Ivan Franjic: “I’m thankful and grateful that I was able to live my dream”

Ivan Franjic’s arrival at historic National Premier Leagues Victoria side Heidelberg United has come via an unconventional journey to say the least.

From his early beginnings in the then-named Victorian Premier League with the likes of St Albans Saints and Melbourne Knights, to playing for Russian side FC Torpedo Moscow, to playing in the third-largest urban agglomeration in Korea with Daegu FC, Franjic’s career has certainly been one to savour.

Whilst his career has seen injury setbacks, a blocked loan and unpaid wages with Torpedo Moscow – and the discovery of a potentially career-threatening rare inflammatory condition known as myocarditis in 2016 – Franjic is grateful to be where he is today and to have had the footballing experiences he’s had.

“I’ve been very fortunate with the success I’ve had over my travels, and I’ve experienced some different countries,” he said.

“It’s been a great journey and I’m thankful and grateful that I was able to live my dream and play for the Socceroos at a World Cup. Some Championships as well, so, can’t complain at all.”

Torpedo Moscow

And as for why Franjic opted to return to the NPL Victoria to take up an opportunity with Heidelberg United, a family connection and the quality of the league spoke for itself.

“My brother has played in the NPL for a fair bit and I’ve watched a few of his games. If you look at the FFA Cup you’ve always got a Victorian team in the semi-finals, so it must be saying something about how good the standard of the league is,” he said.

“I know the coach George Katsakis and he called me and my brother and said he was interested in signing us. And obviously Heidelberg have had success over the last few years where they’ve won a lot of trophies, so, they’re wanting to build a great team to have another successful year once again.

“Whenever you go to Heidelberg you see that they have a decent following and that everyone gets behind them, so it’ll be good. I’m looking forward to playing in the NPL this year and to finally be playing with my brother after all these years.”

Heidelberg United

Next year’s Victorian NPL season will mark 13 years since Franjic departed his then-Victorian Premier League side Oakleigh Cannons to take up an injury-replacement contract offer with Ange Postecoglou’s Brisbane Roar.

It was under the now-Celtic FC coach where Franjic impressed the Roar faithful and built a platform to launch himself into a regular starting berth with the Socceroos at right-back.

As a three-time A-League Men’s Championship winner with Brisbane, three-time Premiership winner with the Roar (twice) and Perth Glory (once), as well as an Asian Cup winner, Franjic has certainly been a key cog in some of Australian football’s most historic sides.

“Obviously, winning the Asian Cup is a massive achievement, it’s similar to someone winning the Euros or the Copa America. But I think in Australia, with soccer not being the number one sport, it’s always hard to get the media buzz of AFL and NRL because they’ve got a huge following,” he said.

“But when you look back on it you don’t realise how high of an achievement it actually was against Asia’s best.

“I’d had Ange as a coach for a few years and he’s no doubt one of the best managers I’d ever worked under. The whole buzz of being in Brazil, with security all around the hotel and obviously Brazil is a football-mad nation, so, everywhere you went people were following you.

“It was exciting, and I thought Australia gave a good account of themselves without getting results in that tournament.”

Each of these remarkable honours were earnt between globetrotting stints with Torpedo Moscow, Melbourne City and Daegu. But before returning to the National Premier Leagues Victoria, Franjic made one final stopover with newly-joined A-League Men’s expansion side Macarthur FC. He gave credit to the side that he helped in their foundation.

“It was no doubt a challenge starting up a new club from fresh and giving it a go. Credit has to go out to all of the staff and the owners; they did an amazing job for a club in their first year in terms of facilities and the stadium. Compared to other clubs that have come into the A-League they were very good,” he said.

Macarthur FC

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Deep Roots and Big Ambitions: Interview with Adamstown Rosebud FC JDL Coordinator Chris Dale

Adamstown Rosebud Football Club is a proud, community-driven team with deep roots and a long history in Northern NSW Football, having experienced considerable growth and transformation over the years. 

The club, founded in 1889 and based in the Newcastle suburb of Adamstown, is one of Australia’s oldest continuously operating football clubs, competing in the Northern NSW National Premier League. 

