Grant replaces ex-Melbourne defender Brett Lovett, who spent six years as coach of the Dolphins.
Grant, 31, has signed as coach for two seasons after retiring from the AFL this year.
While he admits he has not seen many Frankston games, he says part of the club’s appeal was the fact it was not at the mercy of an aligned AFL club.
“I think it has its pros and cons but one of the reasons I wanted the job was the fact it was a stand-alone club. We have our own side and we’re able to get a strong rapport with the local competition,” he said.
Grant said he hoped the experience of coaching a side in the VFL would stand him in good stead for a job at AFL level in the future.
“It is something I’d like to do in the future and I see this as a good start. Hopefully we can have some success at the Dolphins.”
Frankston operations manager Bryan Mace said Grant would be a handy addition to the club.
“We’re very pleased to think that a fellow with such experience at AFL level has seen fit to start his coaching career at Frankston Football Club,” Mace said.
Mace said the club had not pursued Grant for long and he had only recently expressed interest in the job.
“He came back from his trip away, found out from some of his colleagues that our spot was available and rang us to see if we’d be interested. We said we would … and he came down and spoke to us. A few hours later we all agreed the job was for him.”
Mace said having the 1999 Norm Smith medallist on board would have the added benefit of helping the club’s recruiting drive.
“It all goes well for our young players who come to our club from the TAC Cup. We concentrate on recruiting boys to come to our club from the TAC Cup in the hope that as they get a bit older those that have been overlooked can go on and be drafted.”
