FFA CEO James Johnson appoints Trevor Morgan as National Technical Director

Football Federation Australia (FFA) announced that Trevor Morgan has been appointed as the interim National Technical Director on 19 August 2020.

Morgan will be supported by new Technical Consultant Ron Smith and will continue to serve as Head Coach of the Joeys, Australia’s U-17 men’s national team until next year’s FIFA U17 World Cup.

FFA CEO James Johnson was delighted to make the announcement and praised Morgan and Smith for taking on the new challenge at such as critical time for Australian football.

“The appointments of Trevor and Ron come at a dynamic time for Australian football. In our recently published XI Principles for the future of Australian football (XI Principles), we advanced what we believe to be a bold and courageous fifteen-year vision for Australian football,” Johnson said.

“The feedback we received from our consultations and public surveys on the XI Principles have told us that the Australian football community is excited by this vision. Trevor and Ron will play a key role in helping us establish the technical platform and build the much-needed football acumen in FFA that is required for Australian football to grow.”

Morgan’s responsibilities as National Technical Director will include the establishment of a national football calendar, a review of the national football curriculum, pathways, competitions, coach development and participation.

“Trevor is one of a new generation of Australia’s brightest coaching talents and brings a wealth of football knowledge to his new role, and in Ron Smith, we have the perfect complement. Ron has more than 30 years’ experience in technical delivery, coach education and training, and the pair will create a formidable partnership.” Johnson added.

“Both Trevor and Ron have been involved in Australian football over many years, and it’s great to see the retention of internal talent during such turbulent times. We have a wonderful pool of coaches and technical talent within the Australian football ecosystem, and we want to do more to promote this talent.”

“We identified the importance of developing our coaches alongside player development within the XI Principles and, following the announcement of the recent Memorandum of Understanding between FFA and Football Coaches Australia last week, we are excited to take another significant step towards this objective by tapping into our domestic pool of talent and providing an opportunity for an Australian coach to take this next step in their career.”

Morgan has spent the past two years as Head Coach of the Joeys, leading the team to the knockout stages of the FIFA U17 World Cup in Brazil in 2019. He will continue in the role until next year’s FIFA U17 World Cup to be held in Peru.

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Victory unites with Roasting Warehouse in culture-led partnership

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Image credit: Melbourne Victory

The Melbourne-based anf family-owned business will join the Victory family, uniting two institutions which represent the city’s culture and identity.

A partnership with local roots

As the newest partner of Melbourne Victory, Roasting Warehouse joins forces with a vital part of the city’s sporting landscape.

The club’s Managing Director, Caroline Carnegie, outlined why the partnership bears so much value to both parties.

“We are excited to collaborate with Roasting Warehouse, a community-oriented destination for high-quality coffee, proud of its foundations in Melbourne,” said Carnegie via official media release.

“Football and coffee sit at the epicentre of Melbourne’s culture. The two go hand-in-hand, consistently at the centre of the conversation that stirs Melburnians, which is no different to the conversation sport and Melbourne Victory stir in the State.”

Indeed, this is a partnership which combines the identity, passions and culture of an entire city, therefore giving it the foundations required for long-term, mutual success.

Representing the best of Melbourne

Both Victory and Roasting Warehouse are hugely successful in their respective industries. They are institutions with community-oriented philosphies, who pride themselves on craft and quality.

“We’re incredibly proud to partner with Melbourne Victory, a club that represents the heart, passion, and ambition of Melbourne,” revealed Roasting Warehouse Head of Brand, Alexander Paraskevopoulos.

“As a Melbourne-founded, family-run business, supporting a team that means so much to the local community feels very natural for us.”

Furthermore, through their high-quality blends, Roasting Warehouse will look to prepare Victory’s players and staff for high performances on the pitch as the seasons nears completion.

But this is about far more than just fueling athletes.

This is a partnership which embodies and unites two of Melbourne’s greatest strengths and cultural markers – a connection forged from the city’s very own DNA.

 

For more information about Roasting Warehouse, click here.

Marie-Louise Eta makes history as new Union Berlin head coach

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Image credit: FC Union Berlin

In an historic appointment, Eta will take over as head coach of Union Berlin until the end of the season.

History in the making

Previously the first female assistant coach in Bundesliga history with Union Berlin, Eta will now take the reigns of the men’s first team on an interim basis.

Currently, the club sit in 11th place in the Bundesliga table, but with only two wins so far in 2026, relegation appears an all-too-real prospect, and one which the club is desperate to avoid.

“Given the points gap in the lower half of the table, our place in the Bundesliga is not yet secure,” said Eta via official media release.

‘I am delighted that the club has entrusted me with this challenging task. One of Union’s strengths has always been, and remains, the ability to pull together in such situations.”

Eta will begin as Union’s new head coach with immediate effect, and will be in the dugout for the club’s matchup against Wolfsburg this weekend.

 

A step into an equal future

Eta’s appointment signals a major step towards a more level playing field in the football landscape.

Furthermore, Eta joins other coaches including Sabrinna Wittmann, Hannah Dingley and Corinne Diacre who, in recent years, have blazed a trail for female coaches to step into the men’s game.

Wittmann currently manages FC Ingolstadt in Germany’s third division, and was the first female head coach in Germany’s top three divisions.

In 2023, Dingley became caretaker manager of Forest Green Rovers, and thus the first woman to lead a men’s professional team in England.

Diacre, now head coach of France’s women’s national team, managed Ligue 2’s Clerment Foot between 2014 and 2017.

 

Final thoughts

The impact therefore, is that Eta’s appointment will show future generations of aspiring female coaches that men’s football is an equally viable and possible pathway as the women’s game.

The time is now to level the playing field.

And while it may be a short-term role, its effect on attitudes towards equality and fair opportunities in the game will hopefully resonate long after the season ends.

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