FCA looks to the future as it farewells two long-term champions of Australian coaches

Staff Writer
Football Coaches Australia

Football Coaches Australia (FCA) will enter a new era at its Annual General Meeting on September 20, when two of the organisation’s stalwarts depart, making way for new leadership as the organisation approaches its sixth anniversary.

Chief Executive Officer Glenn Warry and President Phil Moss will step down from their positions, having held them since FCA’s inaugural AGM on November 15, 2017.

Having previously driven the establishment of two national player development and wellbeing programs and worked with elite coaches in all football codes, Glenn observed that the needs of Australia’s football coaches were not being catered for by football’s governing bodies.

He partnered with experienced global sports industry leader James Kitching to start Football Coaches Australia, with the goal of providing coaches with legal advocacy, professional development, mental health and well-being services, and a collective voice and voting rights on the Football Australia Congress.

Phil Moss was appointed FCA’s inaugural President, having been Head Coach of the Central Coast Mariners, and Assistant Coach of the 2008 Olyroos, the Central Coast Mariners and Sydney FC. He has held the President position for two terms, working alongside Vice Presidents Rae Dower, Heather Garriock and Sarah West during his time at the helm.

Both Glenn and Phil will leave the organisation due to family and work commitments, having volunteered thousands of hours to improve the working conditions and wellbeing of Australian coaches working at home and abroad.

FCA Vice President Sarah West said the two stalwarts would be greatly missed but would leave a strong legacy to build upon.

“Both Glenn and Phil have made tremendous contributions to the sport of football, by tirelessly working to keep the issues affecting coaches on the radar where decisions for our beautiful game are being made,” she said.

“Together, they have led FCA from its humble beginnings to achieve provisional member status with Football Australia, which is an achievement they should be extremely proud of.”

“While Glenn and Phil will be sorely missed, they have set the foundations for FCA to be a driving force for positive change within the Australian football landscape and ensure that coaches and their needs are never again an afterthought.”

“The FCA Executive Committee is committed to continuing their great work in strengthening relationships across football’s governance and taking FCA and Australian coaches to new heights.”

“Personally, and on behalf of the Executive Committee, I would like to thank Glenn and Phil for their extraordinary contributions and leadership,” FCA’s Vice President said.

Warry said he was proud of what FCA had been able to achieve despite significant opposition from some of the sport’s leadership.

“Coaching is the most visible leadership role in football, with coaches the face of the club and responsible for driving club culture, high performance, team success and the wellbeing of the players. At the community level, this involves providing a safe, and importantly, fun environment for young players,” he said.

“In a short period of time, and through a challenging period for all Australians, FCA is proud of the collective voice, extensive advocacy services and world-leading professional development programs that it has developed and delivers for Australian football coaches worldwide.”

“Since its inception, FCA has endeavoured at all times to work collaboratively and collectively with football stakeholders for the betterment of coaches and football,” the outgoing CEO and founder said.

He added that most recently FCA had worked beyond borders and through pandemics to deliver for Australian coaches.

“The association provides Australian coaches continued access to legal support in Australia, Asia and Europe to proceed disputes to the FIFA Player Status Committee or to Fair Work Australia (NPL Club disputes), Contract Negotiations, Code of Conduct determinations, legal support in ‘Cease and Desist’ proceedings against individuals, and finally, resume preparation and interview skills.”

“In particular, FCA was proud to be the national leader in supporting football coaches throughout the COVID period of 2021 and 2022, surging our capacity to provide free learning through more than 60 professional development Zoom conferences, virtual community-building activities, and 100 complimentary Mental Health Masterclass programs,” Warry said.

Outgoing President Phil Moss said while he was tremendously proud to have led FCA during a period of rapid growth in the game and ensure coaches have more support than ever before, the lack of funding and embrace from within the game continued to disappoint.

“So much quality work has been done by so many brilliant football people to get FCA to where it is today,” he said.

“Everyone involved, past and present, has let their actions do the talking in setting up, sustaining and strengthening the support that all coaches now have available to them for the duration of their journey.”

“That is a far cry from what so many other coaches had in the past,” he said.

Moss added that there was still much to be done to provide coaches with adequate support.

“The need for vastly improved coaching pathways, increased opportunities and support for coaches for the full length of their journey is no less important than for that of players,” he said.

“Coaches develop players and provide the structure and environment that liberates players to realise their potential. Yet, the attitude towards – and treatment of – coaches is still generally poor.”

“FCA is set up well to go to the next level, and football’s power brokers must realise the non-negotiable importance of having an organisation that specifically supports coaches from start to finish, as FCA does. The handbrake slowing coaching as a profession must be released.”

