PRE-SEASON training has started for the Dubbo Demons, as the city's only Australian Football League (AFL) team prepare for their upcoming 2013 season.

Club president Joe Knagge has announced the appointment of four 2013 coaches for the first, reserve and under-18 grades.

Kim Woodman will be looking after the first grades, former Northern Riverina footballer Steve Smith will be a non-playing coach of the reserves, and both David Rees and Will Bunt will remain with the under-18s following their premiership success last season.

Smith, according to Knagge, has a "wealth of football experience" and is a good asset to the reserve team.

The president said he expected “great things” from Rees and Bunt after their success last year.

The Demons have started pre-season training at Lady Cutler South riverbank ovals on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6pm.

Knagge is excited for what lies ahead for the Demons and promises an exciting year for AFL supporters.

“Kim has been a real asset to our club over the past two seasons and has really concentrated on getting our younger players to a level where they will be very competitive this year,” he said.

“I believe that we have a great chance of being in the top couple of sides this year and a lot of that credit goes to his perseverance.”

Knagge also said Woodman had coached a very young squad of players, as young as 15, who had today become “very good footballers.”

He said the Demons this year deserved to have a team in the grand final, as they will be putting in the hard yards.

“We had the GWS (Greater Western Sydney) Giants come to Dubbo for the first time last year and they brought a good number of players to a small competition in Dubbo ... and that’s something we want to build on this year,” he said.

“We want to introduce under-11s, 13s and 15s in the central west to play in a pre-season competition, with further assistance from the Giants.”

New player additions to the club have come from as far as Albury, Knagge said, with more announcements to come in the near future, as well as the club sponsors.

A trial game has been scheduled for March 23 against Tumbarumba in Dubbo, with another game to be played in Cobar.

Dubbo City Council will soon start work on lighting at the South Dubbo ovals as early as next week, with a new sub-station to be installed.

Thousands of dollars have been put in to the project, as well as a contribution from the GWS Giants.