Marando was proud to be unveiled as coach of a club that holds a special place in his heart.

“I've been involved with Yoogali all my life,” he said.

“I have coached here in the past and really excited to come back. The committee asked if I was interested in coaching and I thought it was the right time to come back and help the club.”

The returning coach is coming into the position with plenty of experience he has gained in the time out of the role.

“Three years ago I decided to get involved with the Riverina Rhinos which was a great experience,” he said.

“Also did some coaching with Griffith rep, Riverina teams and some NSW Country Futsal teams, so I gained a lot of experience from that.”

Along with being the first-grade coach, Marando will also be in charge of overseeing the coaching of the junior sides as they look to return to the top.

“We are really trying to get some junior teams back involved, and with that, I will be guiding the coaches and giving them the tools that they need,” he said.

“We are also trying to get it back to the family club we once were and reestablish ourselves as a powerhouse for Griffith football. In the last few years we have dropped off a little bit, and we really want to get back up towards the top.”

Yoogali FC was one of three teams who were able to put two sides into the first-grade competition and with numbers again looking promising they are hopeful of achieving this again with a good bunch of youth and experience around the club.

“There are a lot of kids coming through as in late teenagers and early 20s, and I'm really excited to be working with a new group of boys,” he said.