Football West continues to raise mental health awareness through True Sport initiative

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Football West mental health programs
Image credit: Football West

Football West is engaging football clubs in the discussion of mental health and well-being by aligning with SportWest’s True Sport program.

The program offers sporting clubs and associations valuable resources to help tackle mental health problems amongst individuals in sport and build openness within sporting communities.

A crucial part of the resource offering is a critical incident eToolkit and response guide, that assists clubs in developing a plan for – and response to – an incident that could impact the mental health and well-being of the community.

Further resources include a directory of mental health organisations, factsheets, and posters, all of which are vital to tackling mental health issues safely and effectively.

True Sport has been popular with many sporting codes, which according to SportWest’s vision statement, ‘provides a cohesive, all-sport approach to align values, culture and practices of sport delivery across WA and enrich the sport experience for all participants.’

In addition to its mental health and well-being resources, True Sport provides resources for child safeguarding and side-line behaviour, with both recognised as key challenges for grassroots sport, and areas where sporting experiences can be improved and maximised.

Football clubs are often viewed as important spaces for individuals to let off steam and facilitate positive social interaction. However, many continue to struggle with mental health issues, and despite their participation in football, these issues often go unnoticed.

Football West is creating important awareness of this, in an effort to build support networks for individuals who may be struggling with mental health issues.

Late last year, it announced its own program, Kick off the Conversation, which will educate football clubs about mental health and well-being through engagement practices, resources, and the establishment of well-being champions, who will act as ports of call for players of individual clubs.

Football West believes the Kick Off the Conversation program will empower football clubs to make a recognised difference in the lives of individuals struggling with mental health issues.

Participating clubs that enter the program will be eligible for a share of $15,000 in cash prizes; a valuable incentive for any local football club.

With football expanding at extraordinary lengths, it is vital that it continues to develop in areas off the field, ensuring that the game grows in an organic, inclusive, and responsible manner.

For information on how to get involved in the Kick Off the Conversation program, you can visit the link here:

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Off the Pitch Podcast: Manny Spanoudakis on Cisco Systems

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Image credit: St George City

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

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Image Credit: AFC

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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