Socceroos legend Gary Cole: “This is a great shot in the arm for the game in Australia”

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Just five days on from their landmark win over Tunisia at the World Cup, the Socceroos have continued to enamour the nation following the side’s historic 1-0 victory over Denmark to reach the Round of 16.

The result is a historic feat befitting the squad’s gargantuan efforts navigating the COVID-19 pandemic and two one-off playoff matches to reach the world stage, with the side more than matching the success of 2006’s ‘Golden Generation’.

Soccerscene chatted with Australian football legend, Football Victoria Hall of Fame inductee, and Football Coaches Australia Executive Committee member Gary Cole to discuss the significance of the qualification and how critical Australian football’s next moves are.

As a former Socceroo who has undergone all of the trials and tribulations of international football, how are you feeling with the team more than equaling the efforts of the 2006 squad?

Gary Cole: I’m just incredibly proud of what they’ve achieved thus far. The current team has a part of their brand “many journeys, one jersey” and we’ve all come from different backgrounds and different walks of life. The journey of the Socceroos has been from part-time player, possible teacher, possible bricklayer, through to the golden generation where many of them were playing in the EPL, through to the current generation and their different stories – but we all feel the same amount of pride when we put that jersey on and hear the national anthem play and you realise that you’re out there representing your family and your country. That moment never leaves you; it’s just incredible. I’m so wrapped for they’ve achieved so far and am hopeful for what they might achieve.

How significant is the Socceroos’ qualification to the Round of 16 for Australian football?

Gary Cole: It’s massive. We know firstly, how hard it is to qualify for the World Cup. This is our fifth in a row and our sixth overall but we had that massive gap in between qualifying in ’74 and through to 2006. It was such a long time and was incredibly difficult to get there, and then once you get there, you’re playing 32 of the best teams in the world, and there’s no one where game where a team gets a clean sheet or scores goals easily. For us, by world standards, to get to that Round of 16 is incredible and another great shot in the arm for the game in Australia.

What do you feel will be the impact on the wider Australian sporting landscape?

Gary Cole: That’s so difficult to predict. On my way to film my podcast yesterday I stopped for a coffee, I don’t read the newspapers and haven’t for a long time, but on the table next to me while I was waiting was Melbourne’s Herald Sun. And on the back page there were two or three pictures of the Socceroos and I thought “oh wow Herald Sun, it must be a World Cup”. In The Age there were double-page spreads of the AFL and the Australian cricket team and that sort of gives you a whack between the eyes as you remember where the media is at right now.

Will getting to the Round of 16 change people’s perception? Will it change the mainstream media? History says no, but it adds another layer of credibility to us and this is the world stage. We’re at the biggest sporting event in the world and have made the final 16. Everyone within the game knows it, many of the people outside of the game know, and then there’s a section of government that continue to ignore it. So, what do you do? You just ignore it and keep scoring the goals and hopefully one day we’ll get there.

Graham Arnold spoke ahead of the Denmark game about the need for a review into Australia’s youth development pathways in football. With the Socceroos reaching the Round of 16 and the Matildas hosting a Women’s World Cup next year, what do you feel is necessary from Football Australia and the Australian Professional Leagues to capitalise on the momentum?

Gary Cole: I think Ernie Merrick, as our Chief Football Officer, has a massive job because the pathways need freshening up. There’s no doubt there’s a whole bunch of confused people, and there’s organisations doing things in different ways.

We hang past the development of our players to A-Leagues and NPL clubs through their academies to private academies over the journey. We had a wonderful AIS and state Institutes of Sport and that played such a significant part. And we decided to do away with those and this was going to be the next best way of doing it – that’s proved to have a measure of success but maybe it could be more.

That’s what we need to do. We’ve got to get everyone (somehow) on the same page and determine the best way to help us develop our players. And I’ve got a bit of a bias because I’m on the Technical Committee of Football Coaches Australia. But if we want better players, we’ve got to have better coaches. You can’t have better players without investing in coaching development and not just licensing. Getting people their licence is great but it’s a bit like giving an 18-year-old a driver’s licence: giving you access to the road doesn’t make you a great driver, that takes a lot of time, effort, and in some cases mistakes.

We’ve got to help our coaches do better and in doing so our players will get better. If we can arrive at a point where there’s a more unified pathway forwards – that’s my answer in the short-term.

Having coached yourself and been a part of the executive committee at Football Coaches Australia, how significant of an achievement is this for Graham Arnold as a coach?

