The 2022 Football Victoria Coaching Conference is less than two weeks away - meet some of the guest speakers who will be presenting throughout the week.
The event is tailored for advanced coaches and will feature an in-person event at La Trobe University (Bundoora Campus) followed by a week of online workshops, spanning from Monday, December 12 to Friday, December 16.
Coaches attending the full week will earn 50 CPD Points, while those attending only the online workshops will earn 25 CPD Points.
TICKETS
Don't miss out! Tickets are still available for purchase.
In Person & Online Package - $200
Online Workshops Only Package - $100
GUEST PRESENTERS
JESSE DERCKSEN, Lead Performance Behaviour | PSV Eindhoven
Dercksen is responsible for leading the mental performance of players and coaches within PSV Eindhoven's famous academy. He is entering his fifth year with the Club and will bring a wealth of knowledge to Victorian coaches on performance optimisation.
SHARNA NAIDU, Matildas Assistant Analyst | Football Victoria
Naidu boasts an extensive resume within Victorian football and is fast becoming a rising star on the national level. A specialist in sports analytics, Naidu has most recently worked as Technical Coordinator for Football Victoria and an Assistant Analyst for the Matildas. Earlier this year, she was one of three Australians selected by FIFA for its Coach Education Scholarship Programme.
ALBERT VAN DER SLEEN, Head of Goalkeeper Academy | PSV Eindhoven
Van der Sleen is a former professional goalkeeper who made almost 400 professional senior appearances for PSV Eindhoven and NEC Nijmegen.
Since transitioning from a player to a coach, he has worked as Head Goalkeeper Coach at Heerenveen, NAC Breda, FC Eindhoven and Jong PSV. He is currently head of goalkeeping for PSV youth.
ERNIE MERRICK, Chief Football Officer| Football Australia
A stalwart of Australian football, Ernie Merrick has a rich coaching career spanning four decades. Born in Scotland, Merrick played for Frankston City and Doveton before going on to coach at a host of Victorian Clubs. Merrick joined the VIS in 1992, a role he held until 2004 before embarking on a highly successful reign at Melbourne Victory between 2005-2011. He went on to enjoy success in Hong Kong, Wellington Pheonix and Newcastle, before joining Football Australia as Chief Football Officer.
TOR-ARNE FREDHEIM, Women's Head Coach | IFK Norrkoping
A former professional footballer, Tor-Arne spent eight years with IFK Norrkoping as a player, winning the Swedish championship in 1989. He began his coaching career in 1995 with Aby IF before moving back to IFK Norrkoping, first as an assistant and then Head Coach in 2001. Tor-Arne went on to build a successful career as a coach across Sweden's top three tiers. In 2022, he has returned to IFK Norrkoping's as Head Coach of the Women's team where he has led them to a successful push for promotion and return to Sweden's top division.
DENNIS POPPERYD, Sporting Director | Vaxjo DFF
Popperyd has forged an impressive resume in football, beginning in 2009 as a Talent ID Scout for AIK Stockholm in Sweden's topflight. After working in player development, he joined Vaxjo DFF in 2019 and was appointed the Sporting Director in 2021.
He has played an instrumental role in squad assembly and player development at the Club, which under his guidance, has been promoted back to the top tier of Swedish football.
JANET DRAKOS, National Female Wellbeing Manager | Football Australia
Drakos has considerable experience within the sports industry, having worked as High Performance Manager for Netball Australia for 12 years. Since joining Football Australia as National Female Wellbeing Manager in 2021, her role includes supporting the Matildas in wellbeing and high performance.
CHRIS YENA, #9 The Goal Getter
A professional football coach with over 25 years of coaching experience, Chris Yena has extensive experience within Victoria and overseas with Clubs such as Box Hill United, Bentleigh Greens, SMU University (Dallas) and the Victorian State Squads.
KEVIN GRIMA, Technical Director | Liverpool FC International Academy Australia
Grima has a decade of football coaching experience, predominately focused on youth development. From 2017-2021 he served as Football Australia's Boys Youth Development Manager and in 2021, was appointed as Technical Director for Liverpool FC's International Academy Australia.
His formal qualifications include an AFC A License, Master of Education and Bachelor of Health and Physical Education.