O-LYM-PIC Football Dreams: The story behind a heartfelt documentary

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O-LYM-PIC Football Dreams
Images provided by Janet Merewether

Before the COVID lockdowns of 2020-21 shut down elite sport worldwide, some of the best under-11s players from Sydney Olympic FC’s Skill Acquisition Program (SAP) were given the opportunity of a lifetime.

This new documentary captures a whirlwind tour, where players, coaches and parents were faced with Europe’s powerhouse clubs in a number of friendly games against Bundesliga junior teams across Germany and at the Legia Cup in Warsaw, Poland, a high-level tournament for U-11 players. It marked the first time that an Australian team was invited to play at this European tournament where Juventus, Manchester United, Benfica, Ajax and other top tier clubs were participating. The film captures the tour and the perspective of successful Australian Socceroos and European coaches, who provide insights into the development pathway from youth to professional player.

As well as the fast-paced environment of football’s youth leagues, the film covers the rich, multicultural history of the sport in Australia, as well as what it takes to represent club and country at the highest level.

Shot across three years, then edited during the lengthy COVID lockdown, the film was released in October 2022 to coincide with the FIFA World Cup, after months of cinema closures and setbacks from the global pandemic.

Soccerscene spoke to the award-winning director and producer of O-LYM-PIC Football Dreams, Dr Janet Merewether, to discuss the intentions behind the documentary, the ins and outs of European football and the future of youth development in Australia.

Still from documentary ‘O-LYM-PIC – Football Dreams’
Stadium model at Football Museum Germany

Can you tell me a bit about what it was that inspired you to create this film?

Janet Merewether: At the time, my son was playing for Sydney Olympic in the SAP team, a nationwide skills development program. Most of the states implement it and it is a way for kids who are about nine or 10, who are serious about the sport, to step up into a development pathway to leave grassroots football.

For a few years, Sydney Olympic had a relationship with Germany, trying to bring out coaches and so forth, and they organised this tour. The kids all had to trial, and it was quite competitive, because only half of the squad ended up going.

I’ve made documentaries about all sorts of subjects over 25 years, but when I saw the list of the calibre of the clubs that they would be playing against, I thought what an amazing opportunity to get behind the scenes.

I said listen, if you’re going, I’m going to film this, because we’ve got an opportunity to speak with coaches, to see the facilities they have access to and how our small, Sydney-based NPL club goes against the best resourced clubs in the world. We’re talking Manchester United, Juventus, Benfica – this calibre of clubs.

We’re at this tournament, and for me it was really a parallel with what the Socceroos are up against every World Cup.

Still image of Socceroos goalkeeper Andrew Redmayne from documentary O-LYM-PIC Football Dreams

What were some of the major differences that you noticed between the youth leagues in Australia and the youth leagues in Europe?

Janet Merewether: Firstly, when you go to Germany and Europe, you see the facilities, but that is because their youth programs occur in these huge clubs which are very well-resourced, like RB Leipzig and Hertha BSC and so forth. That was one superficial difference, but the other thing that we speak about in the film is the coach accreditation they have in Europe and the ability for the national bodies to actually audit the development programs.

I have to say sadly, in Australia, and this has been only my experience in Sydney, I saw pretty much most clubs not conforming to the rules set down by Football NSW.

Educationally, for a 10 or 11-year-old player, the international recommendation is that every kid should learn to play in every position and get equal playing time. Time and time again, that was not implemented by the clubs in Sydney. When I contacted Football NSW, and they did send the rules which were supposed to be distributed to the parents, the club just went ballistic. Some other parents also put their hand up to complain and their kids were just dropped or thrown out of the club, so I noticed that people became fearful of speaking up.

Our curriculum is there, and SAP is supposed to implement the national curriculum. It was written in 2009. Han Berger worked with the FFA, which is now Football Australia, to develop that curriculum and it was revised in 2013. As Alex Tobin says in the film, there is this ‘golden age of learning’ from nine to 12 years of age. That is why SAP is called skill acquisition because rather than concentrating on winning games, it’s skills based.

If, for example, clubs aren’t teaching kids to play all positions, they don’t understand what positional play is about, and it’s just going to make them inflexible and unusable as a player, because they cannot be subbed on anywhere.

It’s the best practice worldwide, and if clubs actually did as the state bodies recommend in the curriculum and in the SAP guidelines, then the kids would have the technical ability. Until the states have the teeth to actually audit these programs and make sure clubs are adhering to them, not a lot is going to change.

What could Australian youth leagues learn from those in Europe?

Janet Merewether: What I would like to see is some sort of scholarships or some other financial assistance that can be offered to talented players who can’t afford to pay between $1,500 and $2,500 a season. A lot of talented kids leave, and it’s a real shame.

