Football Federation Australia (FFA) today announced it had appointed an external panel to assist with the recruitment of Australian Football’s next Technical Director.
The panel has a wide range of experience across the game including National Teams, Youth, Women’s and Men’s football programs. The panel will consist of:
- Rae Dower – Westfield Junior Matildas Head Coach, former Westfield W-League Head Coach, former NTC women’s coach, former National Team player, and AFC/FFA Pro Licence coach
- Tony Vidmar – Melbourne City FC Assistant Coach, former Caltex Socceroo with 10 years’ experience in Youth Development at Adelaide United, Junior Australian National Teams and Pro Licence coach
- John Didulica – Chief Executive, Professional Footballers Australia, former Director of Football Melbourne City FC, former FFA legal counsel
Further, Caltex Socceroos coach Graham Arnold, Westfield Matildas coach Alen Stajcic and Asian Football Confederation Technical Director Andy Roxburgh will assist the panel as special advisers.
FFA Chief Executive Officer David Gallop AM said FFA has spent the past few months meeting with stakeholders across the game to get their views on the player development pathway to help identify the right candidate.
“The role of Technical Director is a crucial one and getting the right person, with extensive knowledge of the Australian football culture and sports landscape, an ability to unite the football community through a clear vision and leadership skills, is paramount.
“Our next Technical Director will also have a strong appreciation for the Australian culture. It is important we spend time to get the right person at this critical point in our football development in Australia,” he said.
Emma Highwood, FFA Head of Community, Football Development and Women’s Football said she was encouraged by the feedback and commitment of those engaged about the future of player development in Australia.
“We have met with a broad cross section of football people including Member Federation Technical Directors, Hyundai A-League and W-League Academy staff, former Matildas and Socceroos and youth development experts across the game.
“We are looking for a strong leader who can harness this passion, pull all parts of the ecosystem together to provide players with the best football environment to ensure our Matildas and Socceroos can compete with the best in the world,” she said.
The panel will meet next week, with an appointment to be made by November.
