The Football Coaching Life Podcast

The Football Coaching Life: Ante Juric

This conversation is a wonderful insight into Ante Juric, the man, and the coach. This conversation is filled with honesty, frankness, and humour as well as significant wisdom. Ante fell in love with the game in Canberra. Playing for Canberra Deakin, under Tom Sermanni, he made his senior debut for this fantastic club as a youngster, like so many before. The Zelic brothers, Josip Simunic and George Kulcsar to name a few. He played almost 400 games in the NSL, with Melbourne Knights, Sydney Olympic and Canberra Cosmos. He also plied his trade in Portugal, Norway and Malaysia before finishing his playing days at Sydney United. Ante also played for Australia with the U20’s, the Olyroos and the Socceroos. Qualifying as a teacher he began his coaching apprenticeship at Westfield Sports High and then Trinity Grammar. He also was an assistant at NSWIS and Sydney FC with the A League Women, working with Alen Stajcic. Ante has worked with Australia's National Women’s and Men’s Teams, has been National Technical Director for Women, and has coached a range of national junior teams. As Head Coach of Sydney FC Women, he has made five Grand Finals in a row! As Head Coach of Sydney Olympic in the NSW NPL he has just won the Premiership! Please join Gary Cole on this journey of discovering Ante Juric’s Football Coaching Life.

The Football Coaching Life: Ufuk Talay

“Be strong in your beliefs. Don’t compromise on your playing style and philosophy and the principles of how you want to play, whether your winning 5-0 or losing 5-0. You might tweak a few a few things but never compromise on any beliefs on the way the game should be played.” - Ufuk Talay This is an engaging and open conversation with Ufuk Talay, the Manager of Wellington Phoenix A League Team. Ufuk fell in love with the game through his father who encouraged him to develop his skills. His dad used the SBS TV show ‘Captain Socceroo’ to find new skills for Ufuk to master!  After debuting for Marconi and winning a championship in the NSL, Ufuk signed for the large Turkish powerhouse Galatasaray, coached by Liverpool legend Graeme Souness. We discuss the passion of the incredible derbies with Fenerbahçe and his almost 10 years playing in Turkey. He had the opportunity to serve an apprenticeship on his coaching journey at Sydney United, the AIS and the Joeys before taking on Head Coaching roles with the Joeys and the Australian U20 teams. Then he served as an Assistant with Steve Corica at Sydney FC before taking on the Manager position at Wellington Phoenix, where his team consistently plays attractive and successful football. Ufuk talks openly about his coaching journey, his learnings from Ange Postecoglou, developing young Kiwi footballers and the challenge of Australian junior coaches with so many players not getting enough game time. This is Ufuk Talays’s Football Coaching Life.

The Football Coaching Life: Trevor Morgan

This is an insightful reflection of Trevor Morgan’s long coaching journey as well as the challenges he currently faces as Australia's National U17 (Joeys) Coach and National Technical director. Trevor fell in love with the game in the Blue Mountains with Hazelbrook Hawks. He is the first to admit his senior playing career wasn’t elite, but his early introduction to coaching enabled a long time to grow and develop his coaching skills. He was influenced by several wonderful Australian Coaches including David Lee and Casey De Bruin (a huge fan of legendary Victorian Coach Lenny McKendry). Trevor’s coaching journey included 20 years at the famous Westfield Sports High School, an institution that has helped to develop many Matildas and Socceroos. In addition to talking about Trevor's coaching journey, Gary also detours to the topics of player and coach development in Australia, the challenges of coaching and developing a national team through Covid, and the benefits of helping players develop behaviours like the ‘Best players in the World’. Trevor speaks openly about the learnings on his journey, the benefits of coach mentors and the changes that have been made in coach education to facilitate coach mentoring. We also discuss the challenges of UEFA not accepting AFC Pro Licences and the impacts and possible solutions. Enjoy this journey into Trevor Morgan’s Football Coaching Life.