“The positive rhetoric from a number of stakeholders FCA has worked collaboratively with has not been backed by actions, and that is really disappointing,” the outgoing President said.

Football Coaches Australia members are invited to attend the organisation’s Annual General Meeting on 20 September and cast their vote to appoint a new President, as well as appoint a new member to its Executive Committee to fill a vacancy. The CEO position has been advertised and will be selected by the FCA Executive Committee in accordance with the organisation’s constitution.

Registrations are required to attend the AGM, which is open to FCA Members only. Members are invited to register at: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/football-coaches-australia-annual-general-meeting-2023-tickets-708988041317

To read full statements from outgoing CEO Glenn Warry and outgoing President Phil Moss, please click here.

Media Interviews are available with Glenn Warry, Phil Moss and Sarah West.

To arrange an interview, please contact Glenn Warry on 0417 346 312

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A Structural Fix or Stoppage? Will FQ’s New Referee Pipeline Solve its Shortage?

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Football Queensland‘s newly launched club referee framework is being presented as a game-changing solution to one of the most persistent operational problems in grassroots football: the chronic shortage of match officials. Will democratising and lowering the bar for entry saturate the gap, or exacerbate a skills shortage?

What the framework actually does

The core of the announcement is a free, 30-minute online module that certifies players or club members as club referees, creating a new category of match official below the formal FQ referee pathway. The stated goal is a 1 referee per team ratio within clubs, with these club-level officials intended to fill the gap at the grassroots end while the formal pathway continues operating above them.

Referee shortages at community level are not primarily caused by a lack of interest in officiating at the elite end. They are caused by the structural reality that organising and staffing fixtures for hundreds of junior and community matches each weekend requires a volume of officials that a centralised recruitment and accreditation model simply cannot generate fast enough. A club-embedded approach that lowers the barrier to entry addresses that supply problem at the point where it actually exists.

The framework’s strongest element is its acknowledgment that referee development is not a single pipeline but a layered ecosystem. By creating a supported entry point within clubs, the program recognises that people are more likely to begin something when the initial ask is modest and the environment is familiar.

The 30-minute online module removes cost and time as barriers, which are consistently among the most cited reasons people do not take up officiating. The integration with FQ’s broader resources and the explicit framing of club officiating as a stepping stone into the formal pathway is also structurally intelligent. A club referee who develops confidence and competence at the grassroots level is a more likely candidate for formal accreditation than someone approached cold by a recruiting drive.

Where the questions remain

The framework’s weaknesses are largely the weaknesses of any supply-side solution to what is partly a demand-side problem. Referee shortages exist not only because there are not enough officials but because the experience of refereeing is sufficiently unpleasant that retention rates are poor. Verbal abuse, sideline behaviour from parents and coaches, and the lack of adequate support structures mean that many referees who enter the system do not stay in it.

A 30-minute module and a club-based support structure does not directly address those conditions. If a newly certified club referee’s first experiences on the pitch involve the same patterns of behaviour that drive experienced officials out of the game, the framework risks building a pipeline that feeds into an environment that consumes referees rather than retaining them. Football Queensland’s existing Protect Our Game initiative and Three Strike Policy are relevant here, but the announcement makes no explicit connection between the new referee framework and the behavioural standards clubs will be expected to maintain around their own officials.

There is also a question of quality consistency. A 30-minute online certification, by design, provides a basic level of preparation. At the youngest junior levels, where match outcomes are secondary to development, that may be entirely adequate. But the framework’s success will depend on clubs implementing the structured learning and support it promises in practice, not just in principle. Clubs vary enormously in their administrative capacity, volunteer bandwidth and culture. A framework that works well in a well-resourced metropolitan club may deliver inconsistent results in a smaller regional association operating with a single administrator.

The broader structural implication

Perhaps the most significant question the framework raises is whether it represents a genuine investment in the referee pathway or a pressure valve designed to relieve immediate operational strain without addressing underlying conditions.

If the club referee model is understood as the entry ramp to a properly resourced and well-supported development pathway, it is genuinely valuable. Football Queensland’s 10-point referee plan, of which this forms one element, suggests the intent is systemic rather than cosmetic. The investment in Alex King as Head of Advanced Match Officials, the all-female referee courses and the appointment of Casey Reibelt as Australia’s first full-time female referee all point to an organisation that is thinking seriously about the full arc of official development.