There are also plenty of really, really good players with a lot of flair who are still playing in grassroots clubs and aren’t on a developmental pathway. I can see that a lot of clubs aren’t necessarily playing by the rules set down in the curriculum either and in some ways my gut instinct came to light when the Bill Papas case broke in the press last year.

My son eventually went on to play AFL, and he fell out of love with soccer as well to a degree. I felt uncomfortable that the level of integrity I would have expected from the game just wasn’t there.

What were some of the most memorable moments from the tournament?

Janet Merewether: There was a lot that our kids went through, but the main thing I thought was amazing was that although they were very, very tired by the end of the trip and despite a string of losses, they still managed to pick themselves up and play their best.

They played against some of the best teams in Europe and they came such a long way. Anthony Williams, one of the younger coaches in the film, is a school teacher, and he was just terrific at trying to get the boys on target and get them reenergised.

The other highlight was watching the final of the Legia Cup between Ajax and Anderlecht. I felt like I was watching adult players – the quality was so good. I remember thinking oh my gosh, these kids are 10 years old – the energy, the talent and the skill was just phenomenal.

Legia Cup trophy
Still from documentary ‘O-LYM-PIC – Football Dreams’

What has the general response been to the film?

Janet Merewether: I have found that the football world has been relatively silent to date. I don’t know if that’s sexism that they think a mum making a film about a youth team is not important. I think also because I do ask questions about the system, and about the expense and integrity of the game, it might be uncomfortable.

It’s probably uncomfortable for Olympic, it’s probably uncomfortable for the state bodies. But the feedback we got from cinema audiences and parents, who were taking their kids, felt positive and they got a lot out of it.

What was also really nice was that people who don’t have knowledge of the game and who aren’t normally fans of the sport were able to go to the film and just see it as a really human story – an Australian team battling against the big guys overseas.

I was really pleased because I also wanted some of these issues to be discussed in school, so we’ll be rolling out to the education sector as well, although I would love to hear from the football community. I have reached out to Football NSW technical directors, but I’m yet to receive feedback from that level.

Still image from documentary
‘O-LYM-PIC – Football Dreams’

Following the interview, Dr Merewether was contacted by Football Australia and a meeting was arranged to discuss the documentary.

O-LYM-PIC Football Dreams is available for viewing in cinemas and sports/cultural clubs and streaming via watchantidotefilms.com.au. Readers can also contact the filmmaker through https://footballdreams.com.au/. For teachers, coaches and educators, the film and study guide is available at theeducationshop.com.au

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Football West’s Female Football Week draws record engagement from Metropolitan Perth to Remote Kunurra

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Image Credit: Football West

Football West has wrapped up its 2026 Female Football Week with activations spanning metropolitan Perth, regional Western Australia and national online platforms, as participation data from the state’s most remote football association underlined the scale of demand for women’s and girls’ football beyond the city.

Kununurra Soccer Association, situated in the East Kimberley more than 3,000 kilometres from Perth, recorded 47 new female registrations aged 7 to 12 across the first two terms of 2026 through Football West’s Junior Girls United program, representing a 30 percent increase in female membership that coaches Hannah Grominsky and Evie Marchetti described as overwhelming.

“The support from the community has been simply awesome,” Grominsky said. “We’re up to nearly 50 registered girls now. The majority of them have never played before or aren’t part of our association, so it’s great to give them a positive football experience in a comfortable environment.”

The program, supported by the Federal Government’s Play Our Way grant, now runs every Wednesday and has extended football activity into the cooler months of the Kimberley calendar, a season when the association would not traditionally operate. The result is a cohort of players new to the game, in a region where access to organised sport has historically been constrained by geography, infrastructure and seasonality.

Recognition across the state

Back in Perth, Female Football Week’s centrepiece event was the Women in Football Celebrate You Breakfast at the Sam Kerr Football Centre, featuring two panel discussions covering officiating pathways, coaching development and advocacy for women in football.

Subiaco AFC NPL Women’s head coach Christine Coppin, who is one of few women coaching at her level in the region, said events like the breakfast were critical to making the pathway visible for others.

“I’d love to see more women coaches putting their hat in the ring, both at junior and senior levels, realising that there’s more to football than just playing,” Coppin said. “They can stay involved in the sport as they get older in different ways.”

A regional Women in Football Breakfast in Albany drew more than 30 attendees, while a Girls Day Out event in the same city attracted more than 50 participants aged 6 to 16 for a come-and-try introduction to the game, extending the week’s reach into the Great Southern and reinforcing Football West’s stated commitment to building women’s football outside metropolitan areas.

