UK and Dutch experts to join Wenger at 2020 Australian Coaching Conference

Following the announcement earlier this month that Arsene Wenger will headline the 2020 Australian Coaching Conference, Football NSW has announced several other key industry figures who will present at the event.

Today it was revealed that Head of Football Development for the Royal Netherlands Football Association (KNVB), Jorg van der Breggen will present on “Building An Evidence Based Youth Development Program”. The segment will focus on how coaches can become more effective within the youth development phase.

“Jorg is someone who is at the forefront of youth development in Europe, he is very passionate for grassroots football as well as elite football so this will be great presentation for coaches across Australian football no matter their level as they look to further understand youth development and the important part they as coaches play in the process no matter what level, be it a Mum or Dad in the local park or a B Licence coach working for an NPL Academy” said Chris Adams, Football New South Wales Coach Development Manager

The conference will also feature two highly-regarded coaches from the United Kingdom who were announced earlier in the week. Head Coach for the England U16-U17 Female National Team, Lydia Bedford and Head of Coaching for UK Coaching, Nick Levett.

Bedford will present on “Developing Future Female Champions”, a segment  which will form part of the “Coaching The Female Player” stream.

“Lydia is a leading figure within the development of female football with the English FA in recent years and it is testament to the quality of this year’s 2020 Australian Coaching Conference that we have someone of her stature and experience in youth development join us online, with Australia hosting the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup this will be a great presentation for all coaches to gain an insight into how to develop top class female players for the future,” Adams said.

Levett will focus on “The Essential Skills Of An Effective Youth Coach”, a segment designed for coaches of all levels from grassroots to elite football focusing on coaching behaviours and how to work effectively with youth players of all abilities.

“Coaches of all levels will gain valuable insights into coaching from Nick Levett to then apply into their relevant coaching environment be it in an NPL youth or senior environment to a volunteer coach at a local association club,” Adams added.

“To have someone of Nick’s experience across all parts of the football world from Grassroots through to elite football is another great addition to this years conference.”

The conference is scheduled to be held on Saturday 28 November and organisers have stated registered participants will be allowed access to the content any time afterwards through a specially designed online platform.

For more information, visit www.footballnsw.com.au

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WA Government and Virgin Australia Partner to Bring Discounted Flights for Italian Football Series in Perth

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The Western Australian Government has partnered with Virgin Australia to offer discounted airfares to Perth ahead of a three-match series featuring AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus and Palermo, in a move that reflects how state governments are increasingly using major sporting fixtures as tools of tourism and economic strategy.

Subsidising travel costs rather than simply promoting the matches signals a shift in how state governments are approaching major sporting events. WA Tourism Minister Reece Whitby positioned the series within the state’s broader Winter of Unmissable Sport strategy, framing the partnership as a way to fill hotels, support local businesses and generate visible economic activity across a single week of programming. That logic places football alongside other major events states have used to justify public investment in visitor attraction, where the return is measured in tourism spend rather than ticket revenue alone.

A bet on Australia’s appetite for European football

Touring Italian clubs is not a routine occurrence in Australia, and Sport and Recreation Minister Rita Saffioti’s comments point to an underlying assumption behind the investment: that the existing fan base for European football in Australia is substantial enough to justify a state government underwriting travel costs to fill a stadium on the other side of the country.

Australian audiences for international football have grown considerably over the past decade, driven by streaming access, diaspora communities and the rising visibility of leagues once difficult to follow locally. State governments positioning themselves to capture economic value from that growth, rather than leaving it to broadcasters and travel operators, marks a change in how football’s commercial footprint in Australia is being treated by policymakers.

It also raises a question likely to recur as more international club fixtures are scheduled in Australian cities: whether public subsidy for travel around marquee football events delivers economic value beyond the host city, or whether the benefit is concentrated narrowly within the host state’s tourism and hospitality sectors. Virgin Australia’s involvement reflects the commercial logic on the airline side, with the partnership forming part of a broader push to connect Australians with major domestic and international destinations.

For the domestic football industry, the series is a reminder that international club football is competing for the same audience attention as the A-Leagues and grassroots competitions. Whether that competition proves complementary or extractive, in terms of where football-related spending in Australia ultimately lands, is a question state and national football bodies are likely to watch closely as similar fixtures become more frequent.

Referee Omar Artan appointed to UEFA Super Cup Final

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Image credit: BBC

The Somali referee will officiate the 2026 UEFA Super Cup in August between Paris Saint-Germain and Aston Villa.

 

World Cup controversy to Super Cup support

As 2025’s CAF Men’s Referee of the Year, Artan stands as one of the world’s leading match officials.

His expertise and skill allowed him to enter FIFA’s international list in 2018, and has since proved an outstanding ability as a referee, culminating in the CAF Men’s Referee of the Year award last year.

Despite Artan’s capabilities and reputation, his dream of officiating this summer’s World Cup tournament met a premature ending. The referee couldn’t enter into the US after arriving on a diplomatic passport and single entry visa, and was subsequently forced to return home to Somalia.

But Artan’s journey as a referee on the global stage is far from over, as UEFA and CAF confirmed that Artan will officiate the UEFA Super Cup clash between Champions League winners, PSG, and Europa League winners, Aston Villa, in Salzburg this August.

 

Upholding the partnership

In April of this year, UEFA and CAF signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which promised to utilise mutual support to encourage development, inclusion and wellbeing in football.

The MoU aligns unity, cohesion and partnership between two powerhouse continents of world football.

And now, the alignment is stronger and clearer than ever. In the midst of a major blow to Artan’s personal and professional dreams, UEFA and CAF’s partnership provided an opportunity.

“Omar is an excellent young but already experienced referee, who has proven himself at the highest competition level of the Confederation of African Football,” said UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin via media release.

“Football is made to connect people, and UEFA wants to show its respect to Omar and his outstanding officiating skills, which had earned him such a prestigious nomination.”

Furthermore, CAF President, Dr Patrice Motsepe, outlined why the initiative perfectly embodies the nature of a partnership between UEFA and CAF.

“This is a great honour for Omar Artan and for African referees and is also an excellent example of football bringing together and uniting people from Africa and Europe and worldwide.”

 

Final thoughts

Out of bitter disappointment and controversy comes a far more positive reflection of football’s influence and impact. It also proves that an MoU is more than just signatures, but a genuine promise to support the game and all within it.

A partnership like this has the power to help millions at once.

But sometimes, helping just one person is all it takes to prove its worth.

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