Football Coaches Australia (FCA) have announced that The Football Coaching Life Podcast will make the exciting transition into video format and be available via YouTube from this week.
Since February 2021, The Football Coaching Life Podcast has steadily grown into one of the strongest sources of insight and information for professional, semi-professional, grassroots and aspiring coaches in Australia.
The Football Coaching Life Podcast reflects not just the range of Australian coaches located across the world, but also the variety of talented male and female coaches involved in the men’s and women’s game both domestically and abroad.
Hosted by legend of Australian football and recent inductee into the Football Victoria Hall of Fame, Gary Cole, the podcast has sought to give a platform to some of Australia’s most successful and brightest up-and-coming coaches, with guests including Tanya Oxtoby, Ange Postecoglou and Alen Stajcic.
“The podcast has been running for just over a year now thanks to the significant help of MAKING MEDIA, the podcast professionals. From day one we recorded them initially via Zoom because our intent was always that we would find a home for them. We’ve captured around 25 episodes now and have reviewed what we’ve been doing on an ongoing basis, and we’ve got well over 16,000 listens of the podcast now,” Cole says.
“I think the whole purpose of moving it to video is that it will touch more people – more people will watch and more people will listen. It’s a fantastic opportunity for coaches of any sport to learn because there’s so much knowledge and wisdom about leadership and culture being shared. There’s so much of the coaches telling their story, and we all have different stories. And the reason we started was because most of the stories haven’t been told.
“We believe that there’s not a ‘one size fits all’ for coaching, it’s something that is very personal and you’ve got to find your way. And across that journey, their coaching and approach to coaching changes. Now we have the opportunity to watch and listen, not just listen.
“At the end of the day, FCA was setup to help coaches at all different levels. That includes supporting their mental health, representing them and helping them with their ongoing education.”
Sarah West, Vice President of FCA and Assistant Coach/Analyst for Canberra United, expressed her excitement at being able to effectively reflect the values of FCA through amplifying the podcast’s reach with the new video format.
“One of our goals is to enhance the profile of Australian coaches, and the other is to provide Australian coaches with resources; whether that be educational, professional development and opportunities to have positive conversations about football.
“Effectively, through the work that we’re doing with MAKING MEDIA and Ralph Barba, packaging up those podcasts and having them delivered to our audio channels has been hugely successful.
“The diversity of FCA’s modern media and coach education platforms for coaches is not matched by any other Australian football coaching provider.”
Karen Grega FCA Executive Committee member and podcast editor stated:
“‘The Coaching Life’ provides an insight into the personalities of the coaches, as well as their own journeys (sometimes warts and all). This is something which obviously comes from them being in a comfortable environment. This makes for great viewing and listening for coaches at all levels and the football-loving public generally.
The calibre of Australian female coaches making their mark (in often challenging circumstances) in the game both locally and oversees is impressive. It’s certainly a far cry from my days as a player and referee. I’m sure the content in ‘The Coaching life’ will resonate with coaches from many other sports as well.”
There are many ‘take-aways’ for those in the corporate sector as coaches share their views and experiences on topics such as Resilience, Leadership, Mentoring and even the impact of social media.
Gary’s own invaluable contribution to both the questions he poses and the coaches responses comes from his own football and teaching experience, empathy and of course, passion for the game and adds to the valuable lessons learned from each episode.
The Football Coaching Life Podcasts and YouTube videos are available now.
