Football NSW 2024 coaching conference sold out early

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Image credit: Football NSW website

The Football NSW 2024 Coaches Conference has a star-studded line-up that has attracted record numbers to the weekend event on the 23rd and 24th of November.

This annual event run by Football NSW allows local coaches to go to a 2-day conference with talks and meets with prominent coaches in a selection of important parts of football coaching and development.

Football NSW has organised key areas for the coaching conference to highlight, which include:

  • Youth Development
  • Goalkeeping
  • Junior Development
  • Leadership & Culture
  • Women & Girls Development
  • Player Welfare

Football NSW have invested massively in this conference, and this investment has undoubtedly paid off with 800 coaches signed up to attend the event already.

Selling out the tickets 3 months before the event even takes place, smashing the record attendance for this annual event since its start in 2019.

To add to this, a huge amount of coaches have signed up for the waiting list for a chance to attend as well, there are still spots on the waiting list available for any more keen coaches.

This massive increase in popularity can be largely due to the top brass organised by Football NSW.

Gathering to speak are coaching leaders from both our local pool and international associations and clubs.

Some of the speakers attending are:

  • 3-time A league coach of the year and current Socceroos coach Graham Arnold.
  • Gabriel Bussinger is the current Director of football for Brazilian giant Vasco de Gama and has been a football coach for over two decades.
  • Peter Sturgess is the former English FA Technical Lead for the 5–11s age group. He spent 17 years in the FA youth development system at the forefront of youth football.
  • Thanks to the success of the Matildas there has been massive growth in female participation in Australia. Therefore, Football NSW has got Leah Blayney head of the Young Matildas and Future Matildas program coming to chat about this exciting development.
  • Included with her are young Matilda assistant coaches Helen Winterburn and Victoria Guzman.

These are just some of the 18 speakers for the 2-day conference at Valentine Park, the home of football in NSW.

This conference shows the massive investment and ambition that Football NSW has in giving football coaches in the state the opportunity to gain invaluable information from some of the highest achievers in the coaching world.

For coaches of any type in NSW this is an event one needs to attend.

If you wish to learn more about the conference click here for the link to the Conference page.

If you wish to sign up for the waitlist for a chance to attend, click here.

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The only road to the national stage: FQ Academy Inter-Conference Carnival 2026

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Image Credit: Brook Desbois

Football Queensland (FQ) has confirmed Mackay Football Park as the host venue for the 2026 FQ Academy Inter-Conference Carnival, scheduled for the 14th to 17th of April.

Backed by the Mackay Regional Council, the event unites FQ’s five Regional Academies across the Northern and Central Conferences. This expanded four-day schedule marks a significant shift in regional programming. It allows for a greater volume of match play and enhances talent identification windows for technical staff.

Strengthening the Regional Pathway

The Carnival serves as a critical junction in the state-wide pathway. FQ Technical Director and Player Development, Tom Laxton, emphasized the event’s role in exposing players to new competitive environments.

“The Inter-Conference Carnival remains a key foundational element of the regional FQ Academy pathway,” Laxton said. “Expanding the Carnival in 2026 to four days reinforces our commitment to delivering more meaningful opportunities.”

Importantly, the FQ Academy stands as the only pathway in Queensland recognized by Football Australia for national selection. This event ensures equity amongst regional talent whom often fly under the radar of high-performance scouts. The extended format also benefits referees and coaches, providing a longer window for development and assessment.

Economic and Regional Impact

The partnership with Mackay Regional Council highlights the economic value of youth football tourism. Mayor Williamson noted the expanded timeline benefits the local visitor economy.

“By expanding the carnival to four days, it gives visitors a much better opportunity to explore what our region has to offer,” Williamson said.

The event draws players, support staff, and families from across the northern half of the state. It positions Mackay Football Park as a central hub for elite youth development in Queensland.

Registration and scheduling details regarding the 2026 FQ Academy Inter-Conference Carnival will be released here as they emerge.

