In Episode 12 of Soccerscene’s Off the Pitch Podcast, Former A-League head coach Phil Moss explored the topics of coaching at the highest level in the country, how we can do better to support coaches at the professional level and the mentors that shaped his career in both business and football.
One major topic was the lack of respect for coaches in the Australian footballing ecosystem.
Moss spoke in detail about the fact that coaches ‘aren’t on the main table’ in the local game.
“Any ecosystem or football pyramid has to involve coaches, because coaches care about the game, it’s innately built into us to care about the game and developing winning players which then produces winning teams of course,” he said.
“At the moment, coaches just aren’t treated with the respect they deserve in the Australian ecosystem. So I think the first thing is, Football Coaches Australia needs to a full member of the congress. I still think coaches should be at the main table where decisions around the game are made.
“It takes players, coaches, referees and administrators to have football and the only one of them that aren’t part of the key decision making is coaches.”
Moss spoke about the unprofessional conditions that Australian coaches still have to withstand, and how Football Coaches Australia was built for this exact reason.
“We need standardised working conditions. This and all the things Football Coaches Australia are fighting tooth and nail for by supporting coaches with that collective arm that we developed ourselves,” he said.
“I know there are still coaches in Australia who are turning up for work eight days a week, 25 hours a day, on a handshake agreement. It’s just not professional, sustainable or fair.”
There is still a long way to go for coaches to properly be recognised by Football Australia and change is required sooner rather than later in regards to protecting their rights.
Click hear the full interview with Phil Moss, on Episode 12 of Soccerscene’s Off the Pitch Podcast – available on all major podcasting platforms.
