The Coach Poster Situation

This piece was created as a gift for the coaches of a junior football team this season.

The idea was to make something more personal than the usual thank-you gift. Something that felt connected to the season, the team and the role the coaches played across the year.

A mug is fine.

This is not a mug.

I wanted it to feel like a classic footy record cover — bold, nostalgic, a little bit official, and the kind of thing that looks like it should have been handed out at the gate before a big game.

I leaned into the feeling of old-school football records and game-day covers: strong composition, bold typography, nostalgic sports energy and that slightly official feeling that makes a junior footy moment feel bigger than it technically is.

The design needed to feel personal, but not overly sentimental. It had to say “thank you” without relying on a novelty slogan, a suspiciously shiny plaque or a last-minute gift card situation.

I wanted the finished piece to feel frameable. Something with enough polish and meaning that it could sit on a wall and quietly say, “Yes, this season mattered.”

Very dramatic for a coach gift. Also correct.

The finished poster became a more personal way to recognise the coaches and the time, effort and energy they gave across the season.

It turned a standard thank-you into something more memorable, more considered and significantly more frameable.

It celebrates the people who show up each week, run the drills, guide the players, manage the chaos and somehow keep coming back even when the weather is rude.

Again, not a mug. Important distinction.

This kind of project works well when someone deserves a thank-you that feels more personal than the usual panic-bought gift.