Australia's football coaching revolution

Thousands of football coaches from grassroots to the elite will get access to a unique swathe of online learning under a groundbreaking plan to upskill Australia’s army of mentors.

Under a partnership between Football Coaches Australia and XVenture (founded by Hon. Prof. Mike Conway) the series of online courses will aim to develop essential skills on the mental side of the game - such as leadership, resilience, culture and communication.

Having worked with a variety of Socceroos and top coaches, Conway has developed a series of immersive and interactive courses as part of FCA's plan to build a library of material for coaches in Australia to utilize.

The cost-effective courses - available from the start of next year - could be used by all coaches from park football to elite levels, and will position FCA as a world leader in the delivery of unique professional development experiences for football coaches.

The partnership will be launched in November with the delivery of an inaugural national FCA / XVenture 'Mind Games' Cup competition, pitting teams of coaches from national teams, A-League, W-League, NPL and grassroots football clubs in addition to academies and school teams against each other for the tophy and a $ 5000 cash prize.

This will provide 'Community, Connection and Camaraderie' between all Australian football coaching cohorts.

The partnership aligns with FCA's mission of 'promoting and strengthening the reputation of football in Australia and the reputation of Australian football on the world stage'.

The focus of XVenture's work is developing emotional agility, resilience and leadership (EARL) to enable improved personal and professional relationships, individual and team success. The ultimate process involves 'lifting the ceiling' on people's thinking to create winning minds.

Teaming with XVenture will enable FCA to connect with coaches Australia wide, and FCA professional development programs, commencing in early 2021, will focus on the essential 'soft skills' of coaching relevant to being successful, at a professional and / or community club level - that is, Leadership, Culture, Communication Skills, Resilience, Emotional Intelligence & Mental Agility.

XVenture Mind Games has been created by Mike Conway, the current emotional agility and mind coach for the Socceroos, who has worked with a number of high- profile coaches over the last few years including: Graham Arnold, Rene Meleunsteen, Steve Corica, Richie Garcia, Jean-Paul de Marigny, Ufuk Talay and Trevor Morgan.

XVenture are leaders in the creation and delivery of cutting-edge learning and development programs.

Adapting their face to face business in response to Covid 19, XVenture Mind Games is a first of its kind remote virtual high-performance team mind-training solution for developing key skills including adaptability, communication, social skills and collaboration.

Since its launch, more than 500 teams across business, elite sport and education have participated globally including teams from: Perth Glory FC, Western Sydney Wanderers FC, Melbourne City FC, Chicago Fire FC, Australian Women’s Cricket Team and Olympic teams from Cycling, Water Polo, Rugby 7s, Hockey and Canoeing.

FCA President Phil Moss stated: “We are absolutely delighted to enter this ground-breaking partnership with Mike Conway and his XVenture team.

“I’ve personally known and worked with Mike for nearly 20 years and everything he touches turns to gold. The modern game is so heavily reliant on the mentality of coaches and players so this is a perfectly natural fit for us as an organisation as we continue to work with our members on their professional development.

“It connects the professional game with the community game, professional coaches with community coaches and further strengthens the camaraderie amongst our coaching fraternity.

“FCA is working on a number of really exciting initiatives with XVenture and we can’t wait to roll them out.”

FCA Executive Committee member Member Terry McFlynn, who has undertaken XVenture programs at both Sydney FC and Perth Glory, said: “FCA is delighted to enter into this partnership with one of the country's leading organisations in the field of mental agility, leadership, communication and team building.

“I have had the pleasure of working closely with Mike and the team at XVenture on a few projects. The detail and delivery of the programs are second to none and the desired outcomes are amazing to witness first hand.

"This is a very exciting partnership, one which I know will benefit coaches at all levels nationwide."

Conway added: “It's an absolute honor to partner with Football Coaches Australia.

"I believe in what they are trying to achieve in building the reputation of Australian coaches and Australian football in a global context.

“I've experienced first-hand the difference that great coaches can make to teams and the lives of individual players. I am thrilled to be able to provide our experience at XVenture to develop key skills for all levels of coaches, and thus improve the standard and quality of the game. "