New Era for Para Hills Youth Football

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Image Credit: Para Hills Knights

The Para Hills Knights have announced a new partnership with Adelaide United for the upcoming 2026 season.

Adelaide United will support all Para Hills coaches and players starting from U6 upwards, providing them access to programs, games and opportunities to attend various interstate and international tournaments.

Para Hills Junior Technical Director for the upcoming season, James Jackson, spoke to Soccerscene about how important the partnership will be for Para Hills’ youth development.

“It will give our coaches more tools to coach better and develop the best youth programs,” he said.

“There’s nothing really like it in the state, to be honest with you.

“I think just word of mouth between the partnership with the club will drive better players and attract more players, but also provide better exposure for all players in the general area, not just Para Hills players.”

Jackson is a former Para Knights player at both the junior and senior levels. He has been coaching junior football for the last five years and has represented South Australia as a Junior and U18.

The partnership will give Para Hills access to the coach-better program used by multiple top clubs in Europe, including PSV Eidenhoven.

“We’ve seen over the past few years in the YCC, players hopping clubs between the tier one and tier two,” he continued.

“We thought in order to be competitive, being a tier two club at the moment, we have to offer our juniors something else a bit more tangible to get them at the club.”

Additionally, Adelaide United will supply coaching workshops for Para Hills, including bringing PSV coaches throughout the year to share their knowledge at a grassroots level.

Marcelo Carrusca, Head of Football Development at Adelaide United, helped oversee the nine-month development of the partnership alongside Rocco Fimmano, Andrew Kossakowski and James Jackson.

“A lot of our coaches are Mum and Dad’s, especially with the JSL compared to the YCC, all the YCC stuff is with ex-players because they want to be involved after being with the club for years,” Jackson said.

“We thought that that was a great opportunity to try and up-skill them to provide better coaching, especially the format they (Adelaide) are going to give us.”

This is an exciting deal between an NPL club looking to improve its grassroots program and an A-League club that merits football development as one of its main values. Both parties perfectly align and the growth for kids in South Australia will only keep improving.

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Scalzo and Wilks Join Marconi Stallions as Back of Shorts Sponsor

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Image Credit: Marconi Stallions FC

The Marconi Stallions FC have confirmed that Scalzo & Wilks Group will be their back of shorts sponsor for their Australian Championship campaign. 

The announcement was posted on Facebook on the 10th of October, ahead of their inaugural Australian Championship match on the 12th of October against Heidelberg United FC. 

This is yet another exciting collaboration from the club ahead of the Australian Championship season, with the Marconi Stallions also posting on their Facebook a partnership with Bialetti as their front of shorts sponsor. 

“With a strong reputation built on trust, quality and innovation, Scalzo & Wilks Group joins us at a defining moment in our club’s history as we continue to build toward a new era of Australian football excellence, “ said the Marconi Stallions via social media post. 

“We’re grateful to the team at Scalzo & Wilks Group for their partnership and commitment.”

Scalzo & Wilks Group is a company based in New South Wales, who provide various concreting solutions, and have done so since 2018. 

Scalzo & Wilks Group are involved in many projects across New South Wales, ranging from residential, commercial, aged care facilities, educational, and industrial projects. 

“At Scalzo and Wilks Group, we collaborate closely with clients to achieve high-quality concrete finishes using modern equipment and expert techniques,” can be found on their website. 

Scalzo and Wilks have yet to release a statement about their partnership with the Marconi Stallions, but have previously spoken about their view on collaboration.

“We believe in building lasting relationships and creating strong foundations both on-site and with the people we work with,” therefore explaining their mindset in terms of collaboration. 

With Scalzo & Wilks and Marconi Stadium only being 30 minutes from each other, this alliance also creates a sense of community around the area, as it is a local sponsorship. 

This collaboration being so local will boost both organisations amongst the community they are located, and will therefore be a beneficial agreement to both Marconi Stallions FC and the Scalzo & Wilks Group. 

Off the Pitch Podcast: Chris Shen on Martial Arts and Mental Strength

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Image Credit: Christopher Shen Consulting

On Episode 14 of Soccerscene’s Off the Pitch Podcast, sports psychologist and martial arts master Chris Shen explored the topics of mental health in athletes, his long martial arts journey and the psychology behind returning from injuries or a mistake in a particular match.

In what was an incredibly fun and insightful discussion, Shen spoke about Martial Arts and its connection with sports psychology, and explaining its importance particularly for footballers.

“Martial Arts and psychology bundle together really wonderfully. There are so many mental health benefits when practicing the Martial Arts but specifically for athletes there are so many both physical and spiritual benefits that come with it,” he said on the podcast.

“Whilst professional football sometimes prevents pro footballers from practicing so-called dangerous pursuits like rock climbing and mountain bike riding to prevent injury, I highly recommend footballers practicing martial arts of any kind.”

Combat sports have a role to play in the community as well as in the sporting realm and Shen explained this in more detail.

“Combats sports provide the opportunity for individuals to be able to really lead a life of virtue. You can take people off the streets, enrol them in a combat sport or martial art and as long as there is a good leader and a good culture, that individual comes out a better person than before.”

“It can lead people away from pursuits such as crime or even being a bad person in the community because of the rigorous practice, the camaraderie, and the virtues.”

Martial Arts has many benefits and purposes for athletes already engaged in another sport, particularly football, where discipline and a good mental state are keys to success on the pitch.

Click hear the full interview with Chris Shen, on Episode 14 of Soccerscene’s Off the Pitch Podcast – available on all major podcasting platforms.

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