Gary Cole: Well, it’s just another huge pat on the back for an Australian coach. Arnie’s one of a growing range of male and female coaches that are performing on the world stage, and it seems like every month someone else pops up. The thought of Ange taking over in Japan and Scotland and “can he actually win it?” and then it happens, and then Kevin Muscat taking over in Japan and doing the same. And now Paddy Kisnorbo has gone to France, Tanya Oxtoby is at Chelsea, Belinda Wilson is in a women’s technical role in FIFA.

It just adds to this armoury of wonderful Australian male and female coaches doing great things around the world that we should hold up with esteem and look at how we got this lot through and how to get the next lot through. We could look at this right now and say it’s our ‘golden generation of coaches’. But unlike the players, how do we make sure we have the next generation coming through. We’ve got thousands of coaches licensed but how do we get them to do better. Hopefully, Arnie having this success and being celebrated is made all the more wonderful of an achievement if it’s then part of the overall truth of how do we develop coaches?

You’ve spoken with Mike Conway, the Socceroos’ Mental Agility coach, during their stay at the Aspire Academy in Doha. How influential has his work been in helping the Socceroos perform at their best in Qatar? What have been his insights from his experiences there?

Gary Cole: It’s fantastic that Mike is there, he’s obviously the CEO and founder of XVenture and Football Coaches Australia has a fantastic partnership setup with the FCA College that is a virtual world training course for coaches that is just absolutely sensational.

Mike has worked with Arnie at Sydney FC and now the past four years with the Socceroos and has been key. If you think about football, it was tactical-technical for a long time, then we added physical and strength and conditioning and sports science became really important. The best teams and coaches in the world understand emotional intelligence and that side of the game.

The fact that Mike as a coach and a teacher has that gift of all great coaches making the complex, simple would be key. The fact he has that relationship with Graham that goes back a long way is a contributor in all of this. He’s a wonderful communicator and he cares about human beings and understands that communication is integral to any team that wants to be successful.

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Melbourne Victory commits to player wellbeing with P3 Recovery

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Image credit: FiledIMAGE / Shutterstock.com

In an announcement made yesterday, Victory revealed that P3 Recovery will become the club’s Official Recovery Partner.

 

Maximised recovery, guaranteed results

As a nationwide organisation specialising in recovery, performance and wellbeing, P3 Recovery’s alliance with Melbourne Victory promises to be hugely beneficial for players and members alike.

“As industry leaders, serving to inspire through the world’s game, very edge matters, and partnering with P3 Recovery provides a new dynamic to the support afforded to our players,” explained Melbourne Victory Managing Director, Caroline Carnegie.

“Melbourne Victory looks forward to seeing a positive uplift in recovery through this partnership.”

Indeed, with an extensive range of recovery methods on offer – from infrared saunas to hyperbaric oxygen therapy and more – P3 Recovery stands as a valubale partner for players looking to maximise performance and recovery during the season.

Although the partnership is new, P3’s Richmond location already provides team recovery sessions and injury rehabilitation. Their commitment to Victory’s physical and mental wellbeing is unquestionable, so it is not surprising why P3 Recovery are the latest local business to join the Victory family.

Supporting professionals and public

While P3 Recovery will help Victory’s A-league Men’s and A-League Women’s team with physical recovery, the alliance will bring many benefits to locals seeking guidance on health and lifestyle choices.

“We’re passionate about helping people take control of their health through expert-led therapies, everyday performance tools and a welcoming space designed to help you feel better, move better and live better,” said P3 Franchisee, Naum Sekulovski.

“Whether you’re managing injury, chasing a goal or just need to reset, P3 is where recovery becomes a lifestyle.”

And with sport and physical activity such a huge factor in the lives of so many Melburnians, a partnership with Victory shows the entire city that when it comes to optimal recovery and service, P3 is there to support everyone in their sporting or personal goals.

Beyond the Pitch: Miyuki Kobayashi on the Real Challenges Facing Japan’s Women’s Game

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Image credit: JEF United

Last week, Soccerscene spoke to pioneer of women’s football in Japan, Miyuki Kobayashi, about the game’s development in Japan and the intersection between sporting and social change in the country.

 

Talent, quality and recent silverware

After Japan’s recent AFC Women’s Asian Cup victory in the final against Australia, the women’s national team solidified its standing as the No.1 team in Asia.

Throughout the last 15 years, Japan’s women’s national team has grown into a formidable opponent, boasting a World Cup trophy, an Olympic silver medal, as well as three AFC Women’s Asian Cups.

The talent is undeniable. The quality is unwavering. And the team shows no signs of slowing down.