The Football Coaching Life: Kenny Lowe

How do you become a good coach? ‘Go and do your badges and go and spend 10 years on the grass ………. and try not to be sacked too often!’ Wonderful pearls of wisdom from Kenny Lowe. This conversation is a wonderfully open look inside of Kenny’s football coaching journey and the significant people and moments in it and the wisdom he has gained along the way. Kenny is currently the Director of Football at ECU Joondalup in the Football West NPL, where he coaches the first team and the juniors. This is in his spare time as he is the Principal Mechanical Engineer for Wood. He had 10 clubs in his 300 plus, professional and semi-professional career in the UK, before reluctantly accepting the role of Manager at Gateshead, where his love for coaching and player development began. After moving to Australia in the early 2003 Kenny worked with the Football West National Training Centre program and became an assistant coach to Dave Mitchell, Ian Ferguson and Alistair Edwards at Perth Glory in the A-League. In 2013 he took on the Head Coach role and is still the longest serving Perth Glory Manager after five years in charge. Kenny speaks openly about his journey and learnings he has had along the way. He also speaks highly of his fellow coaches and the way they have reached out along his journey. He was blown away when Graham Arnold invited him to be his Assistant with the Socceroos for the 2019 Asia Cup in the UAE. Kenny’s son Rory is a Comedian and I’m guessing he gets this from his dad! Please join me in sharing Kenny Lowe’s Football Coaching Life.

The Football Coaching Life: Kevin Muscat

This conversation is a wonderfully open look inside of Kevin Muscat's football coaching journey and the significant people and moments in it and the wisdom he has gained along the way. ‘Musky’ as he is affectionately known in Australia has just kicked-off his second season as Manager of Yokohama F Marinos in Japan’s J-League. After he took over from Ange Postecoglou in 2021, the Marinos finished runners-up in his first season. Kevin had a 600-game professional career for club and country. Commencing as a junior with Sunshine George Cross in the National Soccer League, then Heidelberg, South Melbourne, Crystal Palace, Wolves, Rangers, Millwall and then back to Australia to kick off the A-League with Melbourne Victory. He played for Australia at U20, U23 and of course the Socceroos who he also captained. Musky’s coaching career commenced at Melbourne Victory as an Assistant to Ernie Merrick and Ange Postecoglou before taking on the Head Coach/Manager role in 2013. Success came early for him as a Head Coach, with both a premiership and a championship in ’14-’15 and another championship in ’17-’18 along with FAA Cup success in 2015. Kevin resigned from Victory after six seasons to expand his career and headed to Sint Truiden in Belgium where he initially had to be Technical Director as like many of his contemporaries his AFC/FA Pro Licence wasn’t recognised by UEFA. Please join me in sharing Kevin Muscat’s Football Coaching Life.

The Football Coaching Life: Aurelio Vidmar

Aurelio has recently returned to Australia from coaching at BG Panthum United in Thailand League One. As a player, he had a remarkable 500 plus game professional career in Australia, Belgium, Netherlands, Switzerland, Spain, and Japan, and finished playing back in Australia. Over 260 games were with Adelaide City in the National Soccer League. And of course, he was a member of the ‘Golden Generation’, playing 44 times for the Socceroos. Vidmar's coaching journey began in Australia with Adelaide United as Assistant to John Kosmina, before taking on the Head Coach role and finishing runners up in both the Hyundai A League and the Asian Champions League in 2008 and 2009. Aurelio then became Assistant Coach of the Socceroos and Head Coach of the Olyroos from 2010-2016, and was U20 Head Coach in 2012. He also had a short stint as caretaker Socceroos Coach in 2013. He moved off the grass into the office in a Director of Football role at Adelaide United, but realised he needed to be teaching, coaching and leading on the grass again and headed into Asia to work at Bangkok Glass in Thailand, then Lion City Sailors in Singapore before heading back to Thailand with BG Pathum United. This is a wonderfully open and honest conversation. Aurelio has so much wisdom which he shares eloquently. Enjoy this journey into Aurelio Vidmar’s Football Coaching Life.

The Football Coaching Life: Leah Blayney

In this episode, recorded in November 2021, Gary Cole speaks with Leah Blayney.  Leah is the Head Coach of the Young Matildas and the Future Matildas, which she combines with teaching at Westfield Sports High. Her love for the game began in the Blue Mountains in New South Wales with Wentworth Falls Warriors, and then Macarthur Rams U14 Boys, where she was the only girl in the team. Leah headed to College in the USA and that's where she started her coaching journey. Her playing career saw her play professionally in Australia, USA and Sweden. She also played for the Young Matildas and the Matildas before her playing career was cut short by injury. She has coached with Football New South Wales and the National Talent Centre (NTC) Program, has been Assistant Coach with West Sydney Wanderers, Assistant Coach of the Matildas, and was also included in the Football Australia Female Coach Mentor Programs. Leah went to the Rio Olympics and the World Cup in France as a scout/analyst. Leah took over from Gary Van Egmond as Young Matildas Coach in 2019 and took them to the AFC U19 Championship. She is now busy preparing the team after the 2022 Asian Cup in Uzbekistan was cancelled due to Covid. She talks frankly about developing young players and the importance of tournaments and game time for fringe Matildas. Empowering female coaches as well as players is high on Leah’s to do list. Please join Gary Cole in this journey into Leah Blayney’s Football Coaching Life.

