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“Uniquely Melbourne”: What King plans to bring to the Demons
Andrew Slevison • September 15th, 2025 12:36 pm
Newly-appointed Melbourne Football Club coach Steven King is determined to bring a new sense of freedom to the club.
The 46-year-old former Geelong and St Kilda ruckman was unveiled in an official press conference on Monday morning after he was announced as the new Demons coach last week.
King, one of Chris Scott’s current assistants at the Cats, has spent time as an assistant at the Saints, Western Bulldogs and Gold Coast where he was also interim senior coach after Stuart Dew’s exit.
He says the time is now right to take up a senior gig with a proud club.
“I’d just like to take this time to say what a wonderful privilege it is to be given this opportunity,” said King.
“I’m extremely humbled and really, really grateful, but super excited to get started.
“I feel privileged to sit here today. I understand what a privilege it is, but also a wonderful opportunity. Going through the process I became more and more sure that I was the right fit for the job.
“I feel like I bring a skillset, and I've had a wonderful experience in some great organisations, with some terrific cultures and environments, and I'm sure my idea around how I want the game to be played, give our players some freedom to express themselves with ball in hand and to be really aggressive in every phase of the game.
“It’s an honour to be here today. I'd also just like to thank my family that are sitting here with me. I wouldn't be here without you guys and, the support you guys have given me really means a lot.
“Hopefully, you're as proud of me as I am with you guys, so thank you.”
King insists he was purely himself during the selection process and that is what the Demons were attracted to.
He wants to see his players play with freedom and really “get after the game” as he looks to inject some buzz into the club with a unique outlook and game style.
“Speaking to some people, I probably had the chance to really reflect on my journey and get greater clarity about myself,” he said of the selection process.
“I thought throughout the process I'm just going to be authentically me, and the more I was the more it became clear that that's what the Melbourne Footy Club needed as well.
“Without sounding full of myself or anything like that, I just feel like I bring a unique experience and skillset that people want to be around.
“I want my players to drive to work every day with a massive smile on their face knowing they're going to be stimulated, have a lot of fun, and could be challenged as well.
“I honestly believe I want to play a brand of footy that's uniquely Melbourne, and I feel like I can adapt that to the skillset that our players have got.
“I want to tap into their premiership experience that some of the players have already and create something that's really unique to us that gets after the competition.”
King felt the full brunt of the Demons’ force when he was Bulldogs assistant in the 2021 Grand Final so he knows what his new club is truly capable of.
“I really admire what this club's done in the past,” he said further.
“I’ve been on the receiving end in that ’21 Grand Final as a midfield coach, so I know the force that's there. I know the physicality, the aggression that the players have.
“I just want them to probably play a bit more freedom with ball in hand. I think we need to challenge teams in attack a little bit more. As you see now in today's footy, teams put scores on the board, so I want our players to have freedom to get after the game, attack it, give our forwards a bit more of a look, faster with even numbers, and get after the game.
“So without going into too much detail, I feel really privileged, I walk into a club that has a terrific foundation, but the way they compete at the contest, their stoppage structure, and the way they defend - I just want to probably give players a bit more ownership to play with freedom, take what the game gives them and really get after it.”
Image from Melbourne FC on X.
