The 47-year-old will lead Old Collegians' top football side in the 2022 Warrnambool and District league season.

Van de Camp is an experienced and well respected coach across the region. His name is also etched in Warriors' history after leading the club's under 17.5 side to a premiership in 2013.

Since then the St John's Primary School Dennington principal has coached Koroit's under 18.5s for five seasons, assisting premiership-winning mentors Adam Dowie and Chris McLaren during that time.

He was also coach of the Hampden league's under 18.5 team in 2018 and has been part of the Greater Western Victoria Rebels program since 2012.

Listen to the latest episode of our weekly podcast The Main Break:

Van de Camp's most recent gig was with South Warrnambool's under 16s side, which is still in the hunt for Hampden league premiership glory in 2021.

The father-of-one, who had initial conversations with the club after Nick Sheehan announced he was stepping down midway into the season, was excited to take on the role.

"The biggest thing is coming back to where I started my football in Warrnambool," he said. "I started here because my cousin Leo Duynhoven was coaching so that was a no brainer in the decision.

"And with my daughter Hannah playing netball here the last couple of years it has reconnected me and my wife Alison with the club and when the opportunity arose it was probably a pretty easy decision.

"The opportunity to coach senior footy is new to me and it's a challenge I'm really excited about."

Van de Camp said taking on senior coaching was something that had interested him for some time but now the timing felt right.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content:

He said he was excited about the Warriors' emerging list and hoped to build a winning combination with them, the club's senior players and possibly some recruits.

Communication and building relationships will be a key part of van de Camp's philosophy.

President Jason Moloney, who led a four-man selection panel alongside former coaches Daryl Beechey, Anthony Wright and football director Simon Dawson, said the club was stoked to have van de Camp back on board.

"He's an ex-premiership coach of our under 18s and an Old Collegians' boy who went and plied his trade in the Hampden league," he said.

"We wished him well when he went to Koroit and South Warrnambool and doing work through the Rebels. Now to get a bloke back who has done that and it has all come full circle, we're really happy."

Have you signed up to The Standard's daily newsletter and breaking news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that's happening in the south-west.