Pararoos Head Coach Kai Lammert: “We want to leave the place better than when we found it”

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Kai Lammert

Australia’s Paralympic National Football Team, AKA the Pararoos, are Australia’s only male representative national football team for athletes with cerebral palsy, acquired brain injury or symptoms acquired from stroke.

Alongside the recently launched ParaMatildas national team, the Pararoos compete in a modified 7-a-side format. Matches consist of two halves of 30 minutes each – there is no offside rule, throw-ins may be made with just one hand, and the field’s dimensions are reduced.

Currently, the Pararoos are ranked 10th in the International Federation of CP Football’s (IFCPF’s) World Rankings and are due to take on a USA side ranked equal fourth at Manly’s Cromer Park on February 4, their first home international since 2019.

Speaking with Soccerscene ahead of a significant 2023 for the Pararoos, Head Coach Kai Lammert discussed how the team has progressed since his start in the role from 2015, what the next steps are for the side, and the legacy the team is looking to leave for future generations of the Pararoos.

Kai

What does your role with the Pararoos involve on a day-to-day basis?

Kai Lammert: We all currently have other jobs besides the Pararoos. It’s a big commitment for all staff and players, but we all have a true passion for the players and the program. Besides the tactical, technical, physical, and mental preparation of the team, I have sponsorship commitments and media commitments, planning, and lots of video analysis of our own and the opposition team as well as going through player injury and fitness reports. All of this is a huge team effort and I am lucky to have the best staff any Head Coach could wish for. The most important work is the player wellbeing though. All our staff work around the clock to make sure the players can perform at their best in the Pararoos shirt and in their private life.

Currently, we are preparing for the upcoming home games against the United States, so it’s a big job but again I couldn’t do it without a super team behind the Pararoos.

How has it been for you seeing the team evolve and grow since you became head coach in 2015?

Kai Lammert: It’s the most exciting thing for me as a coach to see the players progress on and off the field. What stands out is that it’s a professional setup, but most players have a full-time job to support themselves and their family. In order for us to break in the top four, the players need to be able to devote the full day to the Pararoos similar to the top teams in CP Football at the moment. We’ve been able to add things to the program without it being overwhelming, and there were already a lot of things in place when I started that we’ve just carefully built upon.

As I said, the players have jobs as well and their individual programs need to be catered for their needs. We have school students on our team who probably have a bit more time and players who are married with two or three kids and that time is a very precious thing.

The Pararoos recently raised $80,000 to support their program going forward. How has that financial support helped the team over the past year?

Kai Lammert: It had a great impact – it got us to Spain for the World Cup so that is a start, and then it got us prepared for that tournament because we don’t want to go to a tournament just to make up the numbers. We want to go to a tournament to progress and be better. Currently the top 6-8 nations have got a financial advantage on us, and we want to close the gap. Every dollar that is raised helps because it costs $30,000 to get the team together for a camp; that’s a lot of money. Some of my counterparts in Europe can do 4-6 camps with that sort of money because they don’t have to fly everyone in.

So predominantly that money goes to preparation and getting us there, and the more we raise the more we can do.

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What facilities and infrastructure upgrades are needed to help take the Pararoos program to the next level?

Kai Lammert: I think a home of the Pararoos would be something significant. Obviously, that would need to be a top-standard, purpose-built place. Full-time players and full-time staff would allow us to devote more time to the game and improve the team overtime. We are very creative with our time and try to use every minute in and out of camp as effective as possible.

Play more games; we need to have more games. Obviously with a pandemic we had a long time without a game, and we’ve identified the need to play more international games, but everywhere we go we must fly. There’ve been some fantastic improvements, particularly now that the naming rights sponsorship has gone to Commonwealth Bank which is something we’ve wanted to do for a long time.

Our fundraising team led by Katrina Hicks is doing an awesome job and the support from the whole FA team has been fantastic.

It’s obviously a significant time for Australian football with the Socceroos and Pararoos having been to World Cups in 2022, and the Matildas set to co-host a World Cup this year. How are you feeling presently about where Australian football is at?

