The Football Coaching Life with Alen Stajcic: “I knew that I had more to give back to the sport”

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Alen Stajcic

Football Coaches Australia is delighted to present the latest episode of the ‘Football Coaching Life Podcast’, with Gary Cole interviewing former Australia Women’s National Team and Central Coast Mariners A-League Men’s coach Alen Stajcic.

Alen is currently Head Coach of the Philippines Women’s National Team. The side, nicknamed the Malditas (yes that’s correct!), are being prepared for the 2022 AFC Asian Cup held in India. The Philippines will play in a group with Indonesia, Thailand and of course Australia (the Matildas).

Alen’s Serbian background led him to Bonnyrigg White Eagles in Sydney’s west, but a knee injury shortened his playing career and as a teacher he began coaching.

Staj has had a remarkable coaching journey that began at the Hills Sports High School and at New South Wales Institute of Sport, coaching the Sapphires in the Women’s National Soccer League. Both of these institutions saw teams achieve repeated successes with championship wins, but Alen learned that success comes in many ways.

He had an early taste of coaching the Matildas in an Assistant Coach role with the Young Matildas at the 2006 World Cup in Russia, before becoming the inaugural Head Coach at Sydney FC Women, which saw them win two championships and two premierships, as well as third place at the FIFA International Women’s Club Championship.

Then followed five fantastic years as Head Coach of the Matildas, during which they beat Brazil and World Champions USA for the first time, changing the belief of the players and achieving successes at the Asian Cup, Olympic Games and World Cup.

Alen’s ‘One Piece of Wisdom’ was: ‘It’s got to be fun; you’ve got to enjoy it because it’s a tough job. Coaching can be a lonely experience, so you’ve really got to find the enjoyment, fun and reward and the connection to what it is you want to achieve. If it’s not fun it’s just too tough a job!’

Please join us in sharing Alen Stajcic’s Football Coaching Life.

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Central Coast Mariners welcome TSG as new owners

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Image credit: Central Coast Mariners

The Australian Professional Leagues (APL) revealed yesterday the start of a new era for the Central Coast Mariners under the leadership of Total Soccer Growth Holdings (TSG).

 

New beginnings

The news of TSG being at the helm of the next chapter in the Mariners’ history marks an important new era for the club, just a few months on from entering into liquidation. The APL subsequently took over management of the club on a temporary basis while seeking the right buyer.

TSG enter into the frame with a wealth of experience in football club investments, from London to Los Angeles. The privately-owned business is a majority shareholder of Queens Park Rangers (EFL Championship) in addition to holding a stake in MLS outfit, Los Angeles FC.

Under the leadership of majority shareholder, Ruben Gnanalingam, the Mariners will be hoping for a season which moves beyond recent worrying times.

“We appreciate how turbulent and uncertain the last season has been for the Club and we intend to do our utmost to restore energy and enthusiasm for this special football club,” Gnanalingam outlined via media release.

“We were drawn to the Mariners because of its strong community spirit, a characteristic that mirrors other sporting organisations that we have the great privilege of being a part of around the world,”

APL CEO Steve Rosich further addressed the importance of community connection for the club’s future.

“We’d also like to take this opportunity to thank the club’s dedicated fans, partners and staff and players, who have once again shown their loyalty and dedication to the Mariners.”

 

Mariners’ Women’s team remains in limbo

However, while TSG’s acquisition includes the men’s A-League team and club Academy teams, the A-League Women’s team does not feature in the deal.

As a result, the APL is continuing its search for investors to secure the future of the women’s team – who were victorious last year against Melbourne Victory in their first Grand Final appearance.

“Through the extensive due diligence process it became clear that the operation of the women’s team was not able to be included within the new operation with TSG,” Rosich continued.

“Seperately, we’ve begun working with parties to seek specific investment in the women’s team – and we’re working to ideally arrive at an outcome on this on or before 31 July to enable the team to operate in the 2026/27 season.”

 

Final thoughts

Fans, players and staff throughout the club will be hoping TSG is the leader they deserve in a new era for the A-League Men’s team and Academy teams.

Yet for the A-League Women’s team, uncertainty will persist throughout the coming weeks. It is vital, of course, that not just any investor comes in, but the right one to join TSG in supporting the club in its short and long-term future.

More than 220 coaches attend Football South Australia’s second NOVA Youth Club Championship workshop

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Image Credit: FQ

Football South Australia drew more than 220 coaches to its second NOVA Youth Club Championship Coaches Workshop in late May, underlining the scale of engagement clubs are generating through the state’s restructured youth competition framework.

The online session was facilitated by Football SA Technical Director Michael Cooper, who also serves as Junior Matildas Head Coach. Cooper shared observations from the AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup and Australia’s qualification for the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup, giving club-level coaches a window into the demands and standards of elite international football.

The presenter line-up extended that international lens further. Lachlan Tosh and Cristiano Dos Santos spoke to their experiences in national tournament environments, while legendary Australian coach Tom Sermanni addressed the fundamentals of youth coaching. Colin Sanctuary from the University of Newcastle examined coaching language and its direct influence on player learning.

Themes running across the session included the primacy of long-term player development over short-term results, with presenters consistently emphasising technique, ball mastery, individual improvement, and decision-making under pressure. Coaches were encouraged to expose players to varied styles of play, facilitate practice outside organised training, and help young players retain possession longer in match conditions.

Post-session feedback pointed to strong practical value, with coaches singling out clear communication, relationship-building, and age-appropriate feedback as key takeaways.

The workshop series sits within the broader transition from the Youth Premier League to the Club Championship model, which ties coaching participation to championship points for clubs and CPD credits toward individual coaching diplomas. Six workshops are scheduled across the season, with four still to come.

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