The Carlton Football Club is excited to announce a further coaching appointment for the 2026 AFL season, with premiership player Jacob Townsend arriving at IKON Park as a development coach.
The Carlton Football Club is excited to announce a further coaching appointment for the 2026 AFL season, with premiership player Jacob Townsend arriving at IKON Park as a development coach.
Townsend joins the Blues with a wealth of experience as a player and in recent years as a coach, having most recently worked as the Head of Development at the Box Hill Hawks, who finished second on the VFL ladder.
An AFL premiership player in Richmond’s 2017 Grand Final win (the same year he also won the J. J. Liston trophy as the VFL’s best player), Townsend played at four AFL clubs – Greater Western Sydney, Richmond, Essendon and Gold Coast – and built a reputation as a selfless teammate wherever he played.
Upon finishing his career at the Gold Coast, he seamlessly transitioned into coaching, becoming a development coach for the Southport Sharks in 2022.
Renowned in the industry for being a great teammate and putting others first, Townsend will focus on nurturing Carlton’s emerging talent as part of a new-look development team alongside recently appointed pair Damian Truslove and Ash Close, Torin Baker and new Head of Development Jordan Russell.
Townsend’s appointment becomes the fifth new addition to the Blues’ coaching group for 2026, after Truslove, Close, Josh Fraser (forwards coach) and Leigh Adams (midfield coach) also joined the Club.
“We are pleased to appoint Jacob as a development coach: another exciting addition to our new look development coaching group for next year,” General Manager of Football Chris Davies said.
“Jacob brings with him an abundance of knowledge and expertise. As a premiership player, he has a genuine understanding of what it takes to perform at the highest level, which is invaluable to our emerging players.
“He has lived experience of building success through discipline, focus and teamwork. His transition to coaching across two very successful VFL clubs brings its own benefits, helping to accelerate our own pathway programs, getting our players ready to take the next step.
“As a Club, we feel we’ve recruited a really strong mix of coaches who complement each other’s strengths and bring a clear, shared focus to what we’re trying to achieve.”
Reuniting with current Carlton players and former teammates Zac Willams and Nick Haynes (GWS), Adam Saad (Essendon) and Ben Ainsworth (Gold Coast), Townsend will bring with him a deep understanding of what is required to earn a career at the elite level.
“I’m really excited to be joining the Carlton Football Club and to take on a role as part of the new coaching group,” Townsend said.
“Throughout my career, I was fortunate to learn from some outstanding coaches and teammates, and now I’m looking forward to passing on some of those lessons to the next generation of players.
“My goal is to help our emerging players develop the skills, habits and confidence that will translate to consistent, high-level performance, and to drive them to get the best out of themselves.
“There’s a great energy around Carlton with a strong desire to improve, and I can’t wait to get started.”