Football Coaches Australia lifting the quality of world game to new heights

Staff Writer
XVenture
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Football Coaches Australia and XVenture have announced a new initiative which gives coaches and players easy access to the body of work which has been built by XVenture CEO Mike Conway, the emotional and mind coach who worked with Sydney FC during their record-breaking years and the Socceroos on their journey to achieving 11th place in the 2022 World Cup.

The new initiative, available from today at the FCA XV College, provides discounted access to the “Winning Minds Team Package” where coaches and their players will be able to learn, grow, develop, and apply the principles of Essential Skills for individual and team success.

Any community or accredited coach who signs up to the “Winning Minds Package” at Football Coaches Australia and XVenture College will get access to modules in emotional intelligence, leadership, culture, and communication. Then 16 players (or parents) from their team, will be provided free access to the Foundation program of 20 subjects.  For each completed Module, coaches will also receive 30 CPD points towards license re-validation.

Football Coaches Australia CEO, Glenn Warry, said:

“To date, over 500 coaches from grassroots to elite have undertaken the FCA XV Essential Skills Program from Australia, New Zealand, India, Vietnam, Greece, and Sri Lanka. This new initiative is not about dollars and commercial gain.”

“This is about FCA and XVenture working together to provide coaches and their players the opportunity for greater success on and off the pitch. It’s about Essential Skills, for coaching and life.

“FCA is also seeking to support accredited coaches to attain their 100 CPD points to re-validate their respective FA coach licence by providing exclusive access to world leading professional development.”

Essential Skills Alumni, Drew Taylor, who is the Director of Football, Coach and Player Development at Newington College, said:

“I highly recommend having a look at undertaking the course for anyone wanting to better understand and/or develop emotional intelligence, communication, leadership, resilience and culture.”

Mike Conway added regarding his FIFA World Cup 2022 experience:

“I’ve spent some time reflecting on my experience in working with Graham Arnold, players and all the other staff involved in the 2022 World Cup Campaign and why we were successful.

“From my point of view, the answer lies in the deep connection, cohesion, trust, and commitment of those involved together with the incredible energy of support which we felt throughout the campaign. It was the same during my tenure at Sydney FC with 5 trophies won in 3 years.

“I’m now even more convinced that when we’re all on the same page regarding emotional intelligence, communication, culture, roles and relationships, amazing things can happen. So, we’re offering this new initiative, at a cost- effective price for coaches and no additional charge for players.”

Professional Footballers Australia (PFA) Co-Chief Executive Beau Busch outlined that the initiative would help Australian football to enhance the continual development of current and future coaches and PFA members.

“A number of PFA members have worked with Mike over a number of years in an effort the very best out of themselves,” he said.

“We are delighted that through this initiative more of our members will now be able to get access to the FCAXV Essential Skills Program through their coaches.”

One player who has appreciated Conway’s work is Harry Souttar.

Souttar told the Sydney Morning Herald in 2021: “It’s been a massive help in my progression as a footballer and as a human being as well, I’m going to be honest. For me, still being young, when you see older pros like Maty (Ryan) working with him, and he’s played how many times in the Premier League and had an unbelievable career … if he’s still doing that at his age, why should I not be doing this at my age?”

The Winning Minds Package is now available at www.fcaxvcollege.com for $140 during April and May.

For players who are keen to get access, please forward this information to your coach and encourage them to sign up for the Winning Minds Team Package.

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Football NSW announces 2026 First Nations Scholarships as pathway access program enters new phase

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Image Credit: Football NSW

Football NSW has announced the recipients of its 2026 First Nations Scholarships, with ten emerging Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander players from metropolitan and regional NSW receiving support designed to reduce the financial and structural barriers that have historically limited First Nations participation across the football pathway.

The scholarship program, developed and assessed in collaboration with the Football NSW Indigenous Advisory Group, targets players across both elite and development environments – recognising that talent identification alone is insufficient without the resources to support progression once players are identified.

Co-Chair of the Indigenous Advisory Group Bianca Dufty said the calibre of this year’s recipients reflected the depth of First Nations football talent across the state, and the importance of structured support in converting that talent into long-term participation.

