MICHAEL O'Loughlin is going back to the club he spent 15 years at after being appointed as head coach of the Sydney Swans Academy.
O'Loughlin will start the role, recently vacated by newly-appointed Melbourne coach Paul Roos, in November.
"This is a great challenge and one I am really looking forward to getting stuck into," O'Loughlin said.
"I have been in Sydney almost 20 years since joining the Swans and have seen just how far AFL has come as a code in that time.
"The establishment of the academy is one of the most significant steps for AFL development in New South Wales and I am really looking forward to helping grow what we hope will be the next generation of Swans players."
O'Loughlin will step down from his role as head coach of the AIS-AFL Academy squad, which he has been associated with since 2010.
However, he will still tour Ireland as the coach of the Indigenous All Stars, who will play in the two-Test International Rules series later this month.
The 2005 premiership player racked up 303 games for the Swans between 1995 and 2009, and this will be the first time he returns to the club since his retirement.
The Swans Academy will enter its fourth full year in 2014 and possesses eight training locations, including four in metropolitan Sydney and others in the Illawarra, Central Coast, Hunter region and Coffs Harbour.
There are over 550 prospective footballers between the ages of 10 and 19 who are now enrolled in the academy.
Sydney Swans CEO Andrew Ireland said the club was "absolutely thrilled" to have O'Loughlin accept the role.
"He is a club legend and has shown through his work with the AFL development pathway over the last few years, what a great coaching talent he is," Ireland said.
"I would like to acknowledge the outstanding work Paul Roos did in helping to establish the academy program as its inaugural head coach, and now look forward to seeing Michael build on those strong foundations."
General manager of the academy Dennis Carroll said O'Loughlin would be a "tremendous fit" as he was the "perfect role model for young athletes".
O'Loughlin said he was excited by the prospect of returning to the Swans.
"I have really enjoyed my time at the AFL, working with some of Australia's best football talent in the AIS-AFL Academy," he said.
"As part of that role I have been given a great opportunity to travel around the world, but with a young family, I am looking forward to once again spending the majority of my time in Sydney.
"I can't wait to pull on the red and white again."
