FFA makes clever choice with Gustavsson appointment

Football Federation Australia announced the appointment of Tony Gustavsson on Tuesday night, as head coach of the Matildas for the next four years.

The 47-year-old Swede will take up the role from the beginning of next year, with the chance to lead Australia’s most loved sporting team to World Cup success on home soil in 2023.

Before then he will have to prepare the current crop of Matildas stars for an Olympic campaign in Tokyo next year and an Asian Cup in India in 2022.

It is of little doubt, Gustavsson’s assignment is a very difficult one.

With four major tournaments (the final one being the Paris Olympics in 2024) in four years there will be a pressure to perform, as the FFA continue to prioritise women’s football in this country, to resurrect the overall outlook of the game.

But is he the right person for the job?

Initial impressions are positive, and on paper, the FFA seems to have made an astute appointment.

Gustavsson’s CV is well rounded with a deep knowledge of the women’s game.

His greatest achievements include winning two World Cups in 2015 and 2019, as an assistant to Jill Ellis for the US Women’s National Team (USWNT).

He was lauded as the “brains” behind the success of the USWNT in the subsequent World Cup victories, as his analytical and tactical execution was instrumental to their setup.

The newly-announced head coach of the Matildas also has an Olympic Gold Medal to his name, as an assistant in a USWNT squad led by Pia Sundhage in 2012.

In club coaching, he guided Swedish club Tyresö FF to the 2014 UEFA Women’s Champions League Final where they lost to German side VFL Wolfsburg.

Gustavsson’s extensive experience and familiarity in women’s football, his proven track record of success in major tournaments, alongside his willingness to maximise the potential of the current women’s squad, ticked a lot of boxes for the FFA and the panel charged with filling the vacant Matildas role.

“Having worked closely with some of the best female footballers and coaches in the world and, through his time with the USWNT, Tony has developed an excellent understanding of what it takes to prepare for and perform in the intense, high-expectation environments of major international tournaments,” FFA CEO James Johnson said.

“We believe that in Tony, we have appointed a coach who will not only surpass the benchmarks and criteria we set as an organisation, but the standards that are expected by our players, football community and fans.

“Throughout the process it was evident that Tony is eager to buy in to what we are working to build with the Westfield Matildas – a uniquely Australian team with a strong identity that is recognised as world class.”

While his impressive CV will contribute to the Matildas’ fortunes on the field, in his opening press conference he exuded enthusiasm for the project and presented himself as a passionate, colourful manager which will likely benefit the team off the pitch.

“To balance my passion (for the game and people), I also need to work with what I call ‘love and joy’,” Gustavsson said.

“Passion, love and joy.

“Love in the sense of loving the game, love to work with people, love the people for who they are but see them for who they can become.

“I want to create a culture where we embrace differences and work together every day to get one day better as an individual and as a team. Hopefully, together with the staff – I talked to the staff this morning and said, ‘without the staff, I’m nothing. I need the staff; I need a team behind the team; we need each other’ – and if everyone can bring their piece to the puzzle and we, together, make that puzzle beautiful, I think we can create a culture where everyone feels important and included.”

The question, of course, is how far can the Swede take this team?

He has spoken about having a proactive part in the process of producing the next batch of Matildas and with a governing body eager to invest in women’s football, it is a promising development for the long-term future.

But I’m sure the FFA realises the enormity of the upcoming World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

It very well may be Australia’s best ever chance to win football’s biggest prize and optimisation for that tournament should be the main priority.

Will Gustavsson be able to deal with the expectation of a nation on his back at the World Cup?

The man himself doesn’t believe that will be an issue.

“I’ve experienced a lot of pressure throughout my career, both on the men’s and women’s side,” he said.

“I’ve been in that pressure cooker and know what it takes to deliver, when it means the most.”

As always, the proof will be in the pudding, but for now there is cautious optimism amongst Australian football circles around the appointment, which is refreshing to say the least.

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Unite Round: A-League’s Bold Vision Faces Challenges

The second-ever edition of the Unite Round sparked some interesting debates and narratives about whether the A-League can properly host an inclusive event of this scale.

As the contract with Destination NSW expires, the question remains; Is the experiment worth committing to or should it be scrapped?

A potentially unfair comparison would be to NRL’s Magic Round and AFL’s Gather Round who managed to succeed with the concept in its first two seasons. It’s quite simple, the A-League don’t have the wide-ranging committed supporter base to reach those heights just yet.

But will they do so quick enough for this investment to be worth it?

Challenges that undermine Unite Round

It was a weekend that had a few positives, as mentioned in the A-Leagues press release last week but was certainly marred by a slew of negative and/or embarrassing moments.

Whilst match-going fans, who spent the weekend in Sydney, anecdotally seemed to truly enjoy the experience, there simply weren’t enough that flew out to watch their team play.

The 45,000-capacity Allianz Stadium had a rather empty look for most of the games, mirroring Covid lockdown football, and the lack of atmosphere really took away from the experience that was promised when the concept replaced the controversial Sydney Grand Final deal last season.

For a league that has constantly struggled with attendances since the horror 2021-22 season (which saw attendances slashed in half post-covid), the ability to hold a full-scale weekend of football in one city is realistically never going to work, especially in a cost-of-living crisis.

Another issue that is increasingly being brought up in media and fan spaces is the NSW Police releasing a statement before the weekend had started, ensuring that they were going to crackdown on pre-game marches, flares, banners and flags in an attempt to ‘keep everyone safe’.

Baffling for any hardcore fan, it was a truly tone-deaf action that stripped football of its core: intense and passionate tribalism.