But frameworks announced with language like “game-changing” and “record investment” carry an expectation of accountability that should be tracked. The meaningful measure of this initiative is not how many club referees are certified in its first season but how many are still officiating two and three seasons from now, and how many progress into the formal FQ pathway.

A referee pipeline is only as useful as its retention rate. That number will tell the real story.

What does the Football Victoria’s Annual Report mean for Victorian Football?

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Football Victoria has released its 2025 Annual Report and held its Annual General Meeting at the Home of the Matildas at La Trobe University, presenting a picture of a governing body managing rapid growth while laying the administrative foundations it says will be required to sustain it.

Total participation across all formats reached 96,095 in 2025, a 14 percent overall increase, with women and girls players across outdoor, futsal and social formats reaching 30,928. MiniRoos participation climbed to 39,827, volunteer numbers grew 7.4 percent and female volunteer participation increased 40 percent. Across community competitions, 47,481 fixtures were delivered across 5,016 team entries.

The numbers reflect the sustained momentum of women’s football in particular, a growth curve that has accelerated sharply since the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup and continued through the AFC Women’s Asian Cup held in Australia earlier this year. Football Victoria’s report documents that trajectory in participation data but also in the decisions being made about governance, infrastructure and who is shaping the sport’s direction.

Who is shaping the game

The AGM saw the re-election of Elenna Niteros to the Football Victoria board, having first been elected at the 2024 AGM. Niteros, a long-time player and volunteer, is described by the organisation as dedicated to ensuring diversity, equity and inclusion and the growth of women’s football are central to board decisions. The election also returned Peter Filopoulos, an experienced football executive with more than two decades across club, state, national and international organisations. Steve Forbes was subsequently appointed as a director to continue overseeing the organisation’s digital and systems priorities.

The composition of the board matters in ways that extend beyond individual appointments. Football Victoria operates under a 40:40:20 constitutional requirement for gender balance, and the report documents that 94 percent of clubs met that criterion in 2025. That figure, alongside the 100 percent of clubs meeting diversity and inclusion criteria, represents the most structurally significant governance data in the report. The decisions that shape who gets to play, where facilities are built, how budgets are allocated and which programs receive investment are made by the people in those rooms.

Chair Dr Angela Williams, in her first full year in the role, acknowledged the broader environment in which the sport is operating, noting that 2025 had not been easy for everyone and naming violence motivated by race, religion, gender and politics as unacceptable. Her statement that football would play its role in providing peace, belonging and kindness was framed not as aspiration but as responsibility.

Life membership and legacy

The evening included the formal welcome of Life Members from regional associations transitioning into Football Victoria’s statewide structure, alongside the announcement of two new Life Members: Eugene Brazzale, a legendary referee and mentor, and Maggie Koumi, recognised as a trailblazing female administrator.

The In Memoriam section of the annual report carries its own weight. Betty Hoar and Maria Berry AM, both described as foundational pioneers of the women’s game, were among five Life Members farewelled in 2025. Berry’s four-decade legacy included advocacy that tore down systemic barriers for women in sport. Hoar was an inaugural Hall of Fame inductee. The document also recorded the tragic passing of Heidelberg United NPLW striker Keely Lockhart, described by her club as a legend and an angel, known for her kindness toward younger players and her impact on the women’s game in Victoria.

Infrastructure and the years ahead

CEO Dan Birrell framed the year as one defined by progress, describing growth not as a statistic but as a signal that football matters to more people than ever and that communities believe in what is being built. The language is carefully chosen. Progress implies direction, and Football Victoria’s advocacy for infrastructure investment is the clearest indication of where that direction leads.

The Level the Playing Field campaign and the Parliamentary Friends of Football group both received mention in the CEO’s report as central to the organisation’s relationship with government. The recent Victorian State Budget delivered $750,000 to Avondale FC and Hume City FC for facility upgrades, and Football Victoria has indicated further budget announcements are forthcoming. The connection between booming participation and facility access, as Birrell noted, remains central to the organisation’s work with government and partners.

The practical implications of that work are not abstract. Facilities without adequate lighting cannot host evening training. Grounds without gender-inclusive changerooms communicate, without saying a word, who the sport was built for. The $343 million grassroots infrastructure fund Football Australia and Football NSW have sought from the NSW Government reflects the scale of the problem nationally. Victoria faces the same challenge, and the governing body’s political advocacy exists precisely because participation growth without infrastructure investment produces a sport that is larger but not meaningfully better.

With 96,000 participants and a board mandated to reflect the diversity of the community it serves, Football Victoria is in a stronger position than it has been. Whether the infrastructure and investment follow is the question the next decade will answer.

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