Football NSW and CORE Community Services deliver successful ALDI MiniRoos Settlement Program

The recently established ALDI MiniRoos Settlement Program, organised by Football NSW together with CORE Community Services has become quite the success story.

A statement from the Football New South Wales can be found here:

Fifty-one kids including 13 girls of newly arrived Iraqi, Syrian and Jordanian families from the South Western Sydney communities registered to participate in a modified ALDI MiniRoos Kick-Off Program.

Its purpose to provide children between the ages of 4 and 11 who have experienced adversity in their lifetime with the opportunity to learn and play football.

The introductory program based at Ultimate Soccer in Fairfield embraces football as a way to endure the social challenges they face in the community.

It helps kids stay active, make friends and learn English on the go, while coaches teach them the fundamentals of football so they too can fall in love with the game.

Through the ALDI MiniRoos Settlement Program, the kids received a bag and ball bearing the Western Sydney Wanderers’ logo, shin pads, a water bottle and stickers in their participant packs; while the coaches were also provided with a delivery kit, inclusive of pop-up goals, cones, bibs, etc.

It’s a gesture of goodwill to encourage them to continue with their active lifestyles outside the program and practising football, while giving the kids some added responsibility, to bring the ball to each session.

Hind, a mother of 3 boys involved in the program was delighted to be offered an avenue to football for her kids.

“The program is great because it brings everyone together and there is a real sense of community.”

Football NSW’s Game Development Officer – MiniRoos, Kevin Guardado Amaya​, accompanied by Fouad David, a Fairfield Bulls Coach and daughter Mariam, delivered the recent program with the help of other Football NSW Community Coaches.

Before arriving in Australia from Syria in July 2016, Fouad coached at a high level with Al-Khabur SC and played as a goalkeeper but ultimately his passion was to become a goalkeeper coach.

While, Mariam is an active participant in Fairfield High School’s Football 4 Development and Football NSW’s Community FC programs.

This year she joined Bossley Park Football Club after connecting with Catherine Cannuli, the Women’s Technical Director at SDSFA (Southern Districts Soccer Football Association).

Mariam’s dream is to one day become a professional football and play for her beloved Matildas but knows the difficult road ahead and the dedication it takes.

CORE Community Services’, Aylin Yokhana is the lead case worker for the ALDI MiniRoos Settlement Program and initially started the football program with the help of the Telskuf Association and Fouad and Mariam.

Football NSW through the connections with various migrant resource centres then contacted CORE Community Services and eventually combined to provide additional resources in coaching, equipment, field hire and football packs for the kids with all the essentials.

 

MiniRoos Coaching Certificate

After the success of the first ALDI MiniRoos Settlement Program, CORE Community Services again linked up with Football NSW to organise a coach education night for adults on Thursday 1st August.

The event was held at Fairfield Hotspurs’ home ground at Prospect View Park and assisted by CORE representatives and the Telsfuk Association for the purpose of translating.

Football NSW’s Kevin Guardado Amaya delivered the program, where coaching experienced varied from never having coached before to an Olympic Football Team coach.

Once certified, participants will hopefully take up coaching at their local clubs next season.

For more information on ALDI MiniRoos Football visit miniroos.com.au

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Off the Pitch Podcast: Manny Spanoudakis on Cisco Systems

In episode seven of Soccerscene’s Off the Pitch podcast, St George City FA Head Coach and Regional General Manager at Cisco Manny Spanoudakis joins the show to talk about his role at Cisco, as well as his experience and philosophy in coaching.

As the Regional General Manager for the Sports & Entertainment Solutions Group at Cisco, Spanoudakis is responsible for developing, leading and executing strategy in the Asia Pacific, Japan and China region.

Cisco is a global tech leader that’s helping organisations stay connected and secure in today’s AI-driven world.

For over 40 years, Cisco has played a key role in safely connecting people and businesses around the globe.

Spanoudakis spoke about his experience working on a range of stadiums and venues across Australia as a part of his role at the company.

“I guess if we just focus on the Australian market, there’s been an abundance of projects we’ve been very fortunate to have great success with,” he said on the podcast.

“If I start in Perth, I guess, and work my way east off the stadium is a major project, then we’re just doing a major refresh there after the original opening in 2018, Adelaide Oval, another major customer of ours.

“The Melbourne Cricket Ground just underwent significant and is still undergoing significant technology upgrades, it’s a project and a customer we’ve worked on for well over a decade.

“Marvel Stadium, the Melbourne Olympic Park precinct, the VRC in Flemington, Kardinia Park and GMHBA Stadium and Melbourne Racing Club, so there’s a very strong, we have a very strong customer base in Melbourne.”

Although his role as Regional General Manager at Cisco keeps him busy, Spanoudakis still finds time to pursue coaching and currently serves as the head coach at St George City FA.

Spanoudakis reflected on his early start in coaching—once the youngest coach in the league—and explained how his philosophy was deeply influenced by his upbringing and his father’s passion for football.

“When I transitioned into coaching, I was still relatively young,” he continued to say.

“It’s funny because I was talking to someone the other day that when I started coaching first grade in the NPL, NPL 1, I guess, or whatever the equivalent is in Victoria, the NPL, I was the youngest coach in the league in 2001 and now I think I’m the oldest coach in the league.

“But my coaching philosophy and my principles were very much shaped by my upbringing.

“I listened to Ange and people of my generation talk about the influence parents and fathers had and my dad was a footballer, was a very, very knowledgeable student of the game, so that shaped my upbringing.”

To learn more about his role at Cisco, listen to the full interview with Manny Spanoudakis on episode seven of Soccerscene’s Off the Pitch Podcast – available on all major podcasting apps.

AFC Youth Online Session Champions Emotional Wellbeing

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has reaffirmed its strong commitment to the success of Asian teams with the delivery of the AFC Youth Online Session 2025, held on Thursday.

Nearly 120 participants from 41 Member Associations (MAs) took part in the session, which kicked off with an update on the highly regarded AFC Elite Youth Scheme—currently endorsed by 27 member nations.

Chaired by AFC Technical Director Andy Roxburgh, the virtual session delved into two key focus areas: supporting academies and youth coaches in developing and managing talented young footballers, and strengthening elite youth development programs across the region.

Following Australia’s victory at the AFC U20 Asian Cup™ China 2025 earlier this year, the session also included a special discussion with Trevor Morgan, Head Coach of the championship-winning squad. Morgan offered valuable insights into the team’s journey to success, touching on everything from his coaching philosophy to the preparation and planning that led up to the tournament.

“My mantra is always to instill a mentality among youngsters where they’re not scared to make positive mistakes and not be punished for it,” he said via press release.

“We always encourage the players to play an open game and be unpredictable, which worked out well for Australia as the team scored in a variety of ways and did not just depend on set pieces.”

With the Young Socceroos also taking out the tournament’s Fair Play Award, Morgan spoke further on key topics such as player discipline, building team unity, adapting communication to better connect with younger players, and managing the emotional pressures of high-stakes competition.

Morgan’s session paved the way for the next speaker, Aspire Academy’s Maria Ruiz de Ona, who emphasised the importance of youth coaches developing emotional intelligence, empathy, and effective communication skills.

Building on these points, the Qatar Football Association’s Fahad Abdulla Al Zarraa stressed the importance of embedding emotional intelligence into coach education programs to foster stronger, more positive player-coach relationships. The evening concluded with an engaging Q&A session, where participants actively shared questions and reflections.

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