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Eli Babalj on retirement transition and life after football
Image supplied by Professional Footballers Australia
Similar to all life cycles, a footballers career commences and concludes.
However, athletes are often uncertain about the precise timing of the conclusion of their career and the events that might lead to retirement.
Babalj’s retirement occurred at the age of 30 due to a career marred by recurring injuries, prompting him to exit professional football. After enduring a 12-year career plagued by setbacks, Babalj was already contemplating his next steps as he transitioned into life after playing.
After finishing his studies, Babalj swiftly obtained employment following his retirement.
In his final year at the highest level, Babalj was involved for the Newcastle Jets during the 2021-2022 A-League Men Season, now he continues his footballing journey with the same club, serving as their Football Operations Manager and assistant coach for their senior men’s teams.
Not every individual has the privilege of such opportunities, some struggles exist in securing employment after their football careers, while others simply find themselves not knowing what to do.
However, Babalj had been contemplating his next phase for some time, and with assistance from Professional Footballers Australia (PFA), he started to map out the path of his future beyond his playing career.
“There were a couple of situations throughout my career where I thought, will I get another contract or will I be given another chance and it made you think: ‘okay, what’s next?,’ he told the PFA.
“That’s where the PFA was great, the Player Development Managers helped push you into and guide you and gave you suggestions and advice about what you can do.
“I was lucky enough to do a post grad in Football Business and I carried on to do a Masters in Sports Management which helped me get this gig in the first place.
“I had started my coaching badges while I was playing. It’s very important, I hope the PFA continue to do that work because when I was 18 and they’d come in, I used to think ‘oh, don’t worry about that, I’ll worry about that when I’m 30.’
“But l wish I had started it earlier, because in your down time you can actually switch off and learn, and get qualifications instead of overthinking because you have a lot of down time as a player.
“I’m glad l ended up doing it, l still ended up finishing it on time, it’s never too late or never too early to start.”
Upon assuming his new position, many of Babalj’s former teammates became individuals he now oversaw in his role in football operations, furthermore, they were the players to whom he imparted instructions on the pitch.
“You want to earn the respect of your peers because of your new role, not because of who you were as a player so I just tried to have good rapport with everyone and help in any way I can,” he said to the PFA.
“The transition was made easier because it kept you busy because a lot of players once they retire, they have a lot of spare time and when you have a lot of spare time, it’s a lot of thinking and overthinking and that’s not good.
Indeed, Babalj’s performance with Melbourne Heart and his subsequent move abroad earned him a call-up for the Socceroos, he debuted in a friendly match against South Korea and later scored two goals against Guam during the 2013 East Asian Cup.
Sadly, the common theme of Babalj’s playing career was struggling to maintain consistent playing time, nonetheless, he aims to embark on a new chapter where he can exert a greater influence in football beyond the field.
“When l was presented that role with football ops, it coincided with doing my Masters in Sports Management and then former Jets Head Coach, Arthur Papas, was happy enough for me to help out on a coaching side, which helped me decide which direction I wanted to go long term and gave me something to think about,” he said to the PFA.
Babalj harbours significant aspirations for the direction he wants to steer his coaching career, intending to pursue further studies overseas.
“Keep getting the experience and learning, you have to finish off all the licences first. I always wanted to do the UEFA ones, I started all the AFC ones through FA and the PFA but as you see many other coaches from Australia, when they want to go overseas they have obstacles,” he said to the PFA.
Babalj’s career should be a guide for local players in the country thinking about their post-football careers and the importance of laying the groundwork for getting ready in the necessary occupation they may have, whether it’s in football or elsewhere.
Football NSW are aiming to develop on the extraordinary numbers of the 2024 season that saw more than 260,000 players take to the pitch. The announcement comes as part of the national Play Football campaign.
With NSW being one of Australia’s largest participation states for football, the federation’s push for more numbers is a welcome target for football in the country.
Football NSW CEO John Tsatsimas spoke with enthusiasm about the sport’s trajectory, highlighting its inclusive nature.
“Football continues to be the sport of choice for the NSW and Australian community, providing a positive environment for participants of all ages and abilities,” Tsatsimas mentioned via Football NSW official press release.
“We have had unprecedented growth in players, coaches, referees and volunteers, with exponential growth in the female game.”
The statistics paint a promising picture of the sport’s expansion, with 2024 registering a 9% increase in player numbers from the earlier season. This translates to over 20,000 new participants.
