Ken Stead departs Macarthur FC following short tenure

Macarthur FC Football Director Ken Stead was made redundant on Wednesday, despite only being in the role since October.

Stead, who has a wealth of experience across the world with the Socceroos, Wellington Phoenix and the Scottish Football Association amongst others, is not the only major figure in Campbelltown to be on the outer in recent weeks.

Executive chairman Rabieh Krayem quit only a few days ago, whilst Lang Walker sold his large stake in the club only last week.

Macarthur are certainly having a tough time and they haven’t even gotten out on the park yet.

However, A-League boss Greg O’Rourke believes that there is no need to panic, yet.

Speaking to the Sydney Morning Herald, O’Rourke said that “everything’s fine” and that the departures should be expected following the departure of Lang Walker as a stakeholder.

The property development company is staying on with the club as a major sponsor, as part of a five year deal with the expansion club.

The departure of Stead is certainly going to turn some heads, with the Scot a well-respected figure in Australian soccer circles.

As mentioned, he has filled various roles over the years. But none more well-known than his tenure at the Brisbane Roar.

During a time when Brisbane were dominant in the A-League with former Socceroos and current Yokohama F.Marinos head coach Ange Postecoglou, Stead was one of Ange’s right hand men in that successful period.

He was officially hired in late October last year, before he officially started the role in December.

Former CEO Archie Fraser also left his role only four months in during last year. When combined with the departures of Lang Walker, Krayem and now Stead, things look alarming.

Despite what O’Rourke says, it’s hard not to feel as if something is afoot in Campbelltown. How often do so many important members of a club leave within such a short amount of time, let alone after only just starting in their roles?

The team hasn’t even had the chance to take to the field yet.

The last thing the A-League needs is for its second expansion club to get into off-field troubles. For all of what Western United have been able to achieve during their first season in the league, they are facing some difficulties.

The club has the fifth highest average age in the comp and is one of five teams to have an average age of 26 or over. A lot of reliance has been placed on their older players such as captain Alessandro Diamanti and former teammate at Bologna, Greek international Panagiotis Kone.

Their stadium is supposed to be up by 2021, yet development seems to have been left on pause ala a game of FIFA. Attendance is up there as the worst in the league and many would suggest it would be the very worst in the league, if theoretically, the club wasn’t based in Melbourne.

Currently, Western is second last behind the Central Coast Mariners on both average and total attendance for season 2019/2020. They also hold the record for the lowest attendance of the season.

Just under 3,000 people attended their round 19 loss to the Brisbane Roar. Granted, the game took place at Mars Stadium in Ballarat.

But the point still remains. There is much left to be desired when it comes to Western United’s inaugural season in the A-League.

There is still plenty of time for Macarthur to get themselves ready to go for round one next season and one can hope both them and Western United will turn into strong A-League clubs in the coming years.

What are your thoughts on the departure of Ken Stead from Macarthur FC? Are you worried that there may be a lack of cohesion behind the scenes in western Sydney?

Or are you confident that the A-League and Macarthur are still on track and will be ready for the start of the 2020/2021 A-League season?

Get involved in the discussion on Twitter @Soccersceneau and don’t forget to subscribe to our weekly newsletter to view more articles like this as well as other pieces.

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Mapping the Future: GIS Innovation Takes Off in Australia

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Image credit: Global Institute of Sport

Global Institute of Sport (GIS) is expanding its influence in the Asia-Pacific, in particular, Australia where they have already made significant progress and will be opening a brand new campus.

GIS is a leader in sports education, offering innovative online and in-person courses at campuses and iconic sports venues around the world, including the likes of Wembley Stadium in London, Chase Stadium in Miami, and Melbourne’s MCG.

But it’s Australia where GIS is now focusing its attention and they’ve already made some big strides.

In episode four of Soccerscene’s Off the Pitch podcast, Asia-Pacific Regional Director Ray Boggiano spoke about the progress GIS has made in Australia so far.

“We’ve had the MCG partnership since 2019, so we’ve been doing our first summit, so study tour was in January 2020, we had a couple of virtual ones in between and then we brought our students back for the last couple of years as well,” he said in the podcast.

“From last year we started doing these residentials, so we have various sites, the MCG, Darebin, our partner clubs like Preston, they’re signed off as sites that we can deliver for face-to-face teaching for our British programs.”

Additionally, Boggiano spoke about the new GIS campus opening in Australia next year.

“Our vision and something that’s very soon to be realised is to have a sports campus in Australia,” he said.

“We will be opening the doors to our Sydney campus next year so our first intake will be in January 2026.

“The partnership is with the University of Newcastle, but it’s with their Sydney CBD campus, and also in partnership with Venus NSW, so very pleased to be able to use the Allianz Stadium and the SCG as well, so we’ve got access to two incredible stadiums.”

Boggiano also added that the new campus will be taking applications as soon as this month and highlighted the importance of Australia to GIS.

“We will be starting to take applications likely from April this year and the first intake will be January 2026, so this is a major milestone for us,” he said.

“We have always had Australia central to our strategy, it is really a vibrate sports economy, sports market, and sports industry.

“Over the next ten years that’s only going in one direction with obviously the build-up Brisbane games in 2032.”

The new campus will offer a wide range of degrees and industry-focused programs designed to give students the skills they need to succeed in the global sports industry.

To hear and learn more about GIS, you can listen to the full interview with Ray Boggiano on episode four of Soccerscene’s Off the Pitch Podcast, available on all major podcasting apps and here.

Football Queensland Forms Regional Partnership with McDonald’s

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Image Credit: Football Queensland Facebook

Football Queensland (FQ) is excited to announce McDonald’s as the Official Quick Service Restaurant Partner for the Far North & Gulf region.

Under the two-year regional collaboration, McDonald’s will take on naming rights to the home of football in Cairns, with Endeavour Park now officially named Macca’s Park.

The partnership also includes support for grassroots football, with McDonald’s backing local clubs and celebrating junior players across the Far North and Gulf through the weekly MiniRoos Player of the Week voucher initiative.

FQ General Manager – Northern Conference, Craig Ramage, said the partnership was a major win for the region, highlighting FQ’s continued focus on growing the game in regional Queensland.

“This is an exciting opportunity to partner with an iconic brand in McDonald’s, whose long-standing support of community football aligns strongly with our vision for the game across the state,” he said via press release.

“We’re proud to extend this relationship into the Far North & Gulf, with the support from McDonald’s set to deliver direct benefits to grassroots programs, local clubs and junior players right across the region.

“The renaming of Endeavour Park to Macca’s Park is a powerful symbol of this partnership and our shared commitment to creating vibrant and welcoming regional football hubs that inspire the next generation of participants and bring communities together.”

McDonalds Far North Queensland Marketing Manager Jill Lennox, expressed that the partnership reflects the company’s ongoing commitment to supporting active lifestyles and local communities through sport.

“Active lives are happier and healthier lives. McDonald’s wants to deliver valuable benefits to the wider community. With the goal of helping people live a more balanced, active and enriched lifestyle, McDonald’s is passionate about its sports and community sponsorships program,” she said via press release.

“McDonald’s is very proud to be the naming rights sponsor to the home of football in Cairns now known as Macca’s Park. This partnership is our way of giving back to the community which supports us and to assist in the development of important life skills such as commitment, hard work, and friendship.

“On behalf of McDonald’s, we would like to thank all competitors, parents, organisers, volunteers and other sponsors for their incredible support of Football Far North and Gulf region and we look forward to seeing you at Macca’s Park soon.”

This alliance marks an exciting chapter for football in the Far North & Gulf, as Football Queensland and McDonald’s work together to support the growth of the game across the region.

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