PFA’s Rita Mankowska underscores the Player Development Program’s importance

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The PFA has recently released their 2024 annual Player Development Program (PDP) report highlighting their achievements in supporting players as they navigate their lives within the world of football.

In an interview with Soccerscene, Rita Mankowska, the PFA Head of Player Development, discusses the recent PDP report, coaching development, and much more.

What are the major feelings and thoughts about the recent report in the PFA?

Rita Mankowska: It’s always satisfying reflecting on what the program has achieved and how we have been able to support our members on a collective level, but also individually.

We now have over 1,000 members who can connect to the program, and everyone has different needs for our resources. So that’s a thousand different potential ways the PFA can support each individual, which keeps our team busy, but also gives us great satisfaction too.

The growth of the program is strategic as we’re always looking at new ways, we can enhance the PDP. But it is also a response to the increase in players seeking our services. So, our job is really to respond to and meet those demands, so that every player is supported. The players rated their satisfaction with the program at 97%, which is a good indication that we are meeting their needs.

How has the increase in membership impacted the PDP?

Rita Mankowska: The expansion in membership is due to two reasons: the re-inclusion of Central Coast Mariners in the A-League Women and the growth of our Past Players Program.

The program will increase again with the inclusion of Auckland FC, and we have recently appointed Kirsty Yallop as Auckland’s Player Development Manager to help support the players at the new A-League Men’s team for the forthcoming season.

An increase in membership ultimately results in a greater number of players accessing the Program’s resources, so we have had to ensure regular quality improvement initiatives to ensure the ongoing success of the program.

For the last five years we have added more support staff, we survey players frequently on the Programs they want us to invest in and means test programs to ensure that our core services are meeting the changing demands of our growing membership.

Do any of the results reflect a significant change in the footballing community and the PFA?

Rita Mankowska: A trend we are currently experiencing is the increase of Australian female footballers heading overseas for employment opportunities.  All overseas players have a PFA Player Development Manager; however, this trend led us to form a partnership with Sporting Chance Clinic UK to bolster our existing Mental Health Referral Network and provide additional coverage for members based overseas. Through Sporting Chance, players based in a different time zone can access mental health support.

Tell us about the rise in mental health and well-being support in the PDP what does that tell you about your work and the current climate?

Rita Mankowska: We have experienced a significant increase in the number of confidential counselling sessions accessed by our members over the last five years. While it’s hard to pinpoint the exact reasons behind this trend, it’s likely down to several factors including the de-stigmatisation of mental health in society, general word of mouth between members and a high level of promotion of the service from PFA staff.

Despite the increase, numbers are still in keeping with national averages for those suffering from and seeking assistance for mental health support.

Coaching development and workshops have been important in this PFA. Why has the PFA focused on this and what positive results come from this work?

Rita Mankowska: Over the last two years we have worked closely with Football Australia’s coach education team to try to reduce the barriers of entry for current and past players to develop into coaches.  Thankfully, our efforts have paid off as players have taken advantage of the reduced face-to-face contact hours in AFC Coaching courses, which recognise professional players’ prior knowledge of the game.

We had over 70 current and potential members registered across B and C Diploma courses and held a goalkeeper B Diploma in collaboration with Football Australia for the first time.

With players transitioning into professional coaching roles in growing numbers, we saw an important opportunity to facilitate and subsidise coaching licences.

With regards to skill development workshops, players welcomed the return of these following a hiatus during COVID, showing that face-to-face learning is still an important way to impart knowledge to our members.

How will these results in the recent PFA affect the future season and activity of the PFA?

Rita Mankowska: Moving forward, we will continue to strive to achieve our mission which is to support players with their careers, well-being and retirement via high-quality, evidence-based programs and services.

What are some of the goals the PFA are striving for now after the PDP report?

Rita Mankowska: We compile the annual PDP report for two core reasons; firstly, to ensure that we can demonstrate to the clubs and Football Australia the program’s impact, as the funding for the program comes via our collective agreements with the Leagues and governing body, and, secondly, so we can assess and refine the program. So, our immediate focus will be on assessing our programs and then enhancing them heading into a new A-Leagues season.

Rita Mankowska and the PFA’s hard work in this report identifies matters that hit home with footballers and showcases their drive to achieve more in the coming years, to the benefit of all.

To read more of the report, click here.

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Why the A-League’s collective bargaining negotiations matter

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The Australian Professional Leagues (APL) and Professional Footballers Australia (PFA) remain at odds over a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA), with players recently rejecting the league’s latest proposal ahead of the new A-League season.

The APL has made financial sustainability its priority in CBA negotiations. After several challenging years, the league is looking to keep club costs under control while still offering a slight increase to salary caps and minimum wages. It’s a cautious approach designed to give clubs greater financial certainty.

The PFA believes caution alone won’t grow the game.

The PFA has rejected the proposal, arguing it does not go far enough to support the long-term growth of the game. The players’ union says greater investment is needed if the A-Leagues are to remain competitive, retain talent and increase their commercial value.

These negotiations are taking place at an important time for Australian football.

Australian football has become increasingly successful at producing players for Europe and Asia, but that success comes with a trade-off. Clubs often lose their best talent, with the A-Leagues providing an ideal platform for players to showcase their ability. However, rather than being the final destination, it has increasingly become a stepping stone to bigger opportunities abroad.