Perhaps most significantly with the effect of the Women’s FIFA World Cup of 2023, female participation surged by 17%, with more than 9,000 women and girls joining the sport, accounting for nearly half of the total growth.
Maintaining and increasing Women and girls’ levels in the sport are crucial points for development of the Australian game and will be key for the continued rise in participation numbers.
The organisation is now actively encouraging early registration for the 2025 season to ensure players can secure spots with their preferred local clubs, with help from the updated Play Football website.
Beyond player participation, Football NSW is expanding its focus on supporting roles within the sport. The 2024 season witnessed record numbers in coaching, refereeing, and volunteering positions, all crucial components of the game’s ecosystem.
The need for more people joining non-player roles through all levels of the game in NSW is evident with John Tsatsimas pointing out himself the necessity for the 2025 Season.
“There’s a place for everyone in our sport, and we look forward to welcoming new and returning participants for the 2025 season,” Tsatsimas explained via Football NSW official press release.
For those interested in contributing to the sport beyond playing, Football NSW has established comprehensive pathways.
The Football NSW Coach Hub provides resources and guidance for aspiring coaches looking to shape the next generation of footballers.
Additionally, the Referee Hub offers opportunities for individuals to engage with the sport from a different perspective while maintaining an active lifestyle.
With football’s exciting growth continuing in Australia with the expansion and promising viewership numbers of the 2024-25 professional A-leagues, it is always important for the sport that the participation numbers of state leagues and amateur local clubs follow the trend.
From the passionate days of the NSL to shaping the next generation of Australian footballers, Brian Macnicol has seen it all.
A former player during the golden era of the National Soccer League (NSL) and now a youth development coach, Macnicol brings decades of experience and insight into football.
Macnicol is mentoring young talent in today’s professional environment and working with academies to help nurture the current young group into becoming top level footballers.
In a wide-ranging chat with Soccerscene, Macnicol reflects on the raw passion of the NSL, compares past and present youth systems, and weighs in on the potential for a new golden generation in Australian football.
Theo Athans
You played early in your career in the peak of the NSL days. Can you describe the passion of the NSL compared to how it is now?
Brian Macnicol
You couldn’t compare with the local derbies especially South Melbourne vs Heidelberg, which was the pinnacle, and its similar to a Victory vs City game these days.
But the supporters were incredibly passionate for every game and especially for their ethnic backgrounds so it meant something to them. Even as players like myself who weren’t Greek born or a particular ethnic background of a club, we still understood what it meant for them.
Melbourne Croatia and Preston Makedonia were crazy. I remember the day we got police escorted out of Preston early in the 90’s so it was crazy back then.
It’s changed for the better now because young kids are involved but yeah, the NSL was extremely passionate. They were great days.
T.A.
How professional was the NSL back then? In terms of quality on the pitch and the facilities.
B.M.
I have had this discussion before with people about then vs now and you can’t really compare. It’s sort of like comparing house prices today to back in those days where it’s changed completely.
Like I said, it’s for the better, these guys in the A-league today have incredible facilities. I worked for George Kotses at Southern Motors cleaning cars who were the major sponsor of the club and you’d be in the sun working hard all day then drive straight to training where these days they don’t have that.
In terms of quality on the pitch, we had the Viduka’s, the Mehmet Durakovic’s, the Stevie Blair’s you know there’s a list of players who were quality.
Stan Lazaridis had a great career, I played with Doug Hodgson and Sean Murphy who both played in England, and Kevin Muscat who was a great player and has a great coaching career.
Compared to these days, technically the players are superior to us but that’s maybe because they’re training day in and day out, so everything improves. Instead of only having two hour training sessions, three nights a week, these guys are training everyday with programs from Strength and Conditioning coaches, physios, analysis, recovery and dieticians.
At the latter end of my career with Jeff Hopkins as coach he tried to bring in a bit more professionalism but it was hard because the money wasn’t the same as it is these days.
My nephew Quinn, who is at Brisbane Roar, he’s only 16 but I think he’s earning more money than I earnt in a whole year at u16’s.
There were quality players back then and everyone would have been better with the programs they have these days. It’s a shame, it’s just the times I suppose.
They’re so lucky, and I don’t mean that in an envious way, but I try to teach the kids I coach that they are lucky.
Image credit: Brian Macnicol
T.A.
You coached at the u20’s and u21’s NPL level early in your coaching career. How did that help you develop into the coach you are today, especially with youth development?
