He is the longest-serving manager in A-Leagues history and a two-time champion. Now, Ernie Merrick will oversee the transformation of Australia’s technical direction and football development.
Former Melbourne Victory, Wellington Phoenix and Newcastle Jets head coach Merrick has been appointed Football Australia’s inaugural chief football officer.
Reporting directly to FA chief executive James Johnson, Merrick – a two-time A-League Men Coach of the Year – is tasked with resetting Australia’s football agenda.
The 69-year-old will also have an input into the direction of national team programmes from junior age groups through to the Socceroos and Matildas at senior level.
“Australia as a nation is punching above its weight in world football,” Merrick said.
“The Socceroos have qualified five times consecutively for the FIFA World Cup, the CommBank Matildas are ranked 12 in the world, and there’s a FIFA Women’s World Cup on home soil to look forward to in under a year. However, we must continue to be ambitious and further develop, grow, innovate, and drive positive change.
“My challenge as Chief Football Officer is to assist in raising participation numbers and improve elite youth development and high-performance programs for both boys and girls. To increase the production of world class Australian players we need to review our football curriculum and development programs to benchmark ourselves against top-ranking nations.
“Training alone is not enough to develop elite performers and prepare them for Australia’s National Teams. As such, we will be placing further focus on working with our Member Federations and A-Leagues clubs to assist the growth of our best talent.
“And we must invest in Coach Education. Coaching programs need to embrace modern learning methodologies, demonstrate strategic options, and aim to develop technical skills within the match context. Improving game knowledge and awareness is crucial – sessions must encourage game scenario decision-making opportunities.”
FA cited the advancement of fellow Asian nations and a desire to return to being a global leader in developing world-class players as reasons for a reset under Merrick.
“The Australian football ecosystem is unique in that we have to overcome many challenges not seen by other Football Associations around the world,” Johnson said.
“The global football ecosystem also continues to evolve, and we have seen just how competitive our direct competitors throughout Asia have become. It is essential that we take the next step in our journey as a football nation.
“Our task is to create a bespoke and fit-for-purpose development ecosystem which addresses these challenges through building upon global best practice and innovative thinking.
“Since 2020, this new Football Australia administration has taken numerous steps to lay the foundation for football transformation to address the deep-rooted and complex player development challenges which have manifested over the past decade or so.
“Ernie’s appointment is another key piece of this journey as we set about disrupting our technical direction and setting new strategies to become a genuine global leader in player development.”
