As the 45th coach of St Kilda Football Club, Richardson was appointed to the helm after an extensive coaching background at five AFL clubs, VFL side Coburg and East Burwood in the Eastern Football League.
Richardson player 114 games as a defender for Collingwood from 1987-1996, playing under Leigh Matthews and Tony Shaw. He then moved into coaching at his local club, East Burwood, in the Eastern Football League.
His stint at the Rams yielded back-to-back flags in 1999 and 2000, before he was appointed coach of VFL club Coburg when it was aligned with Richmond.
At the end of the 2002 season he was courted by the Western Bulldogs and subsequently appointed assistant coach there.
Under the guidance of Peter Rohde for two years and Rodney Eade for one, Richardson looked after the Western Bulldogs defence which included youngsters Brian Lake, Lindsey Gilbee and Dale Morris - all of whom went on to become All-Australians.
However after three years at the kennel, he was on the move again – this time back to Collingwood as a player development manager under Mick Malthouse.
After finishing second-last in 2005, the Magpies played finals in both years Richardson was at the club. It was in this period that he continued to strengthen his reputation as an excellent communicator and a respected mentor.
His tenure at Collingwood saw a rapid rise in the playing stocks of youngsters Scott Pendlebury, Dale Thomas and Travis Cloke among others, and his work with these players was critical to putting the wheels in motion for the 2010 premiership.
After his time at Collingwood, he moved to Essendon for the 2008, 2009 and 2010 seasons under Matthew Knights.
In search of greater opportunities and a more advanced position, Richardson joined Carlton in 2011 as senior assistant coach to Brett Ratten. Not only did he work closely with the playing group, but his portfolio included directing and advising other coaches as well as undertaking a leading role in training schedules and game-day activity.
By this point, Richardson had established himself as one of the AFL's most highly regarded assistant coaches.
Shortly after Ratten's departure, Richardson also left the Blues to join Ken Hinkley at Port Adelaide ahead of the 2013 season.
In another career move that exemplified his football nouse and leadership potential, Richardson was appointed Port Adelaide's director of coaching and even took charge for Port's round six clash against North Melbourne when Ken Hinkley was ill.
Late in 2013, he was appointed St Kilda senior coach and signed a three year contract that would be keep him at the Saints until at least the end of the 2016 season.
In July 2015, the club extended his contract by two years.
In October 2017, Richardson’s contract was against extended, seeing him through until 2020
Richardson is married to Joanne and has two teenage boys, Ben and Lachey.
