Cameron Joyce has been announced as Essendon VFL’s new Senior Coach.

Equipped with over 26 years of experience across a multitude of different football roles, Joyce notably served as List Manager and then General Manager – Football at North Melbourne from 2008-’19 before moving into the coaching sphere.

The 44-year-old was the Senior Coach for the Tasmania Devils’ Women’s U18 side for a season in 2020, prior to taking the reins as the Gold Coast SUNS’ AFLW Senior Coach between 2021-’24.

The son of two-time Hawthorn Premiership Coach Alan, most of Joyce’s life has revolved around football, initially in opposition scouting before making his successful push up the ranks - a journey that lends itself well to the new role, where he’ll also work closely with the AFL program as a Development Coach.

Joyce is looking forward to the new opportunity on the eve of the VFL campaign.

“I’m excited to be at the Club with a really strong direction,” Joyce said.

“The next couple of weeks will be about making sure I get across all the staff and players, getting to know them really well in the lead-up.

“I’ve been involved in footy for 26 years across four Clubs now, I’ve had a lot of different roles across the board. A big part of the decision to come down and be a part of it is the quality of people here.

“I’m very much a strengths-based coach. (There’s) the alignment with Brad Scott in terms of his philosophy and strategy of the game, it’s important to have a really good relationship with AFL and VFL. That’s something I’ll be pressing with the players is to make sure we’re on the same page with that.

“When you walk through the door today and meet the staff and players, I couldn’t be happier with my choice.”

Joyce will formally take over in the role next week as he integrates into the Club over the course of his first week at the NEC Hangar.

GM – AFL Daniel McPherson is excited by the prospect of what Joyce can bring to the position, given his wealth of experience at a relatively young age for a Senior Coach.

“Cameron’s acquired a vast amount of football experience over the years and we’re excited to have him on board with the program in this crucial role of VFL Senior Coach/AFL Development Coach,” McPherson said. 

“In addition to his time as a List Manager and GM of Football, he’s been able to add to his coaching repertoire over the last four years at both the Tassie Devils and the Gold Coast, which gives him a good grounding ahead of taking on this role.

“Cameron’s already worked closely with a number of key people at the Club such as Brad Scott, Ben Robbins and Ben Jacobs, which will no doubt help his integration into the role. We’re looking forward to seeing how he slots in with ‘Hurls’ (Michael Hurley) and ‘Trav’ (Cloke) in the development space, as well as with the broader VFL staff and playing group."

The Bombers’ VFL program has three practice matches to come ahead of their official season start in March, starting with Tuesday afternoon’s hit-out against Geelong at GMHBA Stadium prior to the AFL AAMI Community Series clash.

Palo Alto is Essendon’s official Coaches Partner for the 2025 season.