But these victories and trophies on the world stage wouldn’t be possible without the leaders behind the scenes – none more so than Miyuki Kobayashi, former WE League Board Member and current JEF United Ladies Scout and Academy Chief.

 

Laying the foundations

Kobayashi has led the charge for women’s football in Japan, promoting not only a sport which values success, but one which empowers female footballers across the nation.

“At university, not many girls were playing and we didn’t have an official team. I went to the US and the environment was so different,” Kobayashi explained.

“That opened my eyes – women can play. That’s how I started the women’s soccer league when I came back: to make an environment for girls to play.”

Thus, accessibility and opportunity became driving factors behind Kobayashi’s work, not only for those on the pitch, but for those in the dugout.

“I got involved at the JFA (Japanese Football Association) to promote women’s football. We wanted to create the opportunity for women to be coaches.”

“They are coached by men all the time, so even when the top players leave the football world, they never think to be involved.”

Furthermore, as a former coach of JEF United Ladies Youth and General Manager, Kobayashi was intent on employing as many female coaches as possible. It was not merely a personel change, but a challenge to widespread social attitudes.

“When I started to employ female coaches, the girls’ parents asked why the coach wasn’t a man. But gradually, we started to make it equal – they didn’t talk about the gender, but about the quality of the coach.”

 

The mission to empower

In 2011, the same year Japan’s women won the World Cup, the domestic league was yet to become professional. Known as the Nadeshiko League, players would work during the day and train in the evenings.

The transition from an amateur to the current professional league required time, resilience and a change in perspective.

“The sports world in Japan is more traditional – it is dominated by men,” said Kobayashi.

“If you want to make the environment even, or (want) more women to come into the (football) world, you can change the mind of the players.”

Since 2021, the WE League has embodied a sense of growth and positive change for the women’s game. In name and nature, it looks to empower players, coaches and all involved in the industry.

“I was in charge of mission achievement for women’s empowerment. We wanted to educate the players, to inspire girls and women who watch the game.”

However, the drive to empower women in football was not without backlash and challenges.

“Some people don’t like that word: ’empowerment’. It’s too strong for them. Some women really appreciate it, but it’s not easy to change the mind of society through football,” Kobayashi admitted.

 

Growing and attracting talent

Although WE League clubs are accelerating youth development and expanding pathways across U15, U18 and first team football, Kobayashi acknowledged that the overall product must improve to bring foreign players to Japan and entice homegrown talent to stay.

“Most of the national team players go to Europe or North America. I don’t say it’s a problem, but from a young age, girls who can play in the WE League want to go abroad,” Kobayashi outlined.

Indeed, when looking at the starting XI in last month’s AFC Women’s Asian Cup final, only one player – Hana Takahashi – plays in the WE League.

But the key to attracting domestic and international players to the WE League, is aligning financial investment and industry attitudes.

“The reason why women’s football has developed in European countries is the social thinking – you have to be equal and have the same opportunities as men in football. The Japanese way of thinking, especially in the football world, is not that at all,” Kobayashi continued.

“When I speak to people at Spanish clubs, women’s football is not a charity, but an investment.”

“We have assets. We have good, young players, but we’re exporting them, so we need to import too.”

Indeed, Spain is a perfect example of what can happen when investment becomes intentional, not optional. Back-to-back UEFA Women’s Nations League titles, 90% television viewership increase since 2016, and record-breaking crowd numbers reflect what can happen when the industry aligns in vision and commitment.

Japan has the players to compete against any nation in the world. Purposeful investment, combined with its overall quality of players and style, could transform the WE League into a true, global powerhouse.

 

The vision for the future

Moving forward, Kobayashi hopes that girls progressing through JEF United’s academies develop confidence and resilience, whether as players or people.

“We want to make the girls – even if they aren’t in JEF United – continue playing football and continue to be leaders,” Kobayashi said.

“Some of them have a dream to be a coach or a leader off the field too, so that’s one of the attributes we want to develop.”

This resilience, reflected by the club’s ‘never give up’ philosophy, is testament to the vision of empowerment championed by Kobayashi across the women’s game.

Even in the face of social obstacles and a lack of financial investment, perseverance and hard work is at the bedrock of women’s football in Japan. It is not just that these values exist, but that they are consistently manifested on and off the pitch, which can show future generations that football is a sport for all – men and women alike.

 

Final thoughts

There is no limit to what the WE League and the national team can achieve if given the resources it deserves. All the ingredients are there: individual quality, a distinct playing style, football philosophy and ambitions to grow.

By following the example of industry leaders like Kobayashi, women’s football in Japan can hopefully continue to make waves of impact – in the sporting landscape and society as a whole.

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