The Football Coaching Life: Alen Stajcic

Alen is the current Head Coach of the Philippines Women’s National Team (the Malditas, yes that’s correct!), and is preparing them for the 2022 AFC Asian Cup, which is being held in India. The Philippines will play in a group with Indonesia, Thailand and of course Australia (the Matildas). His Serbian background led him to Bonnyrigg White Eagles in Sydney’s west, but a knee injury shortened his playing career and as a teacher he began coaching. Staj has had a remarkable coaching journey that began at the Hills Sports High School and at New South Wales Institute of Sport, coaching the Sapphires in the Women's National Soccer League. Both of these institutions saw teams achieve repeated successes with championship wins, but Alen learned that success comes in many ways. He had an early taste of coaching a national team in an Assistant Coach role with the Young Matildas at the 2006 World Cup in Russia, before becoming the inaugural Head Coach at Sydney FC Women, which saw them win two championships and two premierships as well as third place at the FIFA International Women’s Club Championship. Then followed five fantastic years as Head Coach of the Matildas, during which they beat Brazil and World Champions USA for the first time, changing the belief of the players and achieving successes at the Asian Cup, Olympic Games and World Cup. Alen’s ‘One Piece of Wisdom’ is ‘It’s got to be fun; you’ve got to enjoy it because it’s a tough job. Coaching can be a lonely experience, so you’ve really got to find the enjoyment, fun and reward, and the connection to what it is you want to achieve. If it's not fun, it's just too tough a job!’ Enjoy this discussion about Alen Stajcic’s Football Coaching Life.

The Football Coaching Life: Michael Valkanis

Michael Valkanis was most recently the Assistant to John van’t Schip as the Greece National Team Coach. Michael played his junior football at South Melbourne and as a student at De La Salle College. He made his senior debut in the NSL with South Melbourne before heading to Greece to play with Iraklis and then AEL Larissa. He played for eight years in Greece before returning to Adelaide and the A-League. His coaching journey began at Adelaide United with the youth team and then as an Assistant Coach with the first team. A new opportunity took him to Melbourne City to work alongside John van’t Schip and then a brief spell as head coach before joining John in Holland with PEC Zwolle. This was followed by the move to Greece with the National Men’s Team. Michael has served a wonderful apprenticeship as Assistant Coach in Adelaide and Melbourne, with brief stints as Head Coach at both Clubs. He is now keen to stretch his wings and take on the mantle of Head Coach as his journey continues to develop. He firmly believes that there are many Australian Coaches that are good enough to work overseas. Coaches like players need to “get out of their comfort zone”. This is another conversation full of wisdom, including Michael's belief that "Your football philosophy will come to light through knowing yourself." Please join me in sharing Michael Valkanis’s Football Coaching Life.

The Football Coaching Life: Belinda Wilson

Belinda Wilson began her football journey in Byron Bay on the far north coast of New South Wales, Australia. She is currently enjoying autumn in Zurich, Switzerland where she is the Senior Technical Development Manager of Women’s Football with FIFA. A remarkable achievement for a young Australian Coach and Administrator. After falling in love with the game on a family holiday to the UK, Belinda returned to Byron Bay where she was unable to play as she was a girl. At the time there were no girls’ competitions and girls weren’t allowed to play with boys. She was eventually allowed to play as a twelve-year-old in the senior women’s team. Her coaching journey began as a teenager coaching her younger brother's team from U6 through to U13’s. Her talent was rewarded as coach of FFNC U14 girls’ representative team. Belinda has worked as the Coach Education Manager for the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and in full-time club roles in Sweden and Denmark. She returned to Australia to work with Football New South Wales, the New South Wales Institute of Sport and as Head Coach of the Australian U17 team, also winning a Premiership with Brisbane Roar in the W-League in 2013. She was appointed as Head Coach of the Guam Women’s National Team and National Technical Director in 2017 and has also been on the FIFA Technical Panel for World Cups in 2007 and 2011 and the 2008 Olympic Games. Belinda’s ‘One Piece of Wisdom’ is ‘Don’t be afraid to take a risk. Go out there and challenge yourself to see who you are as a person but also as a coach. Take the opportunities and take a risk, the worst that can happen is you end up where you started, and sometimes that’s not a bad place to be.’ Please join me in sharing Belinda Wilson’s Football Coaching Life.