Highlights of the weekend

Focusing on the positives, in the A-League press release, they revealed the numbers behind an improvement on last season’s first-ever United Round.

– 33 goals were scored across 12 games between both the Ninja A-League Women and Isuzu UTE A-League Men.

– Attendance was up 50% on the first-ever Unite Round with a cumulative match attendance of more than 71,000 fans. This was certainly helped by an amazing 30,777 crowd to watch the Sydney Derby.

– Over a thousand fans take part in grassroots clinics, tournament and fan zones.

Commenting on the overall feel of Unite Round 2024/25, Nick Garcia, A-Leagues Commissioner, said:

“It was a turbulent build up with a ticketing outage, a change in venue for our six Ninja A-League Women matches and a planned train strike – but we’re really proud to have welcomed 50% more fans from across Australia and New Zealand to Sydney compared to our first-ever Unite Round,” Garcia said in a press release.

“We really believe in the long term potential of this partnership with the NSW Government and Destination NSW, establishing a new tradition and welcoming football fans from across Australia and New Zealand to electrify this incredible city.

“This event really resonates with our young and diverse fanbase and aligns with our drive to unite communities through a shared love of football. It’s the pinnacle weekend of professional football, and we hope this is a tradition that we can continue to build on and grow in the coming years.

“It’s been a really strong start to our 20th season. Crowds have grown by 30% year-on-year across the first four rounds of the Isuzu UTE A-League Men, while the new Saturday night doubleheader on 10 Bold has also increased the free-to-air national audience by 34%. We look forward to continuing this momentum across both leagues as we move into the summer period.”

The path forward for Unite Round

The words from Nick Garcia suggest that the A-League are committed to making this concept work and are hoping the progress made in the last 10 months can be replicated over time.

The direction in which the United Round goes in is still unknown with the expiration of Destination NSW but it also could lead to an innovation that bursts this weekend into life.

Do they try it in New Zealand for a year? Or up in the Gold Coast where people might have more incentive to enjoy a weekend up in the Sunshine Coast?

The chance for experimentation surely has to be attempted considering the trends suggesting that this weekend won’t be considered an outright ‘success’ in the short term.

Conclusion

In the end, the future of the Unite Round hinges on bold experimentation and a commitment to creating a uniquely football-centric spectacle.

Whether it’s exploring new locations like New Zealand or the Gold Coast, or innovating to better engage fans across the country, the A-League has an opportunity to redefine what a national celebration of football can look like.

The league’s struggles with attendance and atmosphere are real, but so too is the potential for growth in a competition that resonates with Australia’s diverse and passionate football community.

The Unite Round has shown glimmers of promise amid its challenges—now it’s up to the A-League to seize that promise and turn it into a tradition worth rallying behind.

Hahn partnership marks new era for the Australia Cup

In a significant milestone for Australian football, Hahn has been confirmed as the naming rights partner for the Australia Cup in a three-year deal.

Beginning in 2025, the competition will be officially rebranded as the “Hahn Australia Cup,” marking the start of an important partnership between Hahn and Football Australia.

The Australia Cup is celebrated as one of the nation’s most inclusive football competitions, bringing together more than 750 senior community clubs from grassroots to professional levels.

This new alliance highlights Hahn’s commitment to fostering unity and strengthening connections within Australia’s vibrant football community.

Hahn, recognised as one of Australia’s fastest-growing beer brands, brings its no-compromise philosophy to the collaboration. With a range of low and zero-carb beers, Hahn caters to health-conscious consumers who seek to enjoy a mindful choice without sacrificing taste.

Football Australia and Hahn are set to collaborate on initiatives designed to grow the competition, ensuring it continues to resonate with communities across the country.

Football Australia CEO James Johnson touched on how exciting this deal is for the future of the game.

“This exciting partnership marks a significant moment for the Australia Cup, and we’re thrilled to welcome Hahn as the naming rights partner for this extraordinary competition”, Johnson said in a press conference.

“The Hahn Australia Cup represents more than just a football tournament; it brings together grassroots players, officials, fans, and communities from across the country in a shared celebration of the game.

“This partnership with Hahn, one of Australia’s most popular beer brands, aligns perfectly with our vision for the Australia Cup, and we’re excited about the impact this collaboration will have on Australian football.”

Lion Australia Managing Director, James Brindley shared the same excited sentiment about this partnership.

“We’re incredibly proud to partner with Football Australia as the official beer and naming rights partner of the Australia Cup. The Hahn Australia Cup is a competition that pits park footballers against professionals in the ultimate David vs Goliath matchup. Aussies love to back an underdog and every year the Australia Cup delivers ‘Cupsets’ that engage and inspire players and supporters alike”, Brindley said in a press conference.

“Hahn is here to celebrate the on-field moments that forge lifelong bonds and become the stuff of legend in months and years to follow. We look forward to raising a Hahn with the players, coaches, and communities that bring this tournament to life each year.”

History of naming rights

Before this deal, the history of naming rights sponsors was scarce. In 2014, Westfield Group was announced as the sponsor for the first three seasons of the cup tournament, known for commercial purposes as the “Westfield FFA Cup.”

However since 2016, the cup has failed to secure another naming rights sponsor until now, settling for Umbro and Mitre as ball suppliers and sponsors as its only revenue stream on that front.

Conclusion

Through this collaboration, Hahn and Football Australia are poised to elevate the tournament’s status while celebrating the shared love of the game among players and fans alike.

The partnership is a huge step forward for Football Australia who will capitalise off their biggest cup tournament to secure some much needed funding.

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