Cricket Australia’s (CA) pace bowling coach Troy Cooley has been appointed the new Head Coach of the CA/Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) Centre of Excellence (COE) in Brisbane.

Cooley will replace the outgoing COE head coach, Greg Chappell who will take on the newly-created role of CA’s national talent manager, based in Melbourne.

In making the transition to this new role, Cooley will also support the Australian cricket team’s Ashes and 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup campaigns.

The 44-year-old brings extensive coaching experience garnered in Australia and abroad to this new role along with his recent work as assistant coach of the Australian cricket team, as well as coaching CA’s Pace Bowling Program.

CA continues to work with the AIS and State Cricket Associations to develop the Australia’s next generation of cricketing talent. The Centre of Excellence received a boost of $17.5 million in April from the Australian Government for the re-development of the COE, which will include upgraded sports medicine sport science and performance analysis training facilities. 

Cooley says he’s looking forward to the new role. 

‘It provides me a wonderful opportunity to continue the outstanding work of former head coaches and benefit from soon-to-be-created facilities at the Centre of Excellence, which I believe will lead the cricketing world in combining coaching with sports science,’ Cooley said.

’There is no doubting the importance of the COE in the cricketing pathway. When I first arrived at the Cricket Academy, as it was then called, in 2000, Rod Marsh was the head coach and helped to develop players such as Michael Clarke, Shane Watson, Mitchell Johnson and Nathan Hauritz.

’These players are now playing an integral role in the Australian cricketing team which aims to securee the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in India, reclaim the Ashes and defend the ICC Cricket World Cup.’

Australian Institute of Sport Director, Professor Peter Fricker welcomed the appointment of Cooley to this important role.

‘The AIS is working closely with CA through the COE to develop young cricketers and prepare them for the rigours of international cricket, so to attract a coach of Troy’s experience is testament to the quality of the program.

’We are confident that Troy will help build on our record and tradition of producing talented cricketers who have gone on to perform strongly at the top level of the game,’ Fricker said.

Cooley was a fast bowler for Tasmania in Interstate competition between 1985 and 1996, before first starting his coaching career as Cricket Tasmania’s pace bowling coach, fitness Advisor and under-17 coach.

The AIS/CA Centre of Excellence, which was established in 1987 as the national cricket academy has a long history of training and developing Australia’s top cricketers for international competition.