The legendary coach who brought Bentleigh back has walked away

Bentleigh Greens are searching for a new head coach after George Katsakis resigned following Friday night's 3-0 defeat to fellow NPL VIC strugglers Green Gully.

The club confirmed Katsakis offered his resignation immediately after the match, with Bentleigh accepting the decision and bringing an end to a two-and-a-half-year tenure that reshaped the Greens.

His departure comes with the Greens sitting third from bottom in Victoria’s top tier and facing an increasingly difficult battle to preserve their top-flight status.

While the current campaign has proved challenging, Katsakis leaves having played a pivotal role in restoring Bentleigh to Victoria's premier competition.

Appointed ahead of the club's promotion push, the Victorian football legend rebuilt the senior program and guided the Greens back to NPL Victoria in his first full season in charge.

In announcing his departure, Bentleigh praised Katsakis' professionalism, describing his resignation as "the final act of a gentleman" while acknowledging the immeasurable impact he had both on and off the pitch.

Few coaches in Victorian football carry a resume quite like Katsakis.

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The longest-serving coach in Heidelberg United's history, he guided the Bergers to an NPL Victoria Premiership, Dockerty Cup and an NPL Australian Championship, while also being recognised as the league's Coach of the Year in 2017.

He arrived at Kingston Heath determined to restore one of Victoria's proud football clubs.

He achieved promotion. Now, with Bentleigh once again fighting for survival, the next chapter will be written by somebody else.