Recognising those who make it happen

The week’s awards, nominated by the WA public, recognised five individuals whose contributions to female football across the state were judged most significant over the past year. Cassandra Paxman of Albany Rovers FC was named Coach of the Year, Georgia Whitelaw of Great Southern JSA and Albany JSA took Referee of the Year, Karen Harris of Carramar Shamrock Rovers FC was named Volunteer of the Year, Georgia Aiesi of Mandurah City FC received the Player of the Year award, and Melissa Spillman of Football Futures Foundations was named Community Champion of the Year— a recognition she also received at the national level.

Football West Female Football and Advocacy Manager Sarah Carroll said the week had reinforced both the momentum and the responsibility facing the sport.

“Female Football Week continues to showcase the incredible passion and growing appetite for the women’s game,” Carroll said. “It’s a reminder of how important it is that we keep working together to drive the game forward.”

The contrast between a packed breakfast at the Sam Kerr Football Centre and a Wednesday afternoon program in Kununurra working around wet season schedules captures something essential about where women’s football in Western Australia actually lives. The growth is real, and it is happening in places the cameras do not always reach.

Tasmania’s State Budget Commits $350,000 to Football Facility Planning as $80 million Home of Football Moves Closer to Reality

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Image Credit: Football Tasmania

The Tasmanian State Government has committed $350,000 in seed funding for the next stage of planning for Football Tasmania‘s proposed Home of Football, moving the state’s most significant football infrastructure project closer to construction and signalling political recognition that demand for rectangular facilities in Tasmania has outgrown what currently exists.

The funding, confirmed in the 2026-27 State Budget handed down last week, sits within an almost $200 million investment in sport and recreation across the budget and forward estimates: a package the government describes as designed to improve access and participation for Tasmanians of all ages. The football allocation is listed alongside a $25 million community sporting infrastructure commitment at Kingborough, $12.5 million for new multipurpose indoor sporting courts at New Town Bay, and $8 million for the Domain Tennis Centre redevelopment.

Football Tasmania CEO Tony Pignata OAM welcomed the commitment as an acknowledgement of the structural gap between participation numbers and available infrastructure, particularly in the state’s south.

“The State Government’s delivery on this commitment shows us that they understand that demand outstrips supply for rectangular facilities in the state,” Pignata said. “If we are to continue to grow and develop future Matildas and Socceroos, we need to invest in the infrastructure our game so desperately needs.”

The proposed $80 million facility would include six full-sized pitches, three synthetic and three turf, alongside four five-a-side pitches, modern changerooms for both men and women, and dedicated training facilities. The design is intended to serve every level of the game simultaneously, from grassroots junior competitions through to national-level tournaments.

From grassroots to A-League ambitions

Football Tasmania has framed the facility’s purpose across a deliberately wide range of uses. At the community end, it would provide a permanent home for junior games and regional tournaments that currently compete for limited rectangular ground availability across the state. At the elite end, it would create the capacity to host national competitions including the Emerging Matildas and Emerging Socceroos Championships, flagship state competitions such as the Statewide Cup finals, and potentially, in time, an A-League team.

That last ambition is the most significant and the most distant. Pignata was measured but direct in raising it, situating a Tasmanian A-League club alongside the NBL’s Jackjumpers, the WNBL’s Jewels and the AFL’s Devils as part of the state’s emerging identity as a home for national sporting competition.

“One day down the track, we anticipate this would become home to our very own A-League team, so that we take our rightful place in the nation’s elite competition,” he said.

The pathway from planning funding to A-League admission is long and would require sustained political and commercial support well beyond the current commitment. But the logic is consistent with how football infrastructure investment has worked elsewhere in Australia. The facility comes first, and the competitive pathway follows. Without a purpose-built ground that meets the standards required for elite competition, the conversation about an A-League team cannot begin in earnest.

The equity dimension

The inclusion of modern women’s and men’s changerooms in the facility’s design carries more weight than it might appear. Community and semi-professional football facilities across Australia have historically been built to male standards, with women’s changerooms added as afterthoughts or not included at all. That inadequacy has been consistently identified as a barrier to female participation and to the hosting of women’s competitions at venues that cannot accommodate them properly.

A purpose-built facility that treats women’s infrastructure as a design requirement rather than a retrofit positions the Home of Football to serve the growth of women’s football in Tasmania in a way that existing facilities cannot. The state recorded 41,395 registered football participants in 2025, a number that has been growing and that the current rectangular facility stock was not built to support at this scale.

Additionally, the government’s Ticket to Play program, which provides eligible children with two vouchers worth up to $100 each for sporting participation, and the Ticket to Wellbeing program offering $100 vouchers to eligible seniors, represent indirect but meaningful support for football participation across the state’s communities.

Pignata also acknowledged outgoing Football Tasmania President Bob Gordon, who he said had dedicated almost a decade to the organisation and had been instrumental in lobbying for this and other facilities across the state.

The $350,000 planning commitment is a beginning. The $80 million facility it is intended to progress remains subject to further government investment and development approval.

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