Game Development Newsletter – September 2011 September 2011 All roads lead to Alice Springs .................................................................... 1 Coach the Coach a Huge Success ............................................................... 4 Cottee’s Schools 5‐a‐side Gala Days hit Regional NSW .............................. 5 The Cottee’s effect – Growing the game ................................................... 6 Disability Football Awareness .................................................................... 7 Football4All Gala Day a Success ................................................................. 7 Newcastle Disability Football Program ...................................................... 8 Football West’s Equal Footingball League looking forward to 2012 .......... 9 21st Kanga Cup an Unmitigated Success .................................................. 10 Northern NSW Football – Valuing our Volunteers ................................... 11 Football West’s Referee’s Seminar a Great Success ................................ 12 National Coaching Network Update ........................................................ 12 ALL ROADS LEAD TO ALICE SPRINGS By Matt Bulkeley, Head of Game Development and Vito Basile, National Participation Manager, Football Federation Australia It has been an extremely busy and productive period for the development of Indigenous football over recent months culminating in two fantastic events recently held in Alice Springs. Much progress has been made both in a planning sense but also in terms of the momentum that has been made through the delivery of some substantial and meaningful activities. INDIGENOUS STRATEGIC PLANNING FORUM In late May 2011, two of the most decorated Indigenous footballers in Australian sporting history joined key stakeholders at Football Federation Australia’s Indigenous Strategic Planning Forum in Sydney. John Moriarty, the first ever Indigenous footballer to be selected to represent Australia, and Harry Williams, the first ever Indigenous player to compete at the FIFA World Cup (West Germany, 1974), were among a select group including Warren Mundine, a former national President of the Australian Labor Party and an FFA Indigenous Ambassador, and Indigenous mentors Lachlan Wright (Captain Qantas Futsalroos), David Williams (Qantas Socceroos) and Kyah Simon (Westfield Matildas). 1 Game Development Newsletter – September 2011 Also in attendance were Tanya Oxtoby (Captain Perth Glory Westfield W‐League team), John Meers (CEO Football Federation Northern Territory), Greg Griffin (Chairman of Adelaide United FC), Andrew Penfold (Australian Indigenous Education Foundation) and leading football broadcasters Andy Harper and Craig Foster. The forum started with a report on two exciting scholarship programs involving Indigenous school aged children. The first being the Australian Indigenous Education Foundation where 25 boarding schools take in 300 Indigenous students each year across Australia and the other was a specific football program called the ‘Footprints Football Program’ focusing on Indigenous kids attending boarding schools in the Northern Territory. This was followed by presentations and discussions relating to the vision for Indigenous football, in particular the work that is being done by the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR), the Australian Sports Commission, the NT Government, Football Federation Victoria, Football Federation Northern Territory and FICA (Football in Central Australia). The identification of key areas together with their associated strategies and activities were the agenda of day two and the three key focus areas within the new Strategy which will result from the forum are: • Increasing participation in football in Indigenous communities • Using football as a vehicle for social development in Indigenous communities • Identifying and developing more talented Indigenous footballers INDIGENOUS FOOTBALL FESTIVAL 2011 FFA were delighted to recently present the second ‘Indigenous Football Festival’, held in Alice Springs, Northern Territory, between July 6th‐ 8th. The festival catered for over 160 Indigenous players from regions across Australia. In the boys division, teams were represented from Perth, Adelaide, Alice Springs, Darwin, Borroloola and Sydney. While in the girls category, players were selected from areas including Brisbane, Sydney, Moree, Melbourne, Adelaide and Borroloola. Players were selected based on their previous or future involvement in the ‘No School – No Play’ Indigenous Football Development Program implemented by FFA and delivered by each Member Federation. In 2011, the festival adopted a ‘participation’ focus, with each team playing five ‘non‐competitive’ games in a round robin format (no emphasis on winners, scores or records kept), with the intentions of providing players a fun and enjoyable first time football experience which would lead into mainstream club football. Not only did the festival provide players with the opportunity to participate in a non‐competitive football ‘carnival’ style event, important educational messages were also delivered to all participants. Current Hyundai A‐League Melbourne Heart and capped Socceroo ‐ David Williams, together with Westfield W‐ League Adelaide United player Ruth Wallace, presented to both male and female participants, sharing their life and playing experiences with the captive audience, emphasizing the importance commitment and dedication, combined with a healthy balanced lifestyle can have in contributing to a long and successful 2 Game Development Newsletter – September 2011 career. Both David and Ruth also spoke of and highlighted the effects drugs and alcohol could have on an individual’s life and the limits it may have on ones career. All festival participants also visited Desert Park (a local cultural experience) and engaged with the local drumming group ‘Drum Atweme’, at the local youth centre. FIFA GRASSROOTS COACHING COURSE Football coaches from all around Australia descended upon Alice Springs again in early August 2011 thanks to the support of FIFA, with the staging of the first ever FIFA Grassroots Coaching Course to be held in this country. A total of 21 participants, representing all of FFA’s Member Federations, including current Westfield Matilda – Lydia Williams, took part in the three day course delivered by highly experienced and accredited German FIFA Instructor, Mr Horst Kriete. All the course candidates currently work within Indigenous communities and regions, or are of Indigenous heritage. The course was aimed at equipping participants with the basic knowledge and skills necessary to work with young players, and importantly, also focused on the effective organisation and delivery of grassroots football festivals. The trained participants will now be able to deliver football festivals locally, which will also assist in the ongoing Indigenous development work carried out across Australia by FFA and its Member Federation. The intended outcomes of the FIFA Indigenous Grassroots Course include: • The ability to conduct regular grassroots football festivals nationally by FIFA trained grassroots educators. • Creating an awareness of and ‘passion’ for the game, especially for grassroots football participants, their families and surrounding communities. • Linking local players to mainstream club football. • Being able to deliver the game at grassroots levels to both metropolitan and regional areas of Australia, especially Indigenous communities. The practical component of the course included hosting two grassroots football festivals. A ‘mini’ festival consisting of approximately 50 children aged between 8‐12 years was staged on Thursday, while the ‘Friday Football Festival’ catered for 120 children from local and surrounding schools. NEXT STEPS FFA will shortly be appointing a National Indigenous Football Development Coordinator who will support the completion of the National Strategy and begin to lead the delivery of further activities within this important area of Game Development. The next major event in the calendar is a ‘State Festival’ being organised by Football Federation Victoria in November and the No School No Play program will continue throughout the remainder of the school year. 3 Game Development Newsletter – September 2011 COACH THE COACH A HUGE SUCCESS By John Mundy, Game Development Manager, Football Federation South Australia Melbourne Heart Youth League coach and Socceroo on board information from different sources legend John Aloisi headlined Football Federation around the world and never hesitate to ask for help SA’s Coach the Coach evening held at the Westpac if needed." Centre on Monday night, July 25. More than 80 people attended the free information session with Trimboli's transition has not been so smooth with the event exploring the transition from player to Campbelltown battling relegation in the Devine coach. Super League this season. Aloisi provided an hour‐long presentation including "I think I was able to offer an insight into the a practical session with the help of 10 young mental stresses of coaching and it was a good volunteers from MetroStars and spoke about his complement to John's presentation as well," he philosophy on football from the Grassroots said. upwards. "I think for ex‐players like a former team‐mate of Current Campbelltown City player‐coach Jason mine Robbie Saraceno from White City, it was a Trimboli was also a guest speaker and discussed his good event