Kai Lammert: All this excitement around Australian football is great. That’s what we need, we need to have Australian football on the map. This is the buzz we need as we compete against the rugby’s and AFLs of the world in Australia. I heard the ticket sales are going crazy for the Women’s World Cup, so these are the sort of things we need. With that, our game (CP Football) will get more recognition and those who go to a game or tune in will appreciate the game because it’s an exciting game to watch. At the end of the day these guys are doing the same hours as the Socceroos and the Matildas, but they’re doing another job or Uni on top of it.

What are the next steps for the Pararoos?

Kai Lammert: For us we’ve got the home game against the USA in February, which is exciting because now the USA is still 5-6 goals away from us and we want to close that margin. That’s our main goal, to get closer to them. I felt over the years that we did get closer but it’s obviously we want to be really competing.

And then we will fine tune the way we play in two more camps. And then hopefully we’ve secured the Asian Cup in our country in November. That would be a great way to finish 2023.

What legacy do you hope to leave during your tenure with the Pararoos?

Kai Lammert: ‘Legacy’ is very important for us, that’s one of our core values of the team. We want to leave the place better than when we found it and want to make sure we keep raising our standards. That’s certainly one of mine, but when I say what legacy, I want to leave I have to say what legacy we want to leave, we are a team, and this team can achieve big things on and off the field and they can have a huge impact on generations of young boys and girls living with a disability. The program did and will continue to change lives.

Personally, I believe that every person with a disability should have the same opportunities as everyone else. We want to be named alongside the Matildas and Socceroos because the current and former Pararoos and ParaMatildas deserve exactly that.

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The Coaching Crisis Hiding in Australian Football

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Image Credit: Ministry of Sport

The low standard of Australian football has often been attributed to limited resources and the relative immaturity of the sport’s development system in the country. A 2023 study suggests that coach education in Australia is a key issue, as it often fails to adequately prepare coaches for the realities of the game, resulting in weaker practical coaching outcomes.

Coaches have attributed this matter to a number of factors; including the contents quality, structure and delivery. However, deeper systemic issues can also explain its inefficiency. Identifying and understanding these concerns is necessary to improve coach training in Australia.

 

Why does coach training matter?

Coaching is central to any sport, encompassing the transmission of knowledge and the development of athletes to perform at their highest level and achieve their goals. It contributes to shaping sporting identity, club culture and path-dependent behaviour within an organisation. Coaches must participate in training to ensure their efficiency in leading a team.

 

Coach training in the Australian context

In 2020, Football Australia (FA), the national governing body for the sport, introduced new principles aimed at raising the standard of coaching and coach development. These included modernising the delivery of coach education and reviewing both course content and the broader Australian coaching methodology.

Despite this renewal of objectives, the Australian coach education system remains underpinned by the National Football Curriculum (NFC) released in 2013.

The NFC aims to provide coaches with an understanding of the national ‘playing’ and ‘coaching’ philosophy, advocating for a i) player-centred approach to coaching; ii) game-based and constraints-led approach to practice design; and iii) an information-processing view of motor learning.

In Australia, coach education is broadly divided into two pathways, each tailored to different stages of the game:

The Community Coaching pathway targets coaches working with participation players aged 5 to 17. These courses are relatively short and focus on equipping coaches with practical skills in session design and delivery.

The Advanced Coaching pathway is aimed at those operating in the performance phase. These courses are more intensive, centred on Football Australia’s Coaching Expertise Model, which outlines the key competencies required of high-level coaches.

Does the National Football Curriculum have a content issue?

Despite the importance Football Australia (FA) places on football knowledge, coaches reported that courses do not adequately address this area and expressed some dissatisfaction with how it is delivered.

Coaches also highlighted an expectation of conformity to the National Football Curriculum (NFC), which limits the value and impact of formal coach education in developing both theoretical understanding and practical coaching approaches. As a result, coaches can struggle to translate knowledge from coursework into on-field practice, with a lack of alignment between theory and application contributing to this implementation gap.

