Football Coaches Australia welcomes Sports Integrity Australia independent investigation

Avatar

Football Coaches Australia (FCA) welcomed the broad independent investigative mandate provided by Football Australia to Sport Integrity Australia, encompassing four different areas – harassment, bullying, intimidation and discrimination.

FCA encourages current and former players, administrators, referees and coaches, as well as parents and others involved in football in Australia to come forward through this process to enhance the positive cultural development in our sport.

FCA President Phil Moss stated: “As an organisation we have sought transparency, due process and procedural fairness from day one, so we fully support an independent and wide-ranging investigation into the culture of football in Australia.

“We must, as a game, hold ourselves to the highest of standards.

“The culture we live every day, how we treat each other and ensuring we are setting up the next generation to enjoy our great game is of paramount importance and entirely non-negotiable.”

Newly elected FCA Vice President Sarah West endorsed Phil’s statement:

“Everyone in our sport, from professional players, coaches, referees, administrators and staff through to those involved at the grass roots, has the right to participate in a positive and safe environment and to be treated with respect and fairness.

“There is no place in our game for abuse or harassment of any kind. This unacceptable behaviour harms people and diminishes the game.

“As coaches we have a duty of care to those we are entrusted to work with and must endeavour to always create environments which provide safety, trust and inclusivity so that everyone can enjoy the beautiful game on and off the pitch.”

Media inquiries can be directed to FCA Chief Executive Officer, Glenn Warry, on +61 417 346 312

Previous ArticleNext Article

Jets and University of Newcastle Unite to Empower Future Leaders

Avatar
Image Credit: Australia Cup

The Newcastle Jets have announced they will renew their partnership with the University of Newcastle for the next three years.

Both the Jets and the University will exchange resources to provide hands-on learning opportunities to the next generation of students across Sports Science, Physiotherapy and the Business School.

Newcastle Jets CEO, Tain Drinkwater, expressed his delight at how the partnership is helping to push for equality in football by supporting both the men’s and women’s teams.

“Through this partnership, we’re providing University of Newcastle students with invaluable opportunities to gain real-world experience within a professional football environment,” he said in a press release.

“The University’s commitment to equality and a sustainable future for female football is also something we’re incredibly proud to showcase, with their logo represented on both our A-League Men’s and Women’s jerseys this season.

“Together, we’re building stronger pathways, creating opportunities, and championing the growth of football in our region.”

The new agreement will continue to support player education through the University’s sports scholarship program and its influence on the Jets’ pathways initiatives.

University of Newcastle Deputy Vice-Chancellor Equity and Engagement, Nathan Towney, also spoke on the new opportunities the partnership will provide for the University’s students.

“This renewed alliance is a collaboration that reflects our shared commitment to excellence, our community, and providing education pathway opportunities for our students and the Jets players,” he said in a press release.

“Through this partnership, we’re not just cheering from the sidelines; together, we’re actively contributing to creating a space for our students and Jets players to thrive, while contributing to the vibrancy and well-being of our community through football and support for the Jets.”

The University has been actively involved through education, athlete development and community engagement across Northern NSW.

Students will gain valuable real-world experience within a professional sporting environment through the partnership, which hopes to help shape the next generation of leaders in football.

Off the Pitch Podcast: Cavallucci On the Importance of FQ’s Future Club+ Initiative for Local Clubs

Avatar
Image Credit: Football Queensland

On Episode 16 of Soccerscene’s Off the Pitch Podcast, it was a special episode with FQ CEO Rob Cavallucci ahead of the all-important 2025 Queensland Football Convention.

Many topics around the issues in Queensland football were discussed including Futsal’s incredible growth, update on Perry Park’s upgrade plan and driving player retention in certain youth age groups.

On the topic of administration, FQ’s new Future Club+ is a ground-breaking initiative designed to strengthen the foundations of football clubs across the state.

The concept of this began after last year’s convention and through interactive club lab sessions and ongoing consultation, FQ are continuing those discussions and driving practical change.

Cavallucci discussed the current volunteering and administration issues that are plaguing local football clubs.

“Future Club+ is in line with what I talked about earlier in regard to what we need to do to best position this sport for the next 20 years,” he said.

“Clubs are run by volunteers and volunteerism is waning. A lot of clubs can’t get the administration right because they also can’t get the governance right.

“The sport is run by volunteers and when you look at the fact that volunteerism is declining in Australia across every sport, you know it’s a problem we have to solve right now.

“From a governing body point of view, when you look at that, that’s actually a limiting factor on the success of our sport.”

He also gave a solution on how FQ are going to tackle this in the future, specifically in regards to what  Future Club+ will offer in the 2025 Queensland Football Convention and beyond.

“We need to start to work with clubs to transform how they manage themselves and that means a whole series of things. Hence the Future Club+ concept is looking at that and rethinking about best practice of how a club should operate,” he said.

“What we’ve been doing over the last 18 months through a series of webinars and in the last convention, and even in this upcoming one, there’s three Future Club+ sessions and it’s all about best practice at a club.”

In this convention, the three Future Club+ sessions are:

#1 What data reveals about your club future

#2 The amalgamation playbook: Real stories from the clubs forging the future

#3 The growth engine: your tool kit to fund staff and empower volunteers.

“Those three subjects should be very appealing to any club.”

Click hear the full interview with Rob Cavallucci, on Episode 16 of Soccerscene’s Off the Pitch Podcast – available on all major podcasting platforms.

Most Popular Topics

Editor Picks

Send this to a friend