Speaking to Soccerscene, former president of Adamstown Rosebud FC and current coordinator for the Junior Development Program (JDL) Chris Dale, shared insights into his role within the club and its growth from a small senior-focused structure to a comprehensive youth development program. 

In our interview, Chris highlights the importance of community engagement, key sponsorships, infrastructure upgrades and a strong future-focus on nurturing and developing young players to become senior footballers who are also well-rounded individuals who contribute to society and the local community – including giving back to the club. 

Can you share some insight into your role at the club, and how Adamstown Rosebud has evolved since you first stepped into that position? 

Chris Dale: When I first came to the club as a player in 2011, we had three senior teams (1st grade, reserve grade and under 19s). Now, nearly 15 years on, the club has grown and now includes comprehensive junior and youth programs. 

This transformation first started in 2012 with Northern NSW Football introducing Premier Youth League (PYL), with an under 13s through to under 18s program. In 2019 this was then expanded to include the Junior Development League (JDL), which is an under 9s to under 12s program. 

In my current role, I am heavily involved in the coaching and player development at the club, with a specific current focus on the JDL program. I have had other roles over my time, such as technical director, board member and also club president. 

My scaled-back role allows me to also focus on my young family, which can be difficult when you are carrying the responsibility of a senior leadership position at the club. So far, I am really enjoying working with our younger players; it’s rewarding to see them develop as players and individuals.

Overall, we are working hard as a club to develop robust and well-rounded players in our junior and youth programs to feed into our senior football teams to provide a bright future for the club. 

Image credit: Adamstown Rosebud Football Club

Have there been any challenges that the club has faced on or off the field? How did the club deal with them? 

Chris Dale: We have two main challenges that are top of mind. One is the cost of football and how we best manage it to avoid over-charging families while still providing an excellent offering. 

We do this through a sponsorship program and ongoing fundraising that helps us absorb as many costs as we can before it impacts player registrations and the back pockets of mums and dads in our community. 

In general, football in Australia is a user-pay sport with limited financial support from the code, which is different to other sporting codes like AFL and NRL. With limited capacity to financially support grassroots football, it means clubs have to be very resourceful through sponsorship, fundraising and utilising volunteer services as much as possible. 

Also, there is a real push for semi-professional competition, which contributes to what I see as the second major challenge, which is getting volunteers and people to help deliver on increasing expectations. 

Families are busy – in most households both parents work and time is tight. People are getting kids to multiple trainings a week, as well as other commitments. On top of all of that, notwithstanding the registration fees families pay for their children to be in our program, we then want – need – them to volunteer their time to help us. 

It’s a big ask and we have a fabulous community at Adamstown Rosebud FC with lots of families who are happy to be in the canteen, Dads who are happy to run the line, siblings who are happy to be ball boy and individuals who are happy to keep rubbish under control so the club looks its best. 

But it is that push towards semi-professional football, the push towards everything being more elite, that’s probably been the hardest part because it means we need more volunteers to actually administer the ongoing additional requirements that are set. 

At our core we are a volunteer-based club. So getting people’s time – and we really appreciate it when we get it – is really hard and it can be a struggle to get people with the required skills and time into those larger roles within the club.

I think in terms of solving those challenges, it’s a case of having business development plans, trying to have a five-year club plan and key strategies for how we spend money on player development and club uplift. 

There are sponsors at our club that allocate money to certain areas, which I think is a positive thing. If funds are allocated specifically for the JDL program or to the youth program, then that really helps us to try and drive down those costs. 

In terms of recruiting players, a big focus for us is always keeping players at the club for as long as we can. We invest early in strong club culture and development plans for player growth. We aspire for this to translate into our senior teams, where we know our investment will translate to outcomes. 

A lot of key volunteers we have at the moment are mums, dads and grandparents who have been with the club for 5, 6, 7 years. This helps to build club culture and people feel involved and invested in the club, which is something we really focus on and value greatly. Retention of players – and their families – is pivotal in creating that family-based culture that the broader community hear about, and want to be part of. 

In what ways does Adamstown Rosebud FC connect with and support its local community, both on and off the field? 

Chris Dale: When you go to a match day for us it’s very much an inclusive space. We really enjoy hosting people and we enjoy people coming to the ground. We’re pretty lucky in terms of our space at Adamstown Oval, it’s a beautiful venue with good amenities that makes it easy to bring families, friends and supporters together – including the opposition! 

