The Carlton Football Club is pleased to announce the appointment of Brendon Bolton as its new senior coach.

Bolton comes to Carlton with an impressive resume, which includes seven years as an assistant coach at Hawthorn. After joining the Hawks from the club’s VFL affiliate in 2009, Bolton initially worked with the midfield before becoming the forward line coach. In 2014 he coached the Hawks for five senior matches between rounds 11 and 15, achieving a perfect record by winning each game.

Originally from Tasmania, Bolton is a former high school physical education teacher. He won a premiership as a captain-coach with North Hobart in 2003 and in the same year also won the league’s Horrie Gorringe Medal as the best and fairest footballer in Tasmania.  Stints at the Tassie Devils and Clarence followed, before Bolton took over as the head coach of the Box Hill Hawks, guiding the team to consecutive finals series in his two seasons in charge.

Selection committee Chair and Carlton CEO Steven Trigg says Bolton represents the change needed to lead the build of the football program.

“I’m delighted to welcome Brendon to our club and to our team. It is our vision that Brendon will be a long-term coach of our football club as we build toward sustained success. He will be afforded the time and the resources to take Carlton back to where we all want it to be and we will support him every step of the way.

“What set Brendon apart was far more than just his resume and experience, which is impressive in itself. It was his proven ability to develop and educate that convinced our selection panel that he is the right person for Carlton. He is a proven performer, having come from an elite environment where the ultimate success has been achieved.

“To our interim coach, John Barker, I would like to extend our deepest gratitude for what he has achieved since taking on the role. He has restored a competitive spirit to our team and always put the club first in everything he did.

“John has earned nothing but the highest level of respect from everyone at Carlton and the wider football community, showing he has the qualities and the drive to become an AFL senior coach. We will continue to support John however we can with his next steps.”  

Carlton president Mark LoGiudice says Bolton’s appointment follows an extensive recruitment process.

“Our coaching selection panel was genuinely impressed with the quality of candidates who put themselves forward for our senior coaching position,” LoGiudice said.

“We promised to leave no stone unturned in our hunt for a new coach and it’s safe to say it was a rigorous and robust process. I would like to thank the selection panel for its efforts in delivering a terrific outcome for our football club.

“This is a significant decision for Carlton. It was imperative for our players and members we find the right person and the right fit to take our team forward, and I have every confidence that Brendon Bolton is the right man for the job.

“In the past 15 months three major pillars of our football club have changed, with the installation of a new president, a new CEO and now a new coach. Together with a very capable head of football in Andrew McKay, and new executive management team, we believe we now have the foundations to grow Carlton both on and off the field. We are aligned and committed to returning the Blues to being a dominant force once again.

“Now that we have this very significant piece of the puzzle in place, we hope every Carlton supporter will get behind our club and join us in looking with enthusiasm to the future.”

Brendon Bolton will continue in his role at Hawthorn until a time to be confirmed, while John Barker will remain Carlton’s caretaker coach until the end of the home and away season.