Terry McFlynn: “I’d like to see clubs have stand-alone facilities”

Terry McFlynn played over 200 games for Sydney FC, second only to Alex Brosque. After retiring from the game, he joined the staff at Sydney FC before heading west to be Perth Glory’s football operations manager, and he is also a Executive Committee member of Football Coaches Australia. Terry spoke to Soccerscene about his career, how the A-League has improved and where it can continue to grow.

Q. How did you become involved in football?

McFlynn: “Well, obviously it was back when I was living in Northern Ireland. I was an avid watcher of the game, and my uncle Mark who was a big influence on my career all the way through, I’d go visit him and just play on the street. At the age of 12 or 13, he took me to my first team in the next village to where I lived in Swatragh. So I got involved in the game at an early age.”

Q. How did the opportunity to play for Sydney FC arise?

McFlynn: “I left Northern Ireland when I was 15 to go to QPR, and I was there for 5 years. I dropped out of the Football League into Non-League and conference with a few various clubs and ended up with Morecambe, who had just got promoted up to League 1 now. During that period living in London, I met my wife Emma who is an Australian from Perth. She wanted to come back to Australia after being in England for a few years, at that time the A-League was just starting, so I sent an email to all the clubs asking for a trial and Sydney FC was the only team that replied to me and offered me one, so that’s how it all came about.”

Q. What were your impressions of Australian Football after joining?

McFlynn: “I’d come from the conference so I didn’t know what to expect, to be honest. We had a lot of very good players at Sydney FC in season 1, like Steve Corica, David Zdrilic, Ufuk Talay, Mark Milligan, David Carney, Robert Middleby, and then after some time, we signed Dwight Yorke. We had a lot of very established Australian internationals and the standard was high. The coach at the time was Pierre Littbarski with Ian Crook as his assistant, so the intensity of training was very high. We had a fitness coach named Darren Welsh who previously worked in the AFL so the fitness levels were high too throughout the whole group. It was a really pleasant experience when I first joined the club, because of the professionalism, intensity of training, and quality of players I was training with every day.”

Q. Was the challenge of transitioning into a backroom role a challenge?

McFlynn: “It did have its challenges. I was fortunate because four years before I decided to retire I started studying a master’s of coaching education at Sydney University. I was preparing myself for retirement, and life after football. When I finally did retire I had a few different conversations with Scott Moore, the chairman of Sydney FC, and then had a meeting with Graham Arnold. Frank Farina had left the club and he was coming in as the new coach. We discussed life, football, the A-League, we hit it off and Graham offered me a position in his staff. It was difficult initially to make that transition from getting up for over 20 years to the training ground with a focus on a game on the weekend, to just a normal 9-5 job. Even though in football no job in 9-5. I was very fortunate to have people around me to help with that transition. People at the club helped me a lot.

Q. Do you think the A-League has improved in terms of professionalism since season 1?

McFlynn: “Yeah definitely. If you look back at season 1 of the A-League there were a lot of marquee players and younger players, unknowns. Off the field clubs have made a lot of improvement in terms of facilities, they’ve done a great job with the CBA (Central Bargaining Agreement) negotiations in terms of minimum medical standards, travel, and all the other things that add layers to professionalism in what we are trying to achieve. I think the level of coaching has improved, as the A-league has progressed, and the quality of recruitment has improved. We aren’t seeing older European or South American players coming here for a payday, we are seeing the likes of players like Marcos Flores signing for Adelaide, who was unknown, and they come and lift the league upwards. Melbourne Victory with Fred, Milos Ninkovic, Diego Castro at Perth Glory. In terms of professionalism and recruitment, it has improved since season 1. 

Q. Where could it continue to improve?

McFlynn: “I think something that if you ask anyone in around and the Football department of all clubs, its facilities. If we can get to the point where we all have our own stand-alone facilities because I think a lot of the clubs, not just in the A-league but sport in general across Australia, share facilities. I know that is a bugbear for many people in football departments because they don’t have access to gyms, recovery centres, and pitches when you need them. That is something I’d like to see across the board, similar to the MLS, where clubs have access to stand-alone training facilities and stadiums, which contributes to the revenue-raising part of the football business as well.”

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Off the Pitch Podcast: Manny Spanoudakis on Cisco Systems

In episode seven of Soccerscene’s Off the Pitch podcast, St George City FA Head Coach and Regional General Manager at Cisco Manny Spanoudakis joins the show to talk about his role at Cisco, as well as his experience and philosophy in coaching.

As the Regional General Manager for the Sports & Entertainment Solutions Group at Cisco, Spanoudakis is responsible for developing, leading and executing strategy in the Asia Pacific, Japan and China region.

Cisco is a global tech leader that’s helping organisations stay connected and secure in today’s AI-driven world.

For over 40 years, Cisco has played a key role in safely connecting people and businesses around the globe.

Spanoudakis spoke about his experience working on a range of stadiums and venues across Australia as a part of his role at the company.

“I guess if we just focus on the Australian market, there’s been an abundance of projects we’ve been very fortunate to have great success with,” he said on the podcast.