Our annual ANZAC Day event has become an important fixture on our club calendar. We were delighted to host Weston FC for our 2025 game. Over the last 5 to 6 years it’s been a really important day for us where we work with 211 Army Cadets to host an ANZAC celebration and bring the community together, including the supporters and families of the team we are playing. There is a strong sense of comradery and I personally really value what it represents. It is important to the club that we strive to be a pillar in our community. 

 Image credit: Adamstown Rosebud Football Club

Have there been any new sponsors or partnerships this season, and how are they helping Adamstown Rosebud grow both on and off the field?

Chris Dale: In recent years we’ve been very lucky to have 3 prominent local businesses in Newcastle sponsor and actively engage with us. The McCloy Group has been fantastic in providing funds and resources to develop our programs. 

KCE also came on board and they’ve been engaged in our youth program, helping it develop and become stronger. Last but definitely not least, Avid Project Management, a Newcastle company that continues to go from strength to strength, is a valued sponsor of our JDL program. 

These 3 businesses have been huge for us. I can’t say that enough. Through their support, we have increased our service offering across all three levels of football at the club, reduced the cost of football for our teams and our families, and connected with a business community that genuinely cares. 

The club is working towards upgrading Adamstown Oval’s training pitch to an all-weather synthetic surface. How will this development benefit the club moving forward? 

Chris Dale: A key area of our club footprint is our training space. It’s where we lay the foundations and spend the majority of our time. Last year we renamed this key area Peter Stone field, which is in recognition of one of our famous old boys who passed away not too long ago. 

Peter was really connected to our youth players and youth development. He was a former school teacher and was very committed to growing the player education side of our club for our young men. 

Week-long use of this space across JDL, PYL and NPL takes its toll. Add in the significant wet weather we’ve had and it creates an environment that cannot sustain its intended use. 

I believe it’s critical that we start to work with our local councils and our local stakeholders to invest in all-weather surfaces and upgrade existing facilities. 

We are working with our local council and we do have some plans in place, but once again, it’s all about having funding to really drive it forward. 

An all-weather surface would be a significant game-changer for the club. Even in situations like our current one, it’s been 10 weeks that players haven’t been able to train on the field due to conditions. We are proactive and shift our sessions to private all-weather facilities, but that then has a significant impact on our budget.

 Image credit: Adamstown Rosebud Football Club

What’s on the horizon for the club in 2025 and beyond? Are there any new plans or projects you’re looking forward to? 

Chris Dale: Player development is key. Personally for me, moving into a focused role in the JDL space, I see enormous potential to work with our 9 to 12-year-olds and develop core skills and attributes to see them progress. 

Part of that is trying to build a club culture where the kids are not only playing football and having success on the field, but also they’re growing as young boys and young men. That’s always been a focus for us, making sure we’re not just developing footballers, but also developing good people. 

Our player development programs are a big focus in the next 12 to 36 months. We have a really good crop of young players who are now in our senior squad. 

In 2024 and 2025 over 50% of our senior players played youth football for the club. That’s great and we are really proud and excited by the talent coming through and contributing to club culture and success at a senior level. 

So, continuing to bring that next wave of Rosebud players from our junior and youth ranks into our senior football is a major focus for us over the next short to medium term. And so is continuing to provide a culture that people choose to volunteer their time to be part of. We are a volunteer-led club with a passion for develop quality players who contribute to – and give back to – our community.

Boob Protect: Suzie Betts’ new era in women’s sports safety

What started as a personal mission to protect female athletes from a little-discussed injury is now scaling up to the world stage. Suzie Betts, founder of Boob Protect — formerly known as Boob Armour — is rebranding her innovative breast protection company as it expands beyond Australia to the UK, US, and Europe. 

With thousands of athletes already benefiting from her ultra-light, high-impact inserts, Betts is setting a new global standard for female sports safety, making breast protection a must-have for women and girls everywhere.

International growth is focused on the US college system and the UK, with grassroots support driving awareness. Betts also highlighted ongoing efforts to break stigma through education and partnerships, including their role in the UK’s female-led “Style of Our Own” initiative.