Pignata’s OAM Signals a New Era for Football Administration

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Image Credit: Football Victoria

In the Australian sporting landscape, administrative longevity is a rare commodity. The burnout rate for executives in the A-Leagues and state federations is notoriously high. It’s driven by the unique friction between commercial imperatives and grassroots politics. Consequently, the awarding of a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) to Football Tasmania CEO Tony Pignata is symbolic of more than individual recognition.

Pignata joins PFA founder Brendan Schwab, former Soccer Australia CEO Ian Holmes, and Alen Stajcic on this year’s Australia Day honour roll. However, Pignata offers a distinct blueprint for the modern sports executive. His trajectory moves from the banking sector to the Football Victoria boardroom, through high-pressure A-League franchises, and finally to the developing frontier of Tasmania.

A “Turnaround” Specialist

To understand Pignata’s executive philosophy, observers must look past the A-League. The mechanics of the Victorian Soccer Federation (VSF) in the mid-2000s tell the real story. Following the sudden departure of Damien Bown in 2004, Pignata inherited an organisation in crisis. Then-Chairman Manny Galanos described the body as being “on our hands and knees financially.”

Pignata leveraged a 17-year background in legacy financial institutions including NAB, AXA Australia, and HSBC. He applied corporate discipline to a chaotic sporting balance sheet. His tenure at the VSF (now Football Victoria) restored solvency and aggressively pursued commercial assets.

Pignata’s transition to the A-League demonstrated that these fundamental business principles could scale. His tenure across three clubs showed adaptability to different market conditions. Yet, his legacy remains inextricably linked to a singular, market-shifting transaction: the signing of Alessandro Del Piero.

In 2012, the A-League faced a relevance crisis. At its helm, Pignata executed a high-risk strategy that fundamentally altered the competition’s valuation. The Del Piero acquisition proved the league’s capacity to attract global brand equity. Pignata demonstrated that commercial viability requires bold capital investment backed by operational stability.

Bridging the “Old Soccer” Divide

Crucially, the OAM citation acknowledges a contribution that bridges the often-toxic divide between the “old soccer” NPL system and the “new football” professional era. Pignata is not a corporate outsider. His journey began as a junior at Salesian College and a player for Westall Inter and Box Hill Inter. He featured in the Reserves as the club ascended to the Premier League.

This “proximal” relationship with the grassroots gave him a unique license to operate. Long before the ubiquity of social media, Pignata engaged directly with stakeholders on public fan forums. He understood the importance of monitoring the digital pulse of its supporters when most administrators relied on press releases.

His unique ability to speak the language of both volunteer committee and corporate board drove organisational reforms in Victoria. He oversaw the rebranding to Football Federation Victoria and streamlined the V-League Academy by recruiting Eric Hollingsworth. His move to admit the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) into the Premier League ensured elite youth talent had a vehicle for competitive match minutes. He prioritised technical development over short-term club politics.

The Tasmanian Mandate

Now 61, Pignata shows no signs of slowing down. His move to Football Tasmania in September 2023 signals a shift in the state’s ambition. Tasmania currently sits at a critical juncture, aggressively lobbying for A-League expansion and the requisite stadium infrastructure.

By appointing Pignata, Football Tasmania signalled to government partners that they are operationally ready for professionalisation. His presence de-risks the expansion proposition. He knows what a viable A-League licence looks like because he’s ran three of them.

His current focus on “high-performance pathways” addresses the state’s most pressing structural deficit: the talent drain to the mainland. Pignata’s mandate is to build an ecosystem where a Tasmanian junior sees a clear line of sight to professional football without leaving the state.

Ultimately, the OAM recognises a career defined by resilience and ROI. Pignata navigated the transition from the semi-pro era to the corporate demands of the A-League. He consistently delivered commercial growth and organisational stability.

“Football is more than a sport… it is a community, a pathway and a powerful connector,” Pignata said upon receiving the honour.

For the industry, Tony Pignata’s OAM is a benchmark. It rewards the “business of winning” off the pitch just as highly as the results on it. As he steers Football Tasmania toward a potential A-League future, the industry watches with interest. The “Pignata Effect” may yet deliver one final, historic expansion victory.

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