On Monday evening NSFA hosted members of the Club Coach Coordinator (CCC) Program and Female Football Working (FFWG) Group at an end of season celebration event at the Greengate Hotel in Killara.
NSFA Community Football Manager Ed Ferguson opened the event with a presentation reflecting on the progress made within the association over the last three seasons under the title ‘Where we came from. Where we are heading..’. The presentation set the scene for the evening with special guests invited to share stories of their football journey and how they have influenced and inspired those around them. Ferguson handed over to Kai Lammert, current Pararoos coach and former Lindfield FC and Northern Tigers coach to kick off the evening.
Kai discussed his experiences coaching with the Pararoos, in particular the development of the team’s core values and how creating a unified vision has enabled the team to compete both on and off the park. With a deep understanding of the local NSFA football landscape, Kai drew links between his journey with the Pararoos and common challenges that FFWG members and CCC’s would encounter throughout their tenure. The key message of his presentation was that although we all face obstacles in achieving our football goals, it is important to persevere and stay true to our core values to build our long-term vision.
NSFA’s XLR8 Operations Manager, Nick Marr, then recapped the progress of our XLR8 In-Club Coaching programs, which this season saw over 2,300 players per week influenced by our coaching team across our 12 partner clubs. He underlined the importance of clubs developing a strategic direction and vision that aligns to their club values and purpose.
Focus then shifted to female football, with Eilidh Mackay (NSFA, XLR8 and Northern Tigers) providing an update on the current situation within NSFA, the changes being made for 2020 and onwards and the need for NSFA and clubs to all come together to foster an environment whereby female football can flourish. In particular, the goal for 2020 is to add Female Football Coordinators and Female Club Coach Coordinators to NSFA clubs to further drive the growth of the female game.
Catherine Cannuli – Female Football Technical Director at Southern Districts Soccer Football Association (SDSFA) and Western Sydney Wanderers W-League Assistant Coach – finished proceedings by discussing her experiences in female football and highlighting the importance of relationships between local clubs and associations. By building relationships, we can achieve our football goals together, all pushing in the same direction and making a change.
The evening was also attended by Football NSW representatives Kevin Amaya and Chris Adams, ex-Socceroo and former Perth Glory coach Dave Mitchell, CCC Program founder Les Bee (ex-FFA) and SDSFA Board Member Silvo Pahor.
Ferguson concluded the evening by thanking the ever growing CCC and FFWG members, of which 48 were in attendance, along with reinforcing the importance of a fully-functional NSFA Ecosystem to ensure players and clubs reach their potential.
