Paul Beechey’s Bridgenorth story is the kind you respect because it wasn’t handed to him. He left school young, started an apprenticeship, and chased games wherever he could. He couldn’t lock down a spot in the twos at St Pats, spent years at Hagley, then came to Parrot Park at 19 through mates. His first coach at Bridgenorth, Craig McIntyre, reckons he was “pretty lazy” early on, and Paul doesn’t hide from that. He had to lift, and he did.
What changed him wasn’t a shortcut. It was the standard around him. Bridgenorth was a sport-mad community, but it wasn’t only about playing footy, it was about how you carried yourself. Paul grew into the role, grew into the jumper, and by 1996 he was one of the key men in a premiership side, Best on Ground on the day. Later, he was named in the 1971–1999 Bridgenorth All-Star Team, recognition that his impact wasn’t a one-off.
Then he came back as a coach. The first stint wasn’t smooth, his first year back ended in a wooden spoon, but he returned later with more clarity, pulling lessons from the best coaches he’d had (Phil Thurlow among them) and backing his own style. In 2010, it clicked. Paul coached the last senior premiership team the club has had, and he still talks about rolling into Parrot Park to a packed clubroom and the noise that comes when Bridgenorth wins something it’s worked for.
Beechey’s story isn’t about perfection. It’s about growth, standards, and delivering when it mattered, the kind of Bridgenorth career that leaves a mark because it was earned.
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