While this pathway has produced a large share of the next generation of Socceroos and Matildas, it has also left A-League clubs in a constant cycle of rebuilding, with success on the pitch often followed by the departure of their brightest stars. As a result, player recruitment and retention have become central issues in discussions about the long-term growth of the domestic game.

The issue of player retention was also highlighted this week by Matildas captain Sam Kerr.

Kerr said many Australian players would consider returning to the A-League Women if the league offered stronger professional conditions and salaries. While her comments weren’t directly about the CBA, they highlighted the same issue confronting the men’s and women’s competitions alike.

With negotiations stalling, the outcome of the CBA is likely to shape not only player conditions, but also the financial framework and competitive direction of the A-Leagues for years to come.

Mizuno’s Australian gamble: can a 120-year-old brand break through?

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Image Credit: Mizuno

When Mizuno unveiled a mural of Socceroos captain Harry Souttar on a Richmond wall during the 2026 World Cup, the company’s name did not appear on the artwork. The artist, Rory Ledge, painted Souttar as the “Minister of Defence” behind a brick wall. Channel 7 and Channel 9 turned up. The Herald Sun ran it in their Saturday edition. Mizuno’s brand director called it “mainstream awareness” without paid media.

The mural sat within a broader push by the Osaka-based company to expand in Oceania. For the fiscal year ending March 2026, Mizuno reported sales of ¥259 billion, up 7.8 per cent year-on-year, with net income of ¥18.4 billion representing 20.5 per cent growth . Operating profit rose to ¥22.6 billion. The Asia and Oceania segment is central to the company’s medium-term plan, which targets net sales of ¥290 billion by fiscal 2027.

The growth imperative

Australian football has not historically been kind to specialist boot brands. Nike, Adidas and Puma dominate retail shelves. A-Leagues collective bargaining agreements and club deals have locked in incumbents. For a brand without the marketing budgets of its competitors, the path to relevance runs through the players.

Mizuno has grown its Australian ambassador base from one athlete to around 20 across the A-Leagues in recent seasons. Melbourne City’s Tolgay Arslan, who played in the Bundesliga and Serie A before arriving in Australia, told Front Page Football: “If I discovered these boots ten years ago, I would wear these boots overseas in my career.” Western United midfielder Angus Thurgate called them “the comfiest boots I’ve ever worn”.

The mural moment

Richmond was chosen for the mural because of its location. The suburb sits at the centre of Melbourne’s sporting precinct, five minutes’ walk from the MCG and AAMI Park. It is already home to murals of AFL players. Rowena Corner Store owner Con, who agreed to host the artwork, had previously welcomed murals of Dusty Martin and an AFLW player.

“We didn’t have access to Harry because he was in the US competing,” brand director Rishi said. “We couldn’t do a photoshoot. So we had to be clever. The best ideas come from real time, aligned with what the public discourse looks like. Once we saw his Wikipedia page updated to refer to him as the Minister of Defence, we knew we could play into this.”

Ledge incorporated an existing window into the design to create a net behind Souttar’s figure. The mural appeared the morning of the Paraguay match, when Australia’s clean sheet sent them into the knockout phase.

The World Cup provided a massive backdrop. The Socceroos’ run captivated the nation: 4.84 million Australians tuned in to the Paraguay match, making it the most-watched World Cup match in SBS history at the time, with an average audience of 3.086 million . The final reached 5.26 million viewers, and cumulative tournament reach hit 18.04 million— 64 per cent of Australia’s population. SBS director of sport Ken Shipp said: “We’ve never seen engagement at this level.” Mizuno spent comparatively little and had Channel 7 and Channel 9 on site.

The commercial question

For a brand with limited marketing firepower, organic PR coverage is the prize. The question for the company’s Oceania division, still in growth mode, is whether a mural and a handful of player endorsements can convert into sustained commercial traction. Retail partnerships with Ultra Football, which has created a dedicated Mizuno space at its Melbourne store, suggest the company is thinking beyond campaigns.

Mizuno’s European expansion has taken a different path. The company signed a five-year deal to become AS Monaco’s technical equipment partner from the 2025-26 season, its first entry into Ligue 1. It already has a presence in Germany’s Bundesliga and Italy’s Serie A. In Australia, institutional partnerships are harder to secure. The approach has been slower: build through athletes, then through community, then through culture.

The Queensland government signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Mizuno in March 2026 to explore the Japan-Australia Sports & Health Innovation Exchange (JASHIE), a two-year partnership focused on sport and health innovation . The agreement supports Queensland’s preparations for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The mural campaign reflected a broader trend in sporting brand marketing, where IP restrictions and athlete availability increasingly demand creative solutions. “I love what Levi’s did because they were able to lean into their brand codes and tell what I believe to be the most memorable advertising story from the World Cup,” Rishi said. “This is a different page out of fundamentally the same playbook.”

Mizuno’s boots are not cheap. The Made-in-Japan models retail well above competitors’ offerings. The brand’s pitch rests on quality and heritage, not price or volume. That is a harder sell in a country where discounting dominates and cost-of-living pressures are squeezing households.

The Souttar mural will eventually fade or be painted over. Mizuno is betting that by the time it does, enough Australian football fans will have noticed the three stripes’ quieter rival.

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