Take a look across the football landscape and it’s easy to see why The Times’ chief football writer Henry Winter described Australian coaches as “in vogue.”
Ange Postecoglou has won three consecutive manager of the month awards and has Tottenham flying at the top end of the Premier League, the most-watched sporting competition in the world.
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Graham Arnold was voted by respected French newspaper L’Équipe as the best manager at the 2022 World Cup having guided the Socceroos to an unlikely berth in the knockout stages and recently surpassed Frank Farina as the man with the most coaching caps for Australia’s men’s team.
Over in Japan, Kevin Muscat has a J1 League title to his name as manager of Yokohama F. Marinos and looks most likely to be the next export to Europe.
Joe Montemurro also holds a reputation as one of the leading coaches in women’s football and constantly challenges for trophies in Italy with Juventus.
Those are just four Aussies among countless others in both men’s and women’s football in Europe.
So, why are these Australian coaches becoming somewhat trendy?
At surface level, the easy answer is Postecoglou.
After all, it’s impossible not to notice and admire the transformation Tottenham has undergone on and off the field since his arrival.
But, as two prominent figures in the Australian football landscape point out, there’s a lot more to it.
And, perhaps most crucially, it’s paving the way for the next generation to potentially go even further.
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THE ‘GREAT FOUNDATION’ THAT SET THE SCENE FOR SUCCESS
Before the likes of Montemurro, Muscat, Postecoglou and Arnold got to where they are, there’s a common theme that emerged if one looks at their previous coaching history: they all managed in either the A-League or W-League.
Not only that, but they all led their respective teams to multiple championships.
Being a manager in the national competition is no easy feat, especially given the constraints around salary caps, the resources available and the unfortunate lack of interest from the wider Australian public.
There’s no shortage of tales when it comes to the vast gap in facilities in the A-League, with clubs using wheelie bins for ice baths and others waiting for a text from the local council to find out which field they would train on.
Those days are largely gone, but it’s a stark reminder of what coaches had to work with in the formative years of the competition.
But Phil Moss, who previously led the Central Coast Mariners and served as an assistant to Arnold, believes those types of challenges make the A-League a “great foundation” for coaches.
“There’s no better way to learn on the job than in the deep end,” Moss told foxsports.com.au.
“The A-League is certainly getting better and better, there’s more resources and more money ploughed into football than there was, certainly back in the old National Soccer League (NSL) days and probably into the early A-League days as well.
“That sets a really strong foundation for coaches to then springboard into overseas careers because there’s restraints on A-League coaches that you don’t get at the higher levels.
“It’s a great foundation that gives you the skill set you need to survive and thrive.”
HOW FOOTBALL GIANTS DISPROVED EURO ‘SNOBBERY’ AND HAD FIRST DIBS ON ANGE
Despite many in Australia being aware of the significant hurdles coaches in the A-League and W-League must face — and that’s not including those who lead NPL teams, who have far less funds and resources available — it can be difficult for overseas clubs to understand.
Not only that, there is a significant hurdle Australian coaches must overcome if they are to even realise their dreams of coaching in Europe: the UEFA pro license.
It is a hurdle that easily could have derailed Postecoglou’s move to Celtic and forced Kevin Muscat to prove he could coach to a FIFA panel, despite leading Melbourne Victory to two A-League championships.
Gary Cole, the President of Football Coaches Australia, believes it serves as just another example of how “snobby” Europe can be towards Aussies in football.
However, the success of Postecoglou has Cole optimistic the rest of the continent will no longer look down on Australian coaches as second-rate options.
“Australian coaches have an AFC pro license but in Europe, they need a UEFA pro license,” Cole told foxsports.com.au.
“But they’re not all worth the same.
“For Ange to work in Europe, he had to do a song and dance show to prove that he was good enough.
“His Australian pro license wasn’t good enough for him to get a job there, it’s the fact he coached in the J1 League.
“Kevin Muscat goes and has a stint in Belgium and had to spend time as a technical director until he could prove to FIFA over a couple of one-on-one sessions that he actually knows what he’s talking about.
“Whether that’s snobbery or whatever that is, but the people looking at that must be looking at Ange now going, ‘How the friggin’ hell can a coach that comes from a footballing backwater be this good? And if he’s this good, is he just like an outlier or is there a s***load of these coaches?’
“That’s the absolute blessing right now.
“I think that coaches’ belief goes up, that maybe there’s an attitude shift for people around the world that they don’t go, ‘Oh, he’s got an Australian passport, what the bloody hell would they know?’”
Granted, some levels of snobbery from Europe when it comes to Australian footballers and especially managers still persist despite the recent success of Postecoglou and Arnold.
But it didn’t stop a football behemoth from setting up shop in Australia long before anyone else gave it a second thought.
Moss believes it helped pave the way for the likes of Postecoglou, Muscat and Patrick Kisnorbo to take on the world.
“I think what’s played a part is foreign investment in A-League clubs,” Moss said.
“You think of the City Football Group (CFG), they’ve got long tentacles all through world football.
“No doubt when they came into the A-League with Melbourne Heart and turned it into Melbourne City, they saw the quality that’s on show here from a playing perspective and a coaching perspective.
Moss has “no doubt” the CFG’s presence in Australia played a role in Postecoglou securing the gig with Japanese side Yokohama F. Marinos, who are one of 12 clubs under the CFG banner.
Same goes for Kisnorbo, who moved from Melbourne City to French side Troyes — also owned by CFG — in 2022 as he became the first Australian to coach a team in a top five European league.
Having already helped several Australian managers on their way to big jobs overseas, the CFG is perfectly poised to move for the next generation of coaches coming through the ranks on our shores.