In an exclusive chat with Soccerscene, Suzie Betts revealed that the rebrand to Boob Protect strengthened the company’s mission to make breast protection essential in sport. Since then, they’ve expanded sizes and sports, focusing on comfort and real protection based on athlete feedback.

Image provided by Suzie Betts

What inspired the rebrand from Boob Armour to Boob Protect, and how does the new identity reflect your long-term vision for the company?

Suzie Betts: The rebrand from Boob Armour to Boob Protect was sparked by a trademark dispute with a global sporting giant. While we held legally obtained trademarks, we were ultimately pressured to give up the original name. It was frustrating — and frankly, unfair — but it also became a turning point. Boob Protect now gives us a clearer, bolder identity for our long-term vision: to make breast protection an everyday essential in sport and beyond.

Have there been any product updates or innovations since the rebrand that specifically target new age groups, sports, or athlete needs?

Suzie Betts: Yes, we’ve expanded significantly. Boob Protect now comes in seven sizes, making it more accessible for younger girls just starting out in sport, as well as women in a range of body shapes and sporting codes. We’re seeing growing adoption in contact sports like AFL, rugby, netball and basketball, but also in unexpected areas — martial arts, water polo, even emergency services.

We’re also working more closely with schools, clubs, and associations to deliver breast health education alongside product distribution. Looking ahead, we’re developing solutions not just for athletes, but also for women in professions where breast impact is a risk. 

Protection shouldn’t stop at the sidelines.

How do you incorporate feedback from athletes and medical professionals when evolving Boob Protect, and what kind of responses have you received—particularly from young women using the product?

Suzie Betts: That’s key to how our product became how it is. We knew that the athletes, for example, wanted to feel light when they were performing and they didn’t want something that felt bulky. The options they already had before were garments, which were actually quite heavy and restrictive. They also sweated a lot in them, and it didn’t make them feel fast or agile with whatever sport they were playing.

We also knew that it needed to be fitting to the breasts, not the body, which a garment does. So because of this, we’ve created two inserts, and each insert encapsulates each breast in its natural shape. Women’s boobs are normally not the same size, and one might be higher than the other. So having separate inserts—more than just a chest plate—was really what we knew we needed, and that was feedback from both the people in those professions and the athletes.

What had been produced in the past wasn’t absorbing the force impact. They might have negated a bit of the pain, but the reason we did an encapsulation shell is because you need to keep the breast protected in its natural shape and make it easy to wear, which is the first of its kind to do that.

Image provided by Suzie Betts

For younger females, we call it ‘the unreported injury,’ because girls don’t want to talk about that pain. If you’ve got a male trainer or coach, they’re just not having those conversations, whether they’re shy, or for cultural reasons, they’re not talking about it. But there’s the immediate impact and the long-term effects, which is what happened to me and why I started the brand. I’ve had three lots of surgery now for lumps that mimic breast cancer cells, so until I have surgery, they don’t know what they are. That’s the worst part about it—it’s completely avoidable if your boobs are protected.

Which international markets are you prioritising next, and what makes those regions a good fit for Boob Protect?

Suzie Betts: We’re in the USA, and what we’re doing there is really starting at the entry point through the college system, through the National College Athlete Association (NCAA). College sport is huge, it’s watched on TV and has a whole body behind it. We’ve had some amazing girls in all sports —lacrosse, field hockey, soccer— try our product and love it. So, we’re looking at speaking to the NCAA as a whole to really make breast protection part of the conversation. 

We’re also looking at the UK, particularly soccer and rugby. We’ve got a big following there already, with probably over 4000 girls wearing our product globally, that’s all from word of mouth. We’ve never really advertised; it’s just people talking about it and loving it.

What partnerships—whether with athletes, distributors, or organisations—have been key to growing international awareness?

Suzie Betts: There’s been athlete partnerships, which have been really key. Katrina Gorry wore our product a number of years ago in the World Cup while breastfeeding her daughter Harper, and she wanted to protect her milk supply. That was amazing, it felt like a nod that what we were doing was on the right track. 

We’ve had associations with the AFL and Basketball Australia as well, but they were earlier on. I feel like all of our partnerships have got us to where we are today, even if they didn’t bring a return on investment at the time. But they’ve been stepping stones to creating awareness outside the normal realm of advertising.

