Long-time baseball player and coach Daniel Chircop is pleased to take on the head coaching role for Maribyrnong Sports Academy’s Baseball Program as part of a new partnership between Baseball Victoria and MSA.
As an official partner of baseball in Victoria, MSA joined the BV Diamond Partnership Program at the Home Run level for 2023. Through this partnership, BV selected Daniel Chircop from the Performance Pathway to serve as head coach for the MSA Baseball Program and help lead student-athletes to success on and off the field.
Chircop started playing for Williamstown Baseball Club when he was 7 years old, and still plays for the Wolves to this day. A position player and pitcher, the former Victorian State Team representative has years of experience coaching junior and senior ball, and has been an assistant coach for the BV Performance Pathway over the past few seasons.
He is being mentored by BV High Performance Officer Damian Shanahan as he further develops his coaching abilities and embraces this new coaching opportunity.
“It feels fantastic, a big goal achieved for me. I've always had an interest in leadership and teaching, but I would say the last 5 years, as I could feel my competitive playing career slowing down, my interest in coaching peaked enough for me to set some goals around shifting into a role professionally,” Chircop said.
“Since then, I have been coaching senior club teams, taking the time to be trained formally and engaging in the Baseball Victoria Junior State Programs. I'm proud to say that landing this role has really been a culmination of that work.”
One of the things he’s most looking forward to is working with MSA’s talented group of athletes for an extended period of time, rather than just one tournament or season. He’s excited about the blank canvas to write his own program and focus on skill development.
“I want to really understand what the athletes are trying to achieve in their careers and help them work towards that goal,” Chircop said. “Being partnered with BV, I have access to a wealth of coaching knowledge and experience from the likes of Damian Shanahan and Keli'i Zablan to draw on, as well as access to the plethora of coaching resources BV holds.”
Chircop is ready for a big year of baseball ahead, leading MSA students to greater success in their sport and opening the door for more programs and opportunities in the future.
“I really want to sink my teeth into this role. This program remains an excellent opportunity for me to run a program the way I want to run it, with the guidance of BV's finest. I expect to learn as much about coaching as my students do about the game.”
Learn more about Maribyrnong Sports Academy HERE.