Ernie Merrick confirmed as a keynote speaker for 2022 NNSWF Coaching Conference

Liam Watson
Merrick

Ernie Merrick has been confirmed as a keynote speaker for the 2022 Northern NSW Football Coaching Conference, to take place on Sunday, December 4.

Merrick, who is Football Australia’s Chief Football Officer, is highly regarded as a two-time A-League Premiership and Championship winning coach with Melbourne Victory.

With his background not only at the Victory but also Newcastle Jets and Wellington Phoenix in the A-League and internationally for the Hong Kong National Football Team, Merrick has a wealth of knowledge in player development and elite football coaching.

As Chief Football Officer, Merrick plays an integral role in the key objectives expressed in Football Australia’s XI Principles for guidance and decision making within the national governing body.

The conference is an opportunity to upskill for season 2023, with an informative day of lectures and workshops from high profile industry leaders and experts.

Attendees will gain player centric insights, tips and processes to implement next year. Participants are also eligible for 30 CPD points by taking part.

2022 NNSWF Coaching Conference details

  • Date: Sunday 4 December 2022
  • Time: 9:00am – 3:30pm
  • Location: Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility (Jet’s seminar room)
  • Cost: $100 per person
  • Who: Open to all coaches, with individuals holding a current advanced license receiving 30 CPD points
  • Register here

Previously announced NNSWF Coaching Conference speakers:

Northern NSW Football has released the details of the first three keynote speakers and has plans to announce additional speakers in the coming weeks.

Warren Grieve, Technical Director, Football NSW 

Warren Grieve is Football NSW’s Technical Director, his role is to improve the up and coming talent of both players, coaches, and support staff, providing a challenging and rewarding environment for all to develop.

Grieve has spent the last 14 years in Australia and held the role of Technical Director for Capital Football. He holds his AFC/FA Pro Diploma and is an active Advanced Coach Developer for the FA C, B and A licence.

Dr O’Neil Maharaj, Director of Sports Medicine and Counselling, Return 2 Play

Dr O’Neil Maharaj from Return 2 Play Medical is an ACA accredited counsellor, ACA counselling supervisor, Sports Doctor and university educator.​ He is an Associate Lecturer at the University of Newcastle.

His approach to sports medicine is to ‘walk beside you’. Dr Maharaj is eager to find out who his patients are beyond their injuries. This ensures they receive appropriate instruction and have an individual recovery plan.

Ryan Doidge, Talented Player and Coach Development Manager, Northern NSW Football

Ryan Doidge is Northern NSW Football’s Talented Player and Coach Development Manager; his role is to oversee the talented player pathway and all coach education across northern NSW.

Since commencing his role in July 2022, Doidge has played a part in managing our players on the talented player pathway at National Youth Championships and at the SingaCup in Singapore. He has also provided opportunities to over 90 coaches to start their advanced coaching journey and to nearly 50 coaches to complete their outstanding advanced assessments.

Through previous roles with New York Red Bulls, Western Sydney Wanderers, North Shore Mariners, Northbridge Bulls and Dee Why FC, Doidge has built a wealth of experience in improving opportunities for players and coaches.

Doidge is accredited by Asian Football Confederation and Football Australia to deliver B and C advance coach accreditation courses and has earned an AFC A coaching licence.

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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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