The day my press release was going to go out was the day COVID was announced. So our strategy then shifted, we started going to clubs and leagues, and at the time, we were really focused on AFL. That’s where my head was in the beginning.

But during COVID, I started thinking, hold on, there are so many markets for this, it’s not just AFL. It was soccer that really opened my eyes. I didn’t know much about soccer or rugby back then. My kids all play AFL, and my girls are in basketball, so that was where my thinking naturally sat. But COVID gave me time to reflect, and that’s when it clicked, this could be for anything.

Do you think breast protection in sport still carries a stigma, and how are you working to normalise the conversation?

Suzie Betts: Well, look, we’ve got a lot of research under our belt, and we love to share. That’s been key to shaping our product, because for some reason, this product is all about education. As I said, if you’re talking cricket boxes, shin guards, even mouth guards, there’s no education piece about the immediate or long-term damage. It should be an open conversation.

On our new website, especially in the US, we even included ways to approach the subject, because if you’re a male trainer, they often don’t feel comfortable having those conversations. But in saying that, I’ve had men—presidents of football and soccer clubs—who’ve gone out of their way to make sure they purchase breast protection for every girl in their team or league. 

A lot of them are now looking at grants, not necessarily from the government, but from companies who want to support female sport. A lot of them are requesting that the funds go toward breast protection. So it’s getting there, and it’s really exciting. The research still needs to catch up, but most girls know—if you’ve been hit in the boobs, you really don’t want to get hit again.

There are a lot of conversations happening around training, your cycle, and performance, but still nothing about protecting your boobs. And as we know, at that time of the month, they kill. You get a whack, and you don’t want to go back on the field. We now know that a lot of teenagers give up sport because of their boobs. Some have been hit, some just don’t have the right bras—and there are lots who don’t. The number of girls I’ve fitted and said, ‘What is this bra? You need a new one, it’s got no elastic.’

Our product helps stop the bounce and absorb force impact. No bra will do that. You need the inserts. And they’re really simple to wear.

Image provided by Suzie Betts

How does Boob Protect contribute to broader conversations around women’s safety, confidence, and visibility in sport?

Suzie Betts: It’s definitely through, again, our voice about education and the immediate, long-term trauma associated with your boobs not being protected. It’s something you’re likely going to deal with later on down the track, like me. It’s just really trying to open up those channels where we can talk about it. Just make people think, ‘I want to be able to breastfeed down the track. I don’t want to have to go through surgery because of something like this.’

The testing itself is horrible, it hurts, it’s traumatic, it’s expensive—and then having to have surgery on top of that, and the recovery, and all those things. I never thought I had breast cancer, but for a lot of women, the whole waiting would be traumatic.

I’m creating a new category, a new market that hasn’t been there before. It’s taking longer than I’d like, but I’m so passionate about it, I can’t stop until it’s really like a mandated product, like a mouth guard or shin guards.

That’s why it’s a grassroots thing too because as soon as you start playing sport, your boobs are vulnerable. You don’t have to have big boobs or small—any size boobs, even flat-chested girls, can obtain an injury. The tissue’s there, and when their boobs grow, they can be deformed. One can be bigger than the other. That’s also another side of trauma, which is, again, avoidable.

What’s next for Boob Protect—any exciting partnerships, campaigns, or product launches on the horizon?

Suzie Betts: We’re really excited to be the only Australian company that’s involved in an initiative in the UK called Style of Our Own, which is in a store on Regent Street in London, with 27 female-founded brands. There are all innovative companies started by women who have come across a problem and created a solution. Obviously we’re in there with our solution. 

There’s Ida Sports with Laura Youngson, the founder, who was actually the initiator of this whole concept, and she has the female football cleat. There’s also an array of technologically advanced sports bras, period wear and uniforms specifically for female athletes, plus merch made for them too. 

All of these brands were founded by women who identified a problem and designed innovative solutions. It’s a first of its kind, and it’s really cool—and hopefully it opens a lot more doors, which it already is.

For more information about Boob Protect and their role in education around breast injuries, visit: https://boobprotect.com/pages/about-us 

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