Soccerscene the only online publication dedicated to the Australian and international football industry. It serves as a practical guide for those involved in the business of running a football club and bringing readers up-to-date research and development across all football matters providing insights, discussion and information related to topics that matter.
The Football Coaching Life with Trevor Morgan: “Put the player first and have empathy for their situation”
The latest episode of The Football Coaching Life with Gary Cole, presented by Football Coaches Australia, sees Gary sitting down with the current Football Australia National Technical Director and Australian Mens U17s (Joeys) Head Coach, Trevor Morgan.
Morgan has been a well-entrenched figure within the youth development setup in Australia football over the past few decades, having been the Director of Football at Westfield Sports High and the National Youth League Head Coach for the Western Sydney Wanderers prior to taking on his current roles since 2018 and 2020 respectively.
Morgan led the Joeys to the knockout stages of the FIFA U17 World Cup in Brazil in 2019, and has remained in that role ever since.
Trevor Morgan’s ‘One Piece of Wisdom’ for aspiring coaches was: “Pay attention to what the player needs, don’t make it too complex, try and observe as much as you impart knowledge, put the player first and have empathy for their situation, think about what motivates and challenges them.”
Football Coaches Australia (FCA) is proud to present The Advantages of Creating 2v1s in the Modern Game — a dynamic, hands-on coaching workshop led by Dr Ron Smith.
The session took place on Saturday, at the Home of the Matildas & Victorian State Football Centre.
With the continued support of Football Australia, this session contributes 1 CPD hour towards coach reaccreditation — an excellent opportunity to grow your knowledge and keep your qualifications up to date.
Dr Ron Smith, often referred to as the godfather of coaching in Australian football, brings an extraordinary breadth of experience to the field. His résumé includes roles as Technical Director at Football Australia and various Member Federations, Head Coach at the AIS, Assistant Coach and Analyst for the Socceroos, and coaching stints in Iceland, Malaysia, and Perth Glory. A true student of the game, Ron also holds a doctorate in how goals are scored.
This workshop offered a rare chance to learn from Ron “Smudger” Smith in a practical, pitch-side setting. His generous approach to coach education makes this session a must-attend event for anyone looking to deepen their tactical understanding.
The Advantages of Creating 2 v 1’s in the Modern Game:
Smith’s workshop consisted of three engaging 30–35 minute sessions, featuring Football Victoria Academy players in a 9v9 plus goalkeeper format. The sessions focused on:
When and how to create a 2v1 situation
How positioning influences decision-making and improves performance
How to use available space in the final third
These learnings are designed to provide coaches with actionable strategies applicable across both community and professional environments.
The City of Greater Geelong has proposed plans for a new major soccer hub to address the region’s lack of professional level facilities. 
The proposal revealed a bid for a new regional facility in Geelong’s north which would transform the landscape of soccer in the city.
Plans for the facility highlighted it could provide up to eight elite pitches, including a primary exhibition pitch which could hold between 1000 to 2000 people for standard games, and up to 5000 people for special events.
On this show pitch, Geelong locals could bear witness to future National Premier League, A-League and even international games on their doorstep.
Currently, the council is scrutinising nine different locations across Geelong’s north for the proposed soccer hub. Additionally, a second subregional multi-sports hub towards the city’s south in the Armstrong Creek region was also revealed.
Speaking to Soccerscene, City of Greater Geelong Councilor and Chair of Sports and Recreation, Eddy Kontelj, explained why the proposed hubs would be so vital to soccer in the region.
“These regional facilities would open up so many great opportunities for us,” Cr Kontelj said.
“In terms of the development of coaches, players and administrators, a central location would certainly help us to correlate all the skills and services you need to help aid that development.
“But the exposure to the game here would be opened up too. Having significant tournaments played here of a national nature would be such an advantage.”
Furthermore, the council has plans for the new soccer hub to be used for premier games and competitions.
Councilor Eddy Kontelj says the hub would be a boon for Geelong. Image Credit: Eddy Kontelj
“In 2022-23 we completed an issues and opportunities report to assess where we need to go, and that’s driven this focus to establish our regional and subregional facilities in Geelong. We invited all our clubs and Western United to participate and we got really good feedback from it,” Cr Kontelj said.
‘United is really excited and they’re looking forward to being able to partner with us in Geelong to continue to grow the game in the region.
“And a facility like this could include the W-league, the Matildas, and the Socceroos – and the opportunity for those clubs to also train at a higher level at this type of facility.”
Currently, there is a shortage of elite level facilities in the Geelong region for soccer players. In 2023, the G21 Regional Football Strategy 2023-33revealed that 36% of the city’s pitches were in a “poor” condition. The same report found a lack of football facilities, specifically multi-pitch facilities featuring natural, hybrid and synthetic grass were inhibiting participation and the ability to draw tournaments to the region.
Additionally, without a dedicated soccer hub, Geelong is on the backfoot compared to Victoria’s other major regional cities, Bendigo, Ballarat, Shepperton and Mildura.
Cr Kontelj denied that the sport had been neglected in the region but said that there was more to be done.
“At the club level our facilities are magnificent. I’ve compared those with the facilities Melbourne has and I’d have to suggest our sporting facilities are probably superior. I’ve even had club presidents tell me that too,” he said.
“However, having that said that – it’s the expansion and development of the game that we have probably been a little slower on, and that is something we must catch up on now.”
Through the new sports hubs across Geelong’s northern and southern regions, the council hopes the plans will not only cater for the area’s pre-existing network of players, clubs and fans but also provide easy access to pristine sporting facilities for a rapidly growing city.
“We’re one of fastest growing cities in Australia currently and we’ve got some new growth areas that are opening up – namely the north-northwest growth zone, which is forecasting to have some 110,000 to 120,000 people living there in the next 20 years,” Cr Kontelj said.
“This project is not only a requirement today. It’s going to be a requirement going forward with the growth of population that we’re expecting.”
The council now aims to finalise the hubs’ design and secure funding for the project.