“If I start in Perth, I guess, and work my way east off the stadium is a major project, then we’re just doing a major refresh there after the original opening in 2018, Adelaide Oval, another major customer of ours.

“The Melbourne Cricket Ground just underwent significant and is still undergoing significant technology upgrades, it’s a project and a customer we’ve worked on for well over a decade.

“Marvel Stadium, the Melbourne Olympic Park precinct, the VRC in Flemington, Kardinia Park and GMHBA Stadium and Melbourne Racing Club, so there’s a very strong, we have a very strong customer base in Melbourne.”

Although his role as Regional General Manager at Cisco keeps him busy, Spanoudakis still finds time to pursue coaching and currently serves as the head coach at St George City FA.

Spanoudakis reflected on his early start in coaching—once the youngest coach in the league—and explained how his philosophy was deeply influenced by his upbringing and his father’s passion for football.

“When I transitioned into coaching, I was still relatively young,” he continued to say.

“It’s funny because I was talking to someone the other day that when I started coaching first grade in the NPL, NPL 1, I guess, or whatever the equivalent is in Victoria, the NPL, I was the youngest coach in the league in 2001 and now I think I’m the oldest coach in the league.

“But my coaching philosophy and my principles were very much shaped by my upbringing.

“I listened to Ange and people of my generation talk about the influence parents and fathers had and my dad was a footballer, was a very, very knowledgeable student of the game, so that shaped my upbringing.”

To learn more about his role at Cisco, listen to the full interview with Manny Spanoudakis on episode seven of Soccerscene’s Off the Pitch Podcast – available on all major podcasting apps.

Piing: Revolutionising Fan Engagement at Live Sports and Events

Piing: Revolutionising Fan Engagement at Live Sports and Events

Piing is changing the way fans experience live events, offering powerful tools for sports clubs and organisations to turn passive spectators into active participants through large-scale, mobile-powered games.

Piing is a UK-based tech company that’s transforming fan engagement at live events by using smartphones to power huge, interactive games that bring crowds together in real-time.

The company was founded back in 2020 in Manchester, England.

Piing creates fun, interactive experiences that let crowds—from 30 to over 100,000 people—join in and play together using just their mobile phones, with no app downloads needed.

Their collection of easy-to-play, arcade-style games is built for big audiences and designed to spark energy and excitement.

These games are shown on giant screens at stadiums, festivals, and corporate events, turning fans into active participants in real-time competitions.

Some of Piing’s standout games include Pen-Kick and Quiiz.

Pen-Kick is a virtual penalty shootout that’s been played by fans in stadiums around the world.

Pen-kick was used in front of 53,000 fans at Ajax’s iconic Johan Cruyff Arena in Amsterdam where more than 4,000 fans joined in the virtual penalty shootout during halftime at the Ajax vs NEC match in 2023.

Quiiz is Piing’s massive multiplayer quiz game, which has even set Guinness World Records.

Piing also offers an innovative way to advertise at sports and live events around the world, connecting with fans through fun, memorable moments that stick with them long after the event is over.

One major milestone was becoming the Official Crowd Games Supplier for Manchester City, giving fans at both the Etihad and Joie Stadiums the chance to take part in interactive games before kick-off and during half-time.

Beyond the big screen, supporters can also enjoy Piing games in fan zones, hospitality suites, and even as part of the club’s Blue Carpet experience.

Back in December 2020, Everton FC teamed up with Piing for the first time to boost matchday engagement at Goodison Park where they used games and quizzes to encourage fans to stay in their seats and get involved during the action.

This activation ran across two Premier League matches and a Carabao Cup quarter-final.

These two collaborations highlight Piing’s role in transforming traditional fan experiences into interactive, community-driven events.

So how can Piing benefit Australian football clubs and organisations?

To start with, it’s a great way to boost fan engagement on match day.

Clubs in the A-League and across Australian football are always looking for new ways to connect with supporters beyond the 90 minutes on the pitch.

Piing brings the crowd together with fun, interactive games that happen live in the stadium—before the match, during half-time, or even after full-time.

For example, at a Melbourne Victory or Sydney FC game, fans could join in a virtual penalty shootout shown on the big screen, playing along in real-time using their phones and sharing the excitement with everyone in the stadium.

Another big advantage is that fans don’t need to download any apps to join in, making the whole experience super easy and hassle-free.

Piing works entirely through a web browser—fans just scan a QR code and they’re in instantly.

With so many people tired of downloading apps, and not everyone having the latest phones, this simple, no-fuss approach is perfect for the wide range of Australian sports fans.

One more reason Piing is especially valuable for organisations is the sponsorship potential it offers.

Australian clubs are always on the lookout for fresh ways to give sponsors new opportunities to connect with fans and Piing delivers this with branded in-game spaces and real-time data on how fans are engaging.

That makes it a powerful tool for local and national sponsors who want more than just passive ads—they want to actively reach and engage their audience.

In short, Piing offers Australian football clubs a fun, easy-to-use way to boost fan engagement, create new sponsorship opportunities, and enhance the overall matchday experience.

As live sports continue to evolve, Piing stands out as a smart, scalable solution that brings fans closer to the action, offering clubs and organisations a powerful way to modernise matchdays and build deeper connections with their audiences.

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