“Their dedication to football and the desire to be role models for younger Aboriginal footballers in their communities is to be celebrated,” Dufty said. “I’m confident we will see some of these talented footballers in the A-League and national teams in the future.”

 

Beyond the pitch and into the pipeline

The 2026 cohort spans both metropolitan clubs and regional associations, an intentional distribution that acknowledges the particular barriers facing First Nations players outside major population centres, where access to development programs, qualified coaching and pathway competitions is more limited and the cost of participation more prohibitive.

The next phase of the program will introduce First Nations coaching scholarships, extending the initiative’s reach beyond playing pathways and into the coaching and administration pipeline – areas where Indigenous representation remains among the lowest in the game.

The structural logic is clear. Scholarships that reduce financial barriers at the entry point of elite pathways matter most when they are part of a sustained ecosystem of support rather than isolated gestures. Football NSW’s collaboration with the Indigenous Advisory Group provides that continuity, ensuring the program is shaped by the communities it is designed to serve.

Football NSW Targets Female Coaching Gap with Twin Programs

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Football NSW has announced two new initiatives targeting the development of female coaches and coach education tutors, backed by federal and state government funding, as the governing body moves to address the longstanding structural absence of women across all levels of coaching in the sport.

The Future Female Coaches Mentoring Program, funded through the NSW Office of Sport’s Empower Her program, will select six female coaches holding a minimum AFC B Diploma for a structured mentoring program beginning mid-year. Participants will be paired with experienced mentors and receive three in-person visits including real-time observation and feedback, alongside regular online development sessions throughout the season.

Separately, Football NSW has opened expressions of interest for its 2026/27 Female Coach Education Tutor (CET) Program, supported by the Australian Federal Government’s Play Our Way investment, targeting C Diploma holders who want to move into coach education delivery.

Together, the programs address two distinct but connected gaps in the women’s football coaching pipeline- the progression from active coach to elite-level practitioner, and the transition from practitioner to the tutors who shape how coaching is taught.

The Pipeline Problem

The structural underrepresentation of women in football coaching isn’t a new observation. It is a documented and persistent feature of the game at every level, from community clubs to national team environments. Female coaches remain a minority in pathway competitions, and female coach education tutors are even more so.

One current tutor in the program described the environment she encountered when she came through the system. “My experience coming through as a coach, there was no females on the courses as participants and there was no females running the courses either,” she said. “That kind of inspires me to be someone that can hopefully make other females feel comfortable and confident to want to become coaches.”

“It is really important to have female role models because it shows that there is an opportunity or pathway for females,” said one program participant. “Traditionally it has been a male-dominated area and to know that yes, you can do it as a passion or a side thing, or you can actually make a career of it if you want.”

Removing barriers at the point of entry

The mentoring program’s design reflects an understanding that formal accreditation alone is insufficient to retain and develop female coaches in high-performance environments. Access to experienced mentors, observation in live coaching contexts and ongoing reflective practice address the informal development gaps that credentials cannot fill.

“Learning happens through coaching in real environments, and we recognise our role in providing both stretch and support to high-potential coaches,” said Edward Ferguson, Football NSW Head of Football Development. “This program offers tailored mentoring that complements formal coach education and enhances effectiveness in practice.”

Hayley Todd, Football NSW Head of Womens and Schools Football, framed the initiative in terms of long-term system building rather than individual development. “Creating sustainable pathways for female coaches is a key priority,” she said. “This program supports their development while also providing valuable insight into what is required to progress from state competitions into national and international environments.”

The barriers the programs are designed to remove are clear. The cost of accreditation, lack of access to mentoring networks, the absence of welcoming environments in coaching courses and the scarcity of female role models at senior levels all compound one another in ways that make progression difficult regardless of ability or commitment.

“You want to try and remove as many barriers as possible,” said one tutor involved in the program. “If you can start to remove those barriers, you actually get to engage with the females more consistently and build their confidence and competence in that space.”

A system investing in itself

The timing of both announcements sits within a broader national moment for women’s football. The AFC Women’s Asian Cup, currently underway in Australia, has delivered record crowds and sustained visibility for the female game at the elite level. The programs announced this week operate at the other end of the pipeline – building the coaching infrastructure that will determine whether the players inspired by that visibility have qualified, experienced and representative coaches to develop them.

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