Finalists announced for Inaugural FCA XV Mind Games Cup

In December 2020, 30 globally located teams of coaches and players from grassroots to professional participated in Round 1 of the Inaugural FCA XV Mind Games Cup.

This global first in football provided teams the opportunity to remotely step into a football -themed virtual world, compete against each other, whilst developing and honing essential skills such as communication, collaboration, leadership, resilience, trust and teamwork.

To be successful teams had to prepare themselves prior to the session and keep their emotions in check, with the key being able to deal with uncertainty under pressure. Teams who were able to adapt quickly, performed well.

Congratulations to all teams who participated. The top six teams from Round 1 will now progress through to the Final, to be scheduled for early 2021. Teams in the final are:

  • Mixed Bag (representing several community clubs) (QLD)
  • Maverick FC (representing Sydney FC Sporting Schools) (NSW)
  • Manly United FC (NSW)
  • Curl Curl FC (NSW)
  • Riversdale Maestros (NSW)
  • Taylor’s Lakes Soccer Academy (VIC)

Krishneel Maharaj, Mixed Bag team member, AFC/FFA Advance Licence Coach, Psychologist and FCA member stated:

“I’m a big fan of any quality program that highlights the importance of the oft-forgotten and important ‘soft skills’ of coaching like communication and leadership.

Our team has had fun and a few laughs working together through the Mind Game challenges. It gave us an opportunity to practice our communication, team work and decision-making skills in a challenging and unfamiliar context. We look forward to participating in the final in February 2021”

All participants also received an exclusive presentation delivered by Prof. Mike Conway, who is the Founder of XVenture and the emotional agility and mind coach for the Socceroos. In his tutorial, Mike introduced participants to the EARL Measure (emotional agility, resilience and leadership), a tool he uses in creating performance improvement programs for individuals and teams including the Socceroos, Sydney FC, the Joeys, Olympians and many business organisations globally.

The FCA XV Mind Games Cup is the first initiative under the new partnership between Football Coaches Australia and XVenture. Under this partnership, Coaches will be able to explore, read, watch and experience five subject matter areas, including leadership, emotional agility/ intelligence, culture, communication and resilience. Everything in this exciting program is football themed and includes real cases and examples of essential skills in practice.

The FCA XVenture Essential Skills Program, available from early 2021, is highly relevant and suitable for all levels of coaches, from community to elite football.…but you can already start your self- improvement journey and learn about the EARL Measure and approach by completing the EARL Measure HERE (earl.xventure.com.au) completely free of charge. You’ll receive your results and interpretations upon completion.

Do you want to be the first to know the Essential Skills Program is available?

Send an email to: info@footballcoachesaus.org.au and simply put into the Subject Line: Tell me more about the Essential Skills Program and include your full name in the emai

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Filopoulos: Football Must Move Beyond Campaigns to Win Fans for Good

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Image Credit: Perth Glory

Global marketing and advisory firm Bastion has strengthened its leadership team with the appointment of Peter Filopoulos as Managing Director, Experience. This decision brings one of Australian football’s most influential administrators into a new phase of the sports business landscape.

Filopoulos, who has held senior roles across Football Australia, Football Victoria and Perth Glory, will lead Bastion’s experiential and partnerships division, applying a football-informed lens to brand engagement.

Drawing on his time in the game, Filopoulos emphasised the importance of cohesion in building meaningful fan connections.

“For me, the biggest lesson is that fans don’t see brand, content and experience as individual silos, they experience it all as one connected ecosystem,” he said.

“At Football Australia, the work resonated most when everything was aligned; the team, the narrative, the partners and the matchday experience all working together to feel cohesive and authentic. That’s when engagement moves beyond interaction and becomes something far more meaningful.”

He added that too many organisations still treat fan engagement as short-term.

“Where a lot of organisations fall short is treating fan engagement as a campaign. It’s not, it’s an always-on system.”

Filopoulos’ move reflects a broader shift within football, where commercial growth is increasingly driven by experience-led strategy.

“At Bastion, we put experience at the centre—because it’s where the brand comes to life, where partners integrate in a way that adds real value and where fans genuinely connect,” he said.

“Our focus is on building platforms that bring fans closer to the brand… Get that right, and you’re creating something people actively want to be part of.”

Pushing for First Nations representation in the game with Football Queensland’s Murri Cup

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Image Credit: Football Queensland

Football Queensland has announced the inaugural FQ Murri Cup, a two-day tournament celebrating First Nations cultures and showcasing Indigenous football talent from across Queensland, to be held at Nudgee Recreation Reserve on November 28 and 29.

The competition, developed in close consultation with Football Australia’s National Indigenous Advisory Group and Football Australia’s General Manager of First Nations Courtney Fewquandie, will feature a Coles MiniRoos activation, a Charles Perkins XI Talent ID session and a community stallholder zone alongside the on-field competition. Expressions of interest are open now for individuals and teams across the state.

More than a tournament

The launch arrives at a moment when the structural underrepresentation of First Nations Australians in organised sport, at the administrative, coaching, and pathway levels, is under sustained scrutiny. Football, like most codes, has historically failed to build the kind of community-embedded structures that make sustained Indigenous participation possible rather than incidental.

The FQ Murri Cup is a direct response to that gap. By centering First Nations culture within the competition itself, rather than treating it as supplementary to a standard football event, the tournament signals a shift in how the game positions Indigenous participation as a community with its own relationship to the sport that deserves its own platform.

The inclusion of a Talent ID session carries specific weight. Structured pathways into elite football have not always been accessible to players from regional and remote Indigenous communities, where geography, cost and cultural barriers compound one another. Embedding that opportunity within a culturally safe environment lowers the threshold at the point where it most frequently closes.

“The FQ Murri Cup will bring together First Nations players, families and communities for a two-day celebration, providing a wonderful opportunity to acknowledge the contributions of First Nations participants within our game,” said Football Queensland CEO Robert Cavallucci.Mu

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