Football Coaches Australia presents ‘The Football Coaching Life Podcast’ S3 Ep 2 with Gary Cole interviewing Steve Corica

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Corica FCA

Steve Corica is Head Coach of A-League Men at Sydney FC, where he narrowly missed out on three A-League Championships in a row, losing to Melbourne City in the Grand Final last season. What a remarkable start to his first senior head coaching role!

He played his junior football in Innisfail in North Queensland, before heading to the Australian Institute of Sport and playing just under 500 professional games in Australia, England and Japan.

Steve’s preparation for coaching began while he was playing, and he started to gain his coaching licences before taking on an assistant role with the Sydney FC Youth Team.

He served a seven-year apprenticeship at Sydney with the Youth Team and then as an assistant to Vitezslav Lavicka, Frank Farina and Graham Arnold before taking on the Head Coach role in 2018. He learned from each of these coaches and also learned, like most ‘he didn’t know, what he didn’t know’ when taking on the Head Coaching Role.

Steve believes that team and club culture are key to success. He understands that while he is the driver of the culture, that buy-in from all of the players is integral to behaviours being demanded from the playing group of one another.

Steve’s ‘one piece of wisdom’ was ‘to be yourself’. Know how you want to play, the style of football you want to play. Be strong when you do get setbacks, but believe in what you’re doing, stay strong and keep believing in the style of football you want to play.

Please join me in sharing Steve Corica’s Football Coaching Life.

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Filopoulos: Football Must Move Beyond Campaigns to Win Fans for Good

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Image Credit: Perth Glory

Global marketing and advisory firm Bastion has strengthened its leadership team with the appointment of Peter Filopoulos as Managing Director, Experience. This decision brings one of Australian football’s most influential administrators into a new phase of the sports business landscape.

Filopoulos, who has held senior roles across Football Australia, Football Victoria and Perth Glory, will lead Bastion’s experiential and partnerships division, applying a football-informed lens to brand engagement.

Drawing on his time in the game, Filopoulos emphasised the importance of cohesion in building meaningful fan connections.

“For me, the biggest lesson is that fans don’t see brand, content and experience as individual silos, they experience it all as one connected ecosystem,” he said.

“At Football Australia, the work resonated most when everything was aligned; the team, the narrative, the partners and the matchday experience all working together to feel cohesive and authentic. That’s when engagement moves beyond interaction and becomes something far more meaningful.”

He added that too many organisations still treat fan engagement as short-term.

“Where a lot of organisations fall short is treating fan engagement as a campaign. It’s not, it’s an always-on system.”

Filopoulos’ move reflects a broader shift within football, where commercial growth is increasingly driven by experience-led strategy.

“At Bastion, we put experience at the centre—because it’s where the brand comes to life, where partners integrate in a way that adds real value and where fans genuinely connect,” he said.

“Our focus is on building platforms that bring fans closer to the brand… Get that right, and you’re creating something people actively want to be part of.”

Australian coaches and supporters unite in new partnership

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Image credit: Football Supporters Association Australia

Football Coaches Australia (FCA) and The Football Supporters Association Australia (FSAA) announced the beginning of a new agreement which will see two essential parts of the game brought together.

Terraces and touchlines

The partnership marks an exciting progression for both organisations, and reflects the ambitions of many in Australia’s football industry to continue forming alliances which can help the game grow.

“We’re delighted to announce a formalised partnership with The Football Supporters Association Australia (FSAA) aimed at uniting two of the most vital stakeholder groups in the game: the supporters on the terraces and the coaches on the touchlines,” said FCA via official social media announcement on Wednesday.

“It is desigend to ensure open communication, mutual understanding, and active collaboration through the sharing of ideas and finding solutions to universal issues across the Australian football landscape.”

Ultimately, growth only becomes possible when all stakeholders in the industry unite in vision, commitment and understanding of what the next steps must be. Fortunately, through FCA and FSAA’s shared dedication, several key elements will be addressed, including:

  • Advocacy and voice
  • Engagement and dialogue
  • Education and cultural development
  • Research and projects

 

United through values and vision

Supporters are the beating heart of the world’s game – whether at grassroots level or on the international stage. Thus, FSAA’s work is a pivotal part of Australia’s football landscape.

“We want all organisations to understand the importance and needs of football supporters,” outlined FSAA Chair, Patrick Clancy, via media release.

“Football coaches around our nation clearly recognise the vital support of fans and the value they can provide to players and success of clubs. FSAA’s new partnership will be one of mutual benefit, helping to grow both organisations.”

Furthermore, the partnership highlights how two organisations – representing two distinct groups of people within the game – can still share common values and ambitions to ensure success.

“This partnership reflects our belief that meaningful progress happens when every part of the football ecosystem works together,” said FCA President, Gary Cole, via media release.

“By joining forces with FSAA, we’re strengthening the foundations of our game and ensuring that respect, connection and community remain at the heart of Australian football.”

Final thoughts

At a time when much of the Australian football landscape is divided and criticsed, partnerships such as this become more valuable than ever. Now is the time for building bridges in the industry, not burning them.

Coaches and supporters, while divided by advertising boards and match stewards, will now be more united than ever by the combined efforts of FCA and the FSAA.

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