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HOW ANGE AND ARNIE’S SUCCESS HAS PROVED WHAT NEXT-GEN COACH HAS ALWAYS BELIEVED
When asked just how vital it is for the next batch of coaches to see Australians doing so well on the big stage, Cole felt a phrase from the formative days of women’s football summed it up best: “You can’t be it if you can’t see it.”
For Liam Fitz-Gerald, the head coach of Sydney FC’s under-18 side as well as Endeavour Sports High, seeing the likes of Postecoglou and Arnold succeed is “inspiring” and “a tremendous example of what’s possible for Australian football.”
“It’s evidence of what I have always believed to be true, which is that the work being done here is of a very high level,” Fitz-Gerald told foxsports.com.au.
“The way he (Postecoglou) has forged a career for himself and taken on challenge after challenge with continued success is testament to his personality and quality, and we are fortunate as a footballing nation to have someone like him representing us.”
Fitz-Gerald is unlike many of the big-name coaches that make up the modern game in that he does not have a professional playing career under his belt.
Instead, the 27-year-old, who knew he wanted to be involved in football, threw himself into coaching after leaving school in 2014 and had to take a different approach to his coaching journey.
“Knowing that I wasn’t going to bring a playing background to the table, I’ve tried to make sure to learn as much about the game from other angles as possible,” Fitz-Gerald said.
“This has meant developing and using knowledge in sports science, analysis, strength and conditioning, skill acquisition and other disciplines.
“I’m not an expert in any of these fields, but I feel that being able to speak the language of different disciplines and different staff at the club (Sydney FC) is one of the things that allows me to help players maximise their potential and to deliver results in my role.”
Nine years on and Fitz-Gerald already has his UEFA and AFC A license, while he also is conducting academic research into skill acquisition as well as constraints-based coaching.
As part of his UEFA A license, Fitz-Gerald travelled over to Europe and was fortunate enough to visit a number of big clubs in between course blocks including Rangers, Hearts, Middlesbrough, Southampton and FC Copenhagen, among others.
There was also a stop at Celtic when Postecoglou was still manager.
Fitz-Gerald got to meet the Australian boss in Glasgow and even brought a special souvenir along for the occasion, but sadly didn’t get to show it off.
“I’m almost certain Ange won’t remember both occasions, but I’ve actually met him twice,” Fitz-Gerald said.
“Once when he spoke at a school function where I was coaching the 1st XI, and a second time when I was fortunate enough to observe Celtic training earlier this year.
“He was extremely warm and generous with me in conversation when we first met, and of course again in welcoming me to the training ground recently, and to this day I kept the signed football he gave me.
“It was actually in my backpack to show him in Glasgow earlier this year, but I was so conscious not to interrupt his work that I missed my chance.
“Maybe one day I’ll complete the hat-trick.”
Fitz-Gerald has continued to admire Postecoglou from afar, citing him and Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp as his main inspirations.
“I love watching their teams play,” Fitz-Gerald, a passionate Liverpool supporter himself, said.
“In particular, I love seeing how clearly their teams reflect their own personalities.”
Fitz-Gerald has enjoyed a sharp rise through the ranks in his coaching career, but conceded if he’d planned his career “step-by-step from the beginning, I doubt I’d be in the position I am now.”
Yet a somewhat dark side to coaching in Australia just highlights how impressive it has been and also demonstrates why a career as a coach isn’t as glamorous as some may perceive it to be.
“I would never say that coaches anywhere have it easy, as it takes an enormous commitment of time and energy to pursue this career,” Fitz-Gerald said.
“However, it can be particularly hard here (in Australia), and I think the lack of full-time opportunities in this country probably discourages a lot of extremely talented people who could have a fantastic impact on Australian football.”
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THE BELICHICK EFFECT OF AUSSIE DUO
With coaches facing difficulties for full-time roles in their own backyard, it again paints what Postecoglou, Arnold and the rest of the overseas crop have done in a different light.
But, most crucially, we’ve seen how those two have flung open the doors for Australian coaches to work under them.
It’s almost akin to the concept of coaching trees in the NFL.
For example, New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick has had a staggering 17 of his assistants go on to become head coaches at either the NFL or college football level.
Andy Reid, two-time Super Bowl champion as coach of the Kansas City Chiefs, has had 11 assistants go on to become head coaches elsewhere.
At various stages of Postecoglou’s managerial career, the likes of Muscat, Ante Milicic, Arthur Papas and Peter Cklamovski have gone on to enjoy head coaching roles of their own.
One would expect Harry Kewell, who Postecoglou brought to Celtic, to earn another head coaching role in the near future too.
Even at Tottenham Postecoglou has brought on another Aussie to his coaching staff, with former Socceroos captain Mile Jedinak jumping on board.
As for Arnold, he has had Moss, Steve Corica, and Ufuk Talay serve under him as an assistant throughout his lengthy coaching before moving on to become managers in their own right.
Moss himself has noticed the concept of a coaching tree emerging for the two leading Australian managers and believes their mentorship is vital to the future of coaching on our shores.
“I think it’s a really important part of being a trailblazer, not just paving your own way but enabling others and mentoring them,” Moss said.
“I think those two, who with all due respect are probably our elder statesmen of the coaching fraternity these days, play that role very, very well and we’re very thankful and grateful to them for doing that because it has a wider impact than just or own careers.”
As Postecoglou continues to earn plaudits as Tottenham boss and Arnold garners attention with each passing Socceroos game against high-quality opposition, more eyeballs will turn towards other Australian coaches.
Muscat may be the next cab off the rank to move to Europe, but best believe he will be one of many in the coming years.
And, as any of those three will tell you, it’s all about paving the way for the next generation to take over and prove to the world Australian coaches are just as good as anywhere in the world.
