Melbourne has announced Steven King as its new senior coach for the 2026 season.
The Demons were on the search after they farewelled premiership mentor Simon Goodwin following nine seasons at the helm.
King's appointment comes as he beat out fellow candidates James Kelly, Brendon Lade and Nathan Buckley, with the latter widely believed to be the likeliest of successors.
"Melbourne has a rich history, and I feel very humbled to be given this opportunity at one of the oldest professional sporting clubs in the world," King said.
"I began my AFL career in 1996 and have experienced it all across the past 30 years. I'm excited to bring my experience to the club and see what we can achieve, together, from next season and beyond.
"I can't wait to meet the playing group, my fellow coaches, the staff, and the Demon faithful, and start building towards 2026."
King played 240 games for Geelong and St Kilda, including the 2007 premiership under Mark Thompson.
Following his playing career, he spent time at the Western Bulldogsand tasted more success from a coaching standpoint as the club delivered a drought-breaking flag in 2016. They also fell short in 2021, ironically against Melbourne.
Then short stints at Gold Coast, which included acting as the caretaker coach following the sacking of Stuart Dew in 2023, as well as a pair of campaigns back at Geelong.
King will remain at the Cats until the conclusion of the 2025 finals campaign, and will head Melbourne ahead of next season.
"We are incredibly excited to welcome Steven as the new senior coach of our AFL program, on what is a significant day for our club," Demons President Brad Green said.
"Steven brings an abundance of experience from across the league, having held coaching positions at St Kilda, the Western Bulldogs, the Gold Coast SUNS and Geelong. I think it's safe to say he was pretty impressive on the field, too.
"Steven has elite football IQ and a deep understanding of the game. He is highly competitive, places a strong focus on connection, and has a coaching philosophy we think our players will thrive under. During the appointment process, it became more and more clear that Steven was the ideal candidate for us.
"As a football club, we're delighted to be entering this next chapter with Steven at the helm. We have no doubt he is the right person to lead us forward."
King was unanimously accepted by the board, who were recommended by President Brad Green, CEO Paul Guerra, Director Steven Smith, GM of AFL Football Performance Alan Richardson, former Essendon Captain Jobe Watson, Melbourne Storm Director of Football Frank Ponissi and Human Resources Executive Meahan Callaghan.
He will be the 28th senior coach of the Melbourne Football Club.
The Demons finished 14th on the ladder in 2025, winning seven games under Goodwin and stand-in coach Troy Chaplin.