B.M.
I had an association with Chris Taylor, I started with him probably 10 or 12 years ago and he was at Dandy Thunder doing the first team and brought me on as his assistant. We crossed paths at Southern Blue Tongues which was a representative summer program and we got to know each other from there so he took me to Dandy Thunder NPL Seniors.
Then he more or less took me where he went and I followed him because there was a bit of respect there. He took me to South Melbourne and from there we went to Oakleigh so I’ve learnt a lot of my coaching methods and strategies under Chris Taylor so I owe a big thanks to him for giving me these opportunities and set me up in my coaching career.
T.A.
What motivated you to get into coaching after your playing career?
B.M.
The one person that motivated me was probably my dad. He has been coaching all his life and had an association with Craig Moore. At a young age he was coaching the state teams and he coached me, same with my brother who is the technical director for Rochedale in the NPL up in Brisbane.
It’s sort of in the family, it’s something I enjoy doing and now I’ve dropped down from doing the u23’s to the younger age group which I enjoy because you’re developing them into top players. I have already seen some good players go on and have a great career like Matt Millar and Jacynta Galabadaarachchi who is playing up in Portugal.
It’s really nice to see that you invest something into these guys and they go on to live their dream as professional footballers.
T.A.
Speaking on youth player development, how do you compare the youth environment now to back in your day when you first started playing?
B.M.
I’m actually working with Jai Ingham in his academy, and he has a successful academy under Malvern so I’ve been with Jai for a year and a half now and it’s very professionally run. Great coaches have been involved like Joe Guest, myself, big Harry Sawyer so these sorts of players are coaching.
Going back to my days and comparing it to now, they just have way more information these days. No disrespect to the coaches back then but they didn’t have to do coaching badges like every coach now so back then I never did any strength and conditioning work, video analysing or had any dietitians to help me out.
With Jai’s academy, everything is very structured, all sessions are well planned and it’s high intensity so everything is very professional in that sense.
Like I said earlier on about the NSL days, we were working full time and then having to go play football after compared to these days having a full time role.
Image credit: Brian Macnicol
T.A.
And do you believe the youth system is good enough in Australia at the moment?
B.M.
I went overseas last year and took a young academy to the UK with Mitch Nichols and we did tours of Cardiff, Southampton, QPR and finished off at Tottenham with Ange.
We got to play tier one academies with our group of young boys and we competed really well. We gave every academy we played a decent game, the only team that gave us a bit of a footballing lesson was Tottenham who beat us 5-2.
They were superior to the others but our boys did really well so we asked the question ‘what do you think is special about these academies?’ and they were saying around the age of 15 and 16 they start to get kids from all different parts of Europe and that’s where it starts to pick up in quality.
Obviously, the facilities they have are on another level and even the coaches they had, I think the u16 coach they had used to coach at the Premier League level. But it was a fantastic experience to play these teams in their training facilities in a new environment.
I guess the point is we weren’t far away from these clubs but as they start to get older and recruit from Europe, so that widens the gap.
No youngsters from Europe are going to come to Australia, are they? They’ll go to countries where football is their number one sport.
T.A.
The Socceroos golden generation has come and gone but do you think the current NPL and A-League development system can produce world class players again?
B.M.
You’d hope so. I was reading about Tom Waddingham from Brisbane Roar and they were liking him to Viduka which is an unbelievable statement this early in his career. Viduka was top scorer in the NSL at 18 so he was on another level.
I’m not exactly sure why we haven’t replaced that golden generation because we have better facilities, coaches and programs in the current day compared to back then but I just don’t think the mentality of players these days is the same.
I played with a few players who were physically and mentally strong whereas these days the anger has been taken out of the game a little bit.
I’m sure it’s a question that a lot of people want to answer but even a name comes to mind, Jo Biskic, who I had a bit of experience playing with at Heidelberg United and he was a terrific player technically. Even the Melbourne Croatia boys were all fantastic in their own right, it was an incredible team.
All we can do is keep working hard, give the youngsters all the information, facilities and coaching we can and hopefully we do produce these players again.
As a country we seem to lack a proper number nine. Defensively I think we’re really good, you’ve got the two centre backs in Harry Souttar and Cameron Burgess then you’ve got Bos and Geria as full backs. But it’s lacking those attacking players and especially that number nine.
You’d want to beat Bahrain and these other countries but in saying that every country is improving at the same time so we have to keep up.