It is only at the ‘A’ Licence level that coaches are actively encouraged to develop their own football philosophy and vision. In contrast, earlier stages of the curriculum remain largely focused on adopting FA’s established framework.

This sustained emphasis on technical and tactical elements can also restrict the development of broader pedagogical and interpersonal skills required for effective coaching. Given the inherent complexity of coaching, this further complicates the effective translation of formal coach education into practice.

In addition, the NFC is seen as overlooking key off-field responsibilities of coaches. Beyond tactical duties, coaches play a significant role in player development, particularly in relation to well-being and welfare. In modern high-performance sport, coaches are increasingly viewed not only as tacticians, but as holistic developers of athletes both on and off the pitch.

 

No possibility to ‘climb the ladder’

Coaches also complain about the inability to grow and “climb the ladder” in the sport. Indeed, the development of football in Australia highly relies on volunteers.

The majority of NPL youth coaches in Australia are in a casual position. Many of them have full-time jobs in completely different fields. Often juggling two or three jobs just to make ends meet.

“There is no realistic ladder where a young coach can start at grassroots level, improve, get noticed, and work their way into a full-time position in a professional youth academy. The reason is simple. The positions barely exist.”

Jan Schmidt, former Technical Director of the NPL

Coaches are often unable to attend coaching courses during the week, which limits their ability to stay up to date with modern coaching methods.

Limited time and resources therefore restrict coaches’ capacity to deliver high-quality performance and effective coaching practice.

“Most NPL youth coaches earn between $6,000 to $8,000 a year. That is not a career. That is a sacrifice”. Jan Schmidt, former technical director in the NPL

Systemic limitations on the growth and development opportunities available to football coaches in Australia can reduce their motivation and constrain their capacity to deliver effective results. These constraints, in turn, negatively affect coaching quality and ultimately impact the standard of football.

When coaches are unable to fully commit to the demands of the game, they are less able to provide optimal training environments for their players. This limits player development pathways and, consequently, restricts the overall standard of Australian football.

If Football Australia (FA) aims to develop world-class coach education environments, it must better support the behaviours, knowledge, and practices of coaches across the country. This requires a stronger emphasis on aligning coach education with the real needs of the coaching community.

These findings highlight the importance of ongoing engagement between FA and Australian coaches to collaboratively improve coach education programs. Strengthening coach development has the potential to significantly enhance the quality of football delivered to the next generation of Australian players.

Beyond the Pitch: Miyuki Kobayashi on the Real Challenges Facing Japan’s Women’s Game

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Image credit: JEFUNITED

Last week, Soccerscene spoke to pioneer of women’s football in Japan, Miyuki Kobayashi, about the game’s development in Japan and the intersection between sporting and social change in the country.

 

Talent, quality and recent silverware

After Japan’s recent AFC Women’s Asian Cup victory in the final against Australia, the women’s national team solidified its standing as the No.1 team in Asia.

Throughout the last 15 years, Japan’s women’s national team has grown into a formidable opponent, boasting a World Cup trophy, an Olympic silver medal, as well as three AFC Women’s Asian Cups.

The talent is undeniable. The quality is unwavering. And the team shows no signs of slowing down.

But these victories and trophies on the world stage wouldn’t be possible without the leaders behind the scenes – none more so than Miyuki Kobayashi, former WE League Board Member and current JEF United Ladies Scout and Academy Chief.

 

Laying the foundations

Kobayashi has led the charge for women’s football in Japan, promoting not only a sport which values success, but one which empowers female footballers across the nation.

“At university, not many girls were playing and we didn’t have an official team. I went to the US and the environment was so different,” Kobayashi explained.

“That opened my eyes – women can play. That’s how I started the women’s soccer league when I came back: to make an environment for girls to play.”

Thus, accessibility and opportunity became driving factors behind Kobayashi’s work, not only for those on the pitch, but for those in the dugout.

