Walking Football in Bendigo boosted by completed major redevelopment

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Walking Football Bendigo
Image via Football Victoria

Walking Football in Bendigo is benefitting with an improved space to play thanks to the opening of a $4.97 million Ewing Park redevelopment.

The project, jointly-funded by the Victorian Government and the City of Greater Bendigo, provides a range of sport and recreation facilities that aim to increase participation in physical activity and provide a social hub for the surrounding community.

Stage one of the project was completed back in 2020, providing a new oval irrigation system, AFL-standard flood lighting and a synthetic walking/running track. However, stage two saw the construction of further facilities to be used by all members of the community.

Football Victoria, alongside Greater Bendigo Mayor Cr Andrea Metcalf and Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan, attended the official opening of the redevelopment. Its significance to both the walking football and wider Bendigo community were highlighted during a community come-and-try day.

“This has been an important project and a strong investment by the City and the Victorian Government to encourage residents to be active or just simply enjoy the parkland and all the new amenities that it offers,” Cr Metcalf said via a statement.

“There are so many great things for people of all ages and abilities to enjoy at the park and we look forward to it becoming a key destination for both residents and visitors in the future.”

Since its introduction to Australia in 2017, walking football has grown exponentially due to its inclusive nature. The sport enables people of all ages and abilities to be involved in the world game and promotes an environment built on fun and making friends.

Presently, Football Victoria offers 19 walking football programs, however, just five programs exist in regional Victoria, which includes Bendigo. As such, continued infrastructure projects like the Ewing Park redevelopment are crucial to regional communities who want to start valuable, inclusive programs like walking football.

For more information on how to get involved in a walking football program in Victoria, you can visit: https://www.footballvictoria.com.au/community/programs/walking-football.

Key concerns for FIFPRO’s Player Workload Monitoring report

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Image credit: Jude Bellingham Instagram

FIFPRO has recently released their annual Player Performance and Recovery report for 2024, this report is developed by FIFPRO IQ in conjunction with Football Benchmark, a leading data and analysis group on football business.

The report explains in detail the problems facing professional footballers by leaders within the industry and the players themselves. This report not only factors in the physical impact of the sport but also the psychological impact.

FIFPRO’s Player Workload Monitoring tool (PWM) the primary system behind this report monitors 1500 players spread across 100 leagues and 150 nationalities.

They have pointed out the obvious lack of appreciation by tournament organisers for the physical and mental well-being of football players and an evident lack of organised calendar planning.

Acting FIFPRO General Secretary Stephane Burchkalter stressed the importance of this report via press release:

“We release these reports for a good reason. Because, today, we face one of the most serious and urgent problems in our sport. A problem that results from the abuse of governance and a failure of the duty of care. The holistic workload that confronts our players is unprecedented. It has produced a physical and mental fatigue that is now dangerous.”

With increased match loads, travel loads and shortening of preparation the risks have never been higher with 54% of PMW players experiencing excessive or high-demand workloads.

88% of players’ time is recorded to be spent in the workplace environment and 17% in national team environments.

The world-renowned Uruguayan coach Marco Bielsa stated via press release:

“To ignore the consequences of the number of games and amount of travelling will end in injuries for any player.”

This report identifies that some players have seen their free time fall to nearly 12% of the calendar year, which adds up to less than a single day off per week. This fails to comply with international Occupational Safety and Health standards.

There have been calls for a guaranteed rest period which 72% of players and 78% of coaches support.

As the demand for games grows and the push for more revenue skyrockets, the players see their health and voices continue to deteriorate.

This report and FIFAPRO highlight the firm action that needs to happen to protect the stars of the sport.

For more information about the report, read more here.

AFCAS recruitment and scouting workshops coming to Australia

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Image credit: AFCAS website

The Association of Football Coaching and Scouting (AFCAS) have confirmed that their recruitment and player scouting workshops are coming to Australia.

These interactive workshops are all online and led by AFCAS managing director Ged Searson – a professional football scout with over 15 years of experience and who has also been a football coach for almost 30 years, learning from the likes of Sir Bobby Robson.

Searson has previously worked as a scout for clubs such as West Ham United, Grimsby Town FC and Leyton Orient FC in England.

Most recently, he served as the chief scout and analyst of the Malawi national team during the 2022 African Cup of Nations in Cameroon going as far as the Round of 16.

The workshops run for three and a half hours over two evenings and are designed for both new and experienced football scouts aiming to enhance their skills and development.

This will also be helpful for football coaches and agents to help them improve their scouting abilities and also to gain an understanding of the recruitment process at professional football clubs.

Throughout these workshops, video footage will be used to complete scouting tasks giving participants the chance to practice scouting techniques.

Attendees will also develop a better understanding of how professional clubs scout players and how recruitment systems operate at the highest levels of football.

Some of the content in these workshops will include:

  • Learning various professional football scouting techniques and skills.
  • Learn how to write and create your own scouting reports.
  • Understanding different types of scout reporting and assignments.
  • Assessing player performance in different playing positions.

These workshops are limited to nine attendees, creating opportunities to interact with not only the presenter but also fellow attendees and it will provide potential networking opportunities with different people in the football industry.

Participants will also receive a scouting pack, including software, to complete their own scouting reports following the workshop.

The sessions will run on Wednesday, September 11 from 7 pm – 10:30 pm and on Friday, September 13 from 6:30 pm – 10 pm.

If you are interested in having a career in the football industry, click the link to claim your spot in these online workshops.

For more information about AFCAS, visit the website.

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