Ange Postecoglou and Kevin Muscat join AFC Elite Club Coaches’ Forum in Shanghai

Asia’s top competitions – the AFC Asian Cup and the AFC Champions League – were discussed by the top coaches at the fourth AFC Elite Club Coaches’ Seminar which was held again in Shanghai, China PR during the last two days.

Gerard Houllier, the former France and Liverpool coach, joined the coaching talent which included former AFC Asian Cup winning coach Ange Postecoglou, who won the 2015 AFC Asian Cup with Australia and now coaches Yokohama F Marinos in Japan.

Last year’s beaten finalist AFC Champions League with Persepolis, Branko Ivankovic, (now with Saudi Arabia’s Al Ahli), Iceland’s Heimir Hallgrimsson who coaches Al-Arabi in Qatar and Gabriel Calderon, now Persepolis in the Islamic Republic of Iran, represented the West.

Another former Liverpool coach Rafael Benitez, who has just joined Dalian Yifang from Newcastle, was among a strong contingent of coaches from China PR – Luis Garcia (Beijing Renhe), Li Xiaopeng (Shandong Luneng Taishan), Bruno Genesio (Beijing Sinobo Guoan), Wang Baoshan (Henan Jianye) and ACL East zone semi-finalist Vitor Pereira with Shanghai SIPG.

Sydney FC’s Stephen Corica and former Melbourne Victory coach Kevin Muscat, an ever-present at all four forums, were joined by Korea’s Kim Do-hoon (Ulsan Hyundai) and Jose Morais (Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors) as well as Tomohiro Katanosaka from Japan’s Oita Trinita.

Sun Wen the former China PR women’s captain, coach of the local Shanghai women’s team, and now Chinese FA Vice President, was among the audience at an event opened by Gao Hongbo, a former Chinese national player and coach.

Mr Gao said: “The Chinese FA are delighted at the trust the AFC places in us every year by hosting this important event in Shanghai. It is important that the CFA and Chinese football learns from the best practice that is available in Asia.”

Andy Roxburgh, the AFC Technical Director, added: “We thank not only the CFA but all the clubs and coaches who have given their support for this vital event. In the last four years we have gathered the finest minds in not only Asian but also world football.

“People like Gerard Houllier, Fabio Capello, Sven Goran Eriksson and Rafa Benitez have freely shared their experience with some of the younger coaches and this can only be good for the development of the coaching talent and competitions in Asia.”

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Football Victoria roll out PlayFootball 2.0 for 2025

Football Victoria and Cleaning Melbourne

Football Victoria has launched PlayFootball v2.0, delivering a comprehensive upgrade to its national registration platform for clubs, players and referees nationwide in 2025.

The modernised system introduces significant improvements, headlined by a complete interface overhaul prioritising accessibility and efficiency for all stakeholders.

The platform’s user-centric design promises to streamline administrative processes across all levels of the sport.

Key enhancements to PlayFootball 2.0 will allow for a modern player and official identification system that will include a sophisticated reporting module.

A notable addition is the integrated Working with Children Check workflow, reinforcing Football Australia’s commitment to child safety protocols.

Football Victoria is spearheading the transition by offering comprehensive training programmes, with both face-to-face and virtual sessions available to club administrators and association officials.

These sessions have been specifically designed to ensure optimal utilisation of the platform’s enhanced capabilities.

Football Victoria Chief Executive Officer Chris Pehlivanis has spoken on this new update and how they see it as crucial for enhancing the footballing experience for participants and clubs.

“We are looking forward to participants having a streamlined registration process while simplifying administration for our Clubs from 2025. FV will work closely with Clubs to ensure they are well supported through the transition and familiar with the benefits of the new system,” he said via press release.

A crucial update to the registration process will require participants to settle both Football Australia and Football Victoria Governing Body Regulation Fees at the point of registration through PlayFootball v2.0.

To help participants adjust to the change, however, PlayFootball is offering 4 different payment models:

  • All Fees Upfront: Club and Regulation fees paid online at the point of registration
  • Regulation Fees Upfront: FA and FV fees paid online at the point of registration
  • Scheduled Payment: FA, FV, Association and the first portion (¼) of the club fee is paid online at the point of registration
  • Subsidised Payment: Club subsidises payment and pays for Governing Body fees on the participant’s behalf at the point of registration

Player eligibility is rewarded upon the successful payment of these governing body fees.

This new program was tested by inviting four Associations, including 34 Clubs and 4,839 players to attend feedback sessions with FV and FA and beta test the new platform.

The invitation for Clubs to explore the What’s Changing Playbook has opened and for further information on all the changes coming to PlayFootball v2.0.

The platform’s updated rollout represents a significant milestone in Football Australia’s ongoing digitalisation strategy, aimed at reducing administrative burden whilst improving service delivery across the football community.

Melbourne Victory joins forces with RUBIX

Melbourne Victory has confirmed RUBIX will continue to operate as the club’s official data partner for the 2024/25 season. The collaboration follows a prosperous first year between the club and RUBIX.

RUBIX is a prominent Melbourne based data company, with offices across Australia and the US. The company has worked for high profile clients such as the Victorian State Government, Australia Post, Telstra and more.

RUBIX has successfully delivered over 350 projects for leading Top 50 companies, rapidly expanding FinTech and software firms.

The company was also a back-to-back SmartCompany award winner in 2022 and 2021 and earned a CRN Fast50 award in 2020.

RUBIX will aide Melbourne Victory’s growth and fan engagement strategies using the company’s knowledge in statistics, data technology, analysis, and artificial intelligence.

Melbourne Victory Managing Director, Caroline Carnegie, warmly welcomed RUBIX via press release.

“We’re thrilled to have RUBIX on board as the Club’s Official Data Partner for a second season,” she said.

“Their world-leading solutions have already offered incredible insights across our operations, and we’re excited to leverage their tools further to help Melbourne Victory grow and engage more deeply with our fans and community.”

Head of Marketing and Brand at RUBIX, Kathryn Smith, also expressed her eagerness for the collaboration.

“This partnership with Melbourne Victory continues to be a fantastic opportunity for us to support one of Melbourne’s most iconic sporting teams with data-driven insights and technology,” she said via press release.

“We look forward to using our innovative solutions to help the Club drive growth, enhance fan engagement, and deliver a richer experience for supporters.”

Together, Melbourne Victory and RUBIX will continue to analyse and adopt new initiatives to improve experiences for fans and drive the club further then ever before.

Through the collaboration, Melbourne Victory will hope to build off of a successful 2023/2024 season, which saw the club reach the A-League Men’s Grand Final.

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