“I got involved at the JFA (Japanese Football Association) to promote women’s football. We wanted to create the opportunity for women to be coaches.”

“They are coached by men all the time, so even when the top players leave the football world, they never think to be involved.”

Furthermore, as a former coach of JEF United Ladies Youth and General Manager, Kobayashi was intent on employing as many female coaches as possible. It was not merely a personnel change, but a challenge to widespread social attitudes.

“When I started to employ female coaches, the girls’ parents asked why the coach wasn’t a man. But gradually, we started to make it equal – they didn’t talk about the gender, but about the quality of the coach.”

 

The mission to empower

In 2011, the same year Japan’s women won the World Cup, the domestic league was yet to become professional. Known as the Nadeshiko League, players would work during the day and train in the evenings.

The transition from an amateur to the current professional league required time, resilience and a change in perspective.

“The sports world in Japan is more traditional – it is dominated by men,” said Kobayashi.

“If you want to make the environment even, or (want) more women to come into the (football) world, you can change the mind of the players.”

Since 2021, the WE League has embodied a sense of growth and positive change for the women’s game. In name and nature, it looks to empower players, coaches and all involved in the industry.

“I was in charge of mission achievement for women’s empowerment. We wanted to educate the players, to inspire girls and women who watch the game.”

However, the drive to empower women in football was not without backlash and challenges.

“Some people don’t like that word: ’empowerment’. It’s too strong for them. Some women really appreciate it, but it’s not easy to change the mind of society through football,” Kobayashi admitted.

 

Growing and attracting talent

Although WE League clubs are accelerating youth development and expanding pathways across U15, U18 and first team football, Kobayashi acknowledged that the overall product must improve to bring foreign players to Japan and entice homegrown talent to stay.

“Most of the national team players go to Europe or North America. I don’t say it’s a problem, but from a young age, girls who can play in the WE League want to go abroad,” Kobayashi outlined.

Indeed, when looking at the starting XI in last month’s AFC Women’s Asian Cup final, only one player – Hana Takahashi – plays in the WE League.

But the key to attracting domestic and international players to the WE League, is aligning financial investment and industry attitudes.

“The reason why women’s football has developed in European countries is the social thinking – you have to be equal and have the same opportunities as men in football. The Japanese way of thinking, especially in the football world, is not that at all,” Kobayashi continued.

“When I speak to people at Spanish clubs, women’s football is not a charity, but an investment.”

“We have assets. We have good, young players, but we’re exporting them, so we need to import too.”

Indeed, Spain is a perfect example of what can happen when investment becomes intentional, not optional. Back-to-back UEFA Women’s Nations League titles, 90% television viewership increase since 2016, and record-breaking crowd numbers reflect what can happen when the industry aligns in vision and commitment.

Japan has the players to compete against any nation in the world. Purposeful investment, combined with its overall quality of players and style, could transform the WE League into a true, global powerhouse.

 

The vision for the future

Moving forward, Kobayashi hopes that girls progressing through JEF United’s academies develop confidence and resilience, whether as players or people.

“We want to make the girls – even if they aren’t in JEF United – continue playing football and continue to be leaders,” Kobayashi said.

“Some of them have a dream to be a coach or a leader off the field too, so that’s one of the attributes we want to develop.”

This resilience, reflected by the club’s ‘never give up’ philosophy, is testament to the vision of empowerment championed by Kobayashi across the women’s game.

Even in the face of social obstacles and a lack of financial investment, perseverance and hard work is at the bedrock of women’s football in Japan. It is not just that these values exist, but that they are consistently manifested on and off the pitch, which can show future generations that football is a sport for all – men and women alike.

 

Final thoughts

There is no limit to what the WE League and the national team can achieve if given the resources it deserves. All the ingredients are there: individual quality, a distinct playing style, football philosophy and ambitions to grow.

By following the example of industry leaders like Kobayashi, women’s football in Japan can hopefully continue to make waves of impact – in the sporting landscape and society as a whole.

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