The Socceroos’ exit from the World Cup has prompted another tournament post-mortem, with fans, pundits and administrators examining what went wrong and how to respond. The day after Australia’s penalty shootout loss to Egypt, Football Australia’s executive director Heather Garriock and new CEO Martin Kugeler addressed the media about the sport’s future.
Garriock said Australia lacks a long-term vision for the game and that developing one is part of her remit as executive director. She told reporters the plan will come from the board and be implemented by the football department, and that a national football strategy is a key priority.
Describing an Australian way of playing, Garriock cited the country’s traditional physical nature and a ‘never say die’ mentality, while saying that the national approach must also include a defensive mindset alongside creativity, adaptability, flexibility and versatility.
Those calls for a unifying strategy sit alongside existing frameworks. The National Football Curriculum, written in 2017 by former national technical director Han Berger, is subtitled “The Roadmap to International Success” and sets out a vision, scope, playing and coaching philosophies and building blocks intended to underpin pathways to the national teams.
Berger’s Curriculum defines Australia’s preferred style as a proactive brand of football based on effective possession with a cutting edge provided by creative individuals. Defensively, it emphasises quick transition and intelligent collective pressing, supported by a strong team mentality that capitalises on Australia’s traditional strengths.
The Curriculum further breaks that approach into practical priorities: dominate and control through possession; move players into goalscoring positions in a structured way; break down compact defences via individual skill and combination play; strive to possess the ball; and win it back through rapid transition and collective pressing. It also calls for domestic structures aligned to that vision, including minimum standards for state-based competitions such as the National Premier Leagues, for example requiring clubs to field teams in all age groups from first grade to under-12s.
