MWFA

MWFA is continuing to develop the coaches of the future.

After the success of our annual Future Coaches Program between 2019 and 2022, with over 40 coaches undertaking an intense and challenging learning experience, the program has returned in 2024 with 14 new participants from various different MWFA clubs.

As has typically been the case, the new group includes people from a wide variety of backgrounds, ages and levels of experience, as well as different ambitions and motivations for being involved in the program. The common theme between all of them is their attitude and desire to improve as a coaches, which means the bar has been set very high throughout.

8 out of 10 sessions covering a variety of topics have been completed so far, with a lot of the content chosen by the participants, including leadership and culture management, tactical understanding, and understanding how the brain works; while a lot of self-reflection and peer feedback has been taking place as coaches present about themselves and where they want to go with their coaching.

Several special guests were invited to share their experiences and advice to the group, including former Football Australia Community Coach Education Manager Les Bee, former Japan National Team player Yuzo Tashiro, and several former Future Coaches Program participants who have all gone on to achieve meaningful things with their coaching.

MWFA Coach Development Manager Eugene Lawrenz said: “This program is always the highlight of the year for me, as I always very much enjoy taking motivated coaches through this process of in-depth learning and development. I would like to thank our special guests for giving back to community football and sharing their knowledge, as all of the coaches very much appreciated their professionalism and openness. I also need to give a lot of credit to all of the participants for supporting each other, challenging each other and giving their best to their own personal growth – it has been a fantastic way to finish of the year and I look forward to seeing what they all achieve with their coaching in the future.”

Look out for profiles on each of the Future Coaches on the MWFA website in the coming months.

MWFA would like to congratulate Kevin Rozario for winning FNSW Male Grassroots Coach of the Year at the recent Coaching Conference held at Valentine Sports Park.

Kevin coaches the W-9 Waratahs at Wakehurst, and was recognised for his commitment to personal development after attending numerous Coach Development events throughout the year, as well as working hard to ensure his players always have a positive learning experience through his coaching. Kevin has gone above and beyond to enhance his coaching skills, and his willingness to invest extra time makes him a fantastic role model for coaches at every level.

“This experience has been incredibly humbling, and my hope is that this award will continue to drive awareness, excitement, and momentum for coaching across the MWFA. I recognise that I was lucky enough to receive this award on behalf of all the fantastic coaches we have at the grassroots level, who continually inspire me through their unwavering commitment to players, parents, and clubs across the association.”

“I would personally like to thank Eugene Lawrenz, and the MWFA Coach Development Team, for the time, support, and encouragement they have given me over the last few seasons through their courses, workshops, and mentoring. I am truly grateful for their contributions, and the support of Rachelle Sorbara and the entire team at Wakehurst, for supporting my growth as an individual and a coach.”

“Football has always provided me the opportunity to find connection, be part of a community, and feel a sense of belonging through friendships created along the way. I have always loved teaching, and I saw coaching as an opportunity to continue my personal learning journey, in the hope of inspiring as many kids as possible to love the game and feel confident that they too have a place in football no matter their ability, background, or personal circumstances.”

Well done Kevin and keep up the fantastic work!

More than 40 coaches from MWFA clubs and Manly United attended the conference, including groups from Curl Curl and Mosman, as well as many past and present Future Coaches Program participants and several MWFA Coach Development Team members.

MWFA recently delivered another C-Diploma coaching course at Cromer Park, with 24 coaches in attendance across 4 full days, most of whom are based at local clubs.

The course was presented by MWFA Coach Development Manager Eugene Lawrenz and focused teaching the technical aspects of the game, principles of play, and various practice and coaching methodology.

“The course was fantastic. I learnt about how to apply the principles of play to grassroots level, player engagement and ways to make football fun and challenging for all players, but most importantly it gave me the tools and confidence to create the best football environment I can for the players and their families for years to come. Having the course available locally was not only super convenient, we also formed a great network of local coaches, and it was nice to continue the relationship with Eugene and his team from other courses. MWFA is in good hands.”  

– Bryan Horne (Narrabeen U8/U10 mixed coach)

“I learned a lot from the C-Diploma, particularly about how to best engage my players, run focused sessions, and understand the fundamentals of football. Eugene and his team do a great job of making the learning experience both informative and fun by creating a practical, hands-on environment. Last but not least, I loved meeting the other coaches and building networks and friendships. I highly recommend it!”

– Justin Riddet (CC Strikers W13 coach)

“The C-Diploma was a really enjoyable experience from start to finish. I found it particularly beneficial in furthering my understanding of the principles of play and how to generate effective training around those principles to assist in player development. The convenience of being able to attend this training locally and having the opportunity to network with a fantastic group of other local coaches in the process was an added bonus! Eugene and Gareth’s delivery was super engaging and fun whilst maintaining a lot of consistent messaging that aligns well with the many other coaching courses and workshops MWFA offers.”

– Dan Cook (Seaforth WPL coach)

Eugene said. “Our focus when we deliver these courses for the community is to give the coaches the best experience we can in terms of not only what they learn being as valuable and relevant as possible, but also the learning environment being positive, collaborative, and supportive. Our job across the country is to inspire these coaches, so they can in turn inspire their players.” 

Eugene added: “It’s always great to support the development of coaches who are motivated to raise their bar and give their players the best possible football experience I want to give all 24 of these coaches credit for their efforts, willingness to get out of their comfort zones, and desire to improve. I’m confident they will do a great job, and I wish them the best of luck with their coaching moving forward.”

A very big thanks goes to MWFA Coach Development Team member Gareth Banks who provided support throughout the 4 days, as well as Marc Messina from FNSW who delivered the goalkeeping module. A special thank you as well to all of the players who helped out on the 4th day so the coaches could practice delivering their sessions with real players.

MWFA also runs a large number of official coaching courses and specialised coach workshops throughout the year, including a Foundation of Football course coming up in December and another C-Diploma in February 2025. Please see here for more details on the two courses in particular: https://www.mwfa.com.au/2024/11/07/new-coaching-courses-available-over-the-summer/