RTC Group NNSWF Talented Indigenous Scholarship recipients announced

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Northern NSW Football have announced the inaugural recipients of its RTC Group NNSWF Talented Indigenous Scholarships.

The scholarships were a Northern NSW Football initiative as part of its inaugural RTC Group Indigenous Round across its Premier Competitions in May, in conjunction with National Reconciliation Week.

The scholarships will assist eight Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander recipients from the Hunter region and regional Northern NSW – including four players, one coach and three referees, with scholarships awarded to each recipient.

The RTC Group NNSWF Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Talented Player Scholarship will help recipients represent Northern NSW Football at the 2022 National Youth Championships with contributions towards club registration and identification camp fees as well as costs associated with Talent Support Programs and the National Youth Championships. The player recipients are:

– Violet Nicholson: Tamworth FC, Northern Inland

– Kruze Davidson: Charlestown Azzurri FC, NNSWF Premier Competitions (Hunter Region)

– Jardie Morris: Macleay Valley Rangers, Football Mid North Coast

– Lara Turner: New Lambton FC, NNSWF Premier Competitions (Hunter Region)

The RTC Group NNSWF Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ‘C’ Licence Coaching Scholarship will help recipients complete Football Australia’s ‘C’ Licence advanced coaching accreditation, with coaches to receive ongoing support from NNSWF’s Coach Development Officer and Female Participation and Inclusion Officer. The coaching recipient is:

– Dylan Hugo: South Cardiff FC, NNSWF Premier Competitions (Hunter Region)

The RTC Group NNSWF Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Talented Referee Scholarship will help recipients attend the 2022 NNSWF Referee Academy, with contributions also made towards registration fees and Talented Match Official Camp attendance. Referees will also receive ongoing support from NNSWF Referee Manager Brad Carlin and NNSWF’s Female Participation and Inclusion Officer Annelise Rosnell. The referee recipients are:

– Mahlia Hoskins: Football Mid North Coast

– Cayne Elford: Football Mid North Coast

– Gregory Kennedy: Football Mid North Coast

The scholarships, along with the inaugural RTC Group Indigenous Round, were the first steps towards connecting with the region’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander heritage – according to Northern NSW Football CEO David Eland.

“I am delighted that we have been able to award these inaugural eight scholarships,” he said.

“These recipients will be role models for the next generation of Indigenous players, coaches and referees and will hopefully inspire others from their community.

“We want to increase the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander players, coaches and referees across football while creating more opportunities for them to engage in professional development and this is a chance to identify and showcase the next generation who have the potential to achieve at the highest levels of the game.

“I congratulate Dylan, Mahlia, Cayne, Gregory, Violet, Kruze, Jardie and Lara on their scholarships and wish them all the very best for their future in football.”

RTC Group founding director and executive chairman Richard Claut is part of an organisation with strong passion for helping the underrepresented achieve their goals.

“RTC Group has a proud history of supporting local sportspeople and we’re incredibly proud to be associated with these scholarships,” Claut said.

“Everyone at RTC Group congratulates the eight inaugural scholarship recipients and wishes them well. We look forward to seeing them progress in their football careers.”

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FCA to Host Exclusive Two-Part Goalscoring Workshop Series with Dr Ron Smith

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One of Australian football’s most respected coaching minds shares decades of research ahead of the FIFA Men’s World Cup.

Football Coaches Australia (FCA) has announced an exclusive two-part coach education series featuring renowned coach educator and football analyst Dr Ron Smith, offering coaches a rare opportunity to explore the evolving science of goalscoring through the lens of one of Australia’s most influential football thinkers.

The online workshops, scheduled for June 1 and June 8, will examine the historical development, modern trends and future direction of goalscoring in football, drawing on extensive research that formed the foundation of Dr Smith’s doctoral studies.

For FCA, the sessions represent the culmination of more than a year of planning and provide a timely opportunity for coaches to deepen their understanding of attacking play ahead of the FIFA Men’s World Cup.

“Ron’s work on goalscoring has been years in the making and continues to evolve,” FCA President Ian Greener said.

“We felt there was no better time to bring this knowledge to the coaching community than in the lead-up to the World Cup, when coaches around the world will be analysing the game’s best teams and players.”

Across the two sessions, Dr Smith will present findings from his extensive research into goalscoring patterns and trends, examining how the game has changed over time and what coaches can learn from football’s biggest tournaments.

Topics covered throughout the series will include:

  • Historical analysis of goalscoring trends
  • How goalscoring has evolved in the modern game
  • Key patterns identified through Dr Smith’s research
  • Scoring trends across the last six FIFA Men’s World Cups
  • Comparisons between men’s and women’s World Cup tournaments
  • The role of pressing, transition moments and direct play in creating goals
  • Practical coaching implications for improving attacking performance

The two-part structure has been intentionally designed to build upon itself. Session One will focus on the evidence, data and research underpinning Dr Smith’s findings, while Session Two will explore the practical applications and coaching interventions that can emerge from that analysis.

Football Australia has accredited both workshops with one Continuing Professional Development (CPD) hour each, allowing coaches to earn two CPD hours by attending both sessions.

Dr Smith’s coaching and coach education credentials span decades. He has worked extensively with Football Australia, the Australian Institute of Sport and the Socceroos, while also holding coaching roles internationally in Iceland and Malaysia, as well as within the A-League.

His contributions to coach development have helped shape generations of Australian coaches, making this series a valuable opportunity for coaches across all levels of the game.

Event Details

History and Future of Goalscoring – Session One
Date: Monday, June 1, 2026
Time: 7:30pm AEST
Format: Online
CPD: 1 Football Australia-accredited CPD hour

Following the completion of the FIFA Men’s World Cup, FCA is also planning a special panel discussion featuring leading Australian and international coaching voices to analyse the key tactical developments, trends and lessons emerging from the tournament.

Further details regarding that event are expected to be released later this year.

FCA members can attend the workshops free of charge, while guest registrations are available through Eventbrite.

Football NSW calls on clubs to Make It Red for Heart Health Round

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Football NSW is calling on clubs and associations across the state to register for the 2026 Make It Red campaign, joining a national awareness movement aimed at reducing heart-related deaths on sporting grounds ahead of Heart Health Round on the weekend of June 5 to 7.

The campaign, developed by the Heartbeat of Football Foundation, asks sporting clubs to wear red, raise funds and build awareness around heart disease and sudden cardiac arrest, which is the leading single cause of disease burden and death in Australia for both men and women, and one that health authorities say is largely preventable through modifiable risk factors.

The call to action comes as the Foundation continues its work to map and register Automated External Defibrillators across NSW sporting facilities, a project that has already engaged twelve football associations and fed data into both the NSW Ambulance GoodSAM registry and NSW Health’s public AED map. The availability of a functioning, registered AED on site is among the most significant determinants of survival following sudden cardiac arrest, with survival rates declining sharply for every minute without defibrillation.

Football NSW is encouraging clubs to engage with the campaign across three areas. Clubs can register for the Make It Red campaign to help fund research, education and prevention programs. Participants, particularly those aged over 35, are encouraged to seek a free heart health screening test from their local GP or enquire about hosting a Heartbeat of Football testing day. Clubs are also urged to ensure their grounds have active, accessible AEDs in place, with guidance available through Football NSW’s Rescue Ready Guide.

The Make It Red campaign runs from June 5 to July 12, with Heart Health Round taking place across the opening weekend. Clubs can register and access participation resources at makeitred.org.

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