Toni Barlund joined the Averett University football coaching staff as an assistant coach in summer 2023 after serving as a student assistant coach with the program since 2021.
Barlund, a native of Finland, came to Averett as a student in 2021 but has a wealth of coaching experience. He previously served as the development director of sports and football head coach with the Milky City Farmers in Kiuruvesi, Finland. Barlund was also a part-time physical education teacher in Kiuruvesi, as well as the football head coach at the Pajulahti Sports Institute in Finland from 2017-2020. He's also worked as a football head coach for the Jyvaskyla Jaguars, an assistant instructor and national team assistant coach for the Finnish American Football Association. In 2010, he was named the Youth Coach of the Year by the Finnish American Football Association.
In addition to coaching, Barlund also serves as a success coach in Averett's Galesi Student Success Center. In addition, Barlund earned a vocational degree in coaching from the Kisakallio Sports Institute in Lohja, Finland, in 2017 and a vocational degree in welding from the Jyvaskyla Vocational School in Jyvaskyla, Finlaind, in 2009. Prior to that, he furthered his education at Kymenlaakso University of Applied Sciences and the Kotka Maritime and Transportation Vocational School.
In May 2023, Barlund earned his Bachelor of Science in health and sports science, majoring in coaching with a minor in sports administration.
