, continuing to repay the faith shown by the Club.
“The Club means an enormous amount to me,” Beveridge said.
“It’s a great show of faith and support from the Club to commit to me for another three years, in essence, to the end of 2025.
“I am really grateful for the support I’ve had along the way – so many good people have come and gone who influenced our program and helped me in my role.
“As much as there is the occasional speculation of me coaching elsewhere, I’ve never really thought about that. I’ve always wanted to be here.
“I’m absolutely invested and committed to our football club, mostly our people and everyone that supports us.
“Year on year we aim to be the best in the competition and I am very much looking forward to leading the charge in the pursuit of future success for our Club.”
Beveridge began his coaching journey at the Bulldogs in 2015, claiming back-to-back AFL Coaches Association Coach of the Year awards in his first two seasons.
The Club would like to thank Jeff Long (Managing Partner at HLB Mann Judd) for his continued representation and support of Luke during this process.
