A group photo of the course participants and officials, 8 January 2023

 

SINGAPORE, 17 JANUARY 2023 – The Football Association of Singapore (FAS) Coach Education & Development (CED) Department recently concluded Part 7 of the FAS/Asian Football Confederation (AFC) ‘Pro’ Diploma Coaching Course.

 

Sydney FC Head of Football Analysis, Mr Justin McMahon, delivering his talk, 6 January 2023

 

Held between 3 to 9 January, the 18 participants headed to Sydney, Australia for this part of the course, which comprised the Overseas Study Visit segment. Conducted under the mentorship of Lead Coach Developer, Mr Robert Sherman, this part was held in collaboration with A-League side Sydney FC. At the club, there were sharing sessions by the following personnel on their respective areas of expertise:

 

• • Club Structure by Mr Adam Santo (CEO, Sydney FC)
  • Fan Engagement by Ms Hannah Lidster (Chief Commercial Officer, Sydney FC)
  • Media Engagement by Mr David Warriner (Head of Media & Public Relations, Sydney FC)
  • Injury Prevention, Treatment, & Strength and Conditioning Periodised Model by Mr Chris Pappas (Head of Sport Science & Strength and Conditioning, Sydney FC)
  • Playing Philosophy by Mr Rob Stanton (Assistant Coach, Sydney FC)
  • Analysis by Mr Justin McMahon (Head of Football Analysis, Sydney FC)
  • A-League Recruitment, Player ID, Match Preparation, and Player Development by Mr Paul Reid (Assistant Coach, Sydney FC)
  • Academy Presentation, Academy Recruitment, & Outline of Academy Training by Mr Kelly Cross (Technical Director – Youth, Sydney FC)

 

Sydney FC CEO Mr Adam Santo delivering a talk, 4 January 2023

 

In addition, the participants were invited to observe a Sydney FC training session before their league match against Wellington Phoenix FC and given tasks based on the observation. Thereafter, they reviewed the match – which took place on 7 January – for discussion during half-time and full-time. This seventh and final part of the course followed on from Part 6, held in September 2022, and is the final part of the course that will be undertaken as a group. The participants will now proceed to progressively complete their final assessment component individually with Mr Sherman, who judged the visit to be “very successful”.

 

Token of appreciation presented to Mr Adam Santo (CEO, Sydney FC) by FAS Representatives, 4 January 2023

 

“The club was extremely hospitable and generous in sharing their intellectual properties and gave the course participants a true insight into the operations of a professional club-based model and the build-up to a fixture,” he told FAS.

 

Participants being briefed on their tasks, 7 January 2023

 

The participants also shared a similar sentiment. Mr Herman Zailani noted the “well-organised” nature of the trip and said: “We had good interactions with Sydney FC, which gave us a deeper understanding of the running of a professional club. I especially enjoyed the sharing done by Mr Kelly Cross, which opened up new ideas for me to adapt in my own environment.”

 

A match-plan sharing session by Sydney FC assistant Coach, Mr Rob Stanton, 5 January 2023

 

Mr Abbas Saad added: “Together with the other course participants, we exchanged views during the various sharing sessions with Sydney FC and our Lead Coach Developer. The knowledge gained through the course and during this Overseas Study Visit will steer the other course participants and me in the right direction for our coaching careers. I would like to give FAS, especially the CED Department, credit for managing the course under enormous pressure over the last two years.”

 

Sydney FC Chief Commercial Officer, Ms Hannah Lidster, delivering a talk, 4 January 2023

 

Mr Firdaus Kassim appreciated the opportunity to observe first-hand how an A-League club operates and came away with an “eye-opening” experience. “The amount of work behind the scenes to generate revenue and engage fans with the purpose of increasing their fanbase,” he said. “The level of detail and work put in to prepare a weekend game further emphasises that coaching at the top level is a 24/7 job, that requires a lot of dedication and commitment. I’m very delighted and grateful for the opportunity to witness Sydney FC first-hand and this experience has already given me ideas in how I would implement certain processes and structures in clubs that I’m coaching in.”

 

Participants Mohd Noor Ali (L) meeting with Lead Coach Developer Mr Robert Sherman and Assistant Coach Developer Mr Robin Chitrakar, 8 January 2023

 

Mr Zainudeen Hassan, Head, FAS CED, concluded: “We would like to thank our Lead Coach Developer, Mr Robert Sherman, Sydney FC and all course participants for creating a positive learning environment. I’m glad that the course participants maximised the opportunity in Sydney, Australia and picked up valuable insights about the set-up at a professional club. I’m looking forward to the progressive assessment of all course participants which will commence in due course.”

 

Sydney FC Head of Media & Public Relations, Mr David Warriner, delivering his talk, 4 January 2023

 

Full list of participants: Abbas Saad, Abdul Musawir, Clement Teo, Fadzuhasny Juraimi, Firdaus Kassim, Gavin Lee, Hairil Amin, Hasrin Jailani, Haris Sumri, Herman Zailani, Keiji Shigetomi, Marko Kraljevic, Mohamed Noor Ali, Philippe Aw, Steven Tan Teng Chuan, Subramani s/o Shunmughan, Winston Yap and Yeong Sheau Shyan.

 

 

 

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