Ernie Merrick named as Australia's inaugural Chief Football Officer

Football Australia has today named two-time A-League Premiership and Championship winning coach Ernie Merrick as the organisation’s inaugural Chief Football Officer.

Reporting directly to Football Australia Chief Executive James Johnson as a member of Football Australia’s Executive Leadership Team, Merrick will have a broad remit at the organisation as he oversees the transformation of Australia’s technical direction and football development.

Merrick’s appointment is part of a structural reform being undertaken by Football Australia as part of its XI Principles initiative, which, among other milestones, has included the unbundling of the Professional Leagues, the establishment of a coordinated Domestic Match Calendar (DMC) which has laid the platform for the implementation of a modern and progressive transfer system, and the implementation of a national Club Licensing Framework.

As Chief Football Officer, Merrick - who has an extensive background in both player development and elite football coaching and was recently appointed as an Ambassador for Football Coaches Australia (FCA) - will play an integral role in advancing many of the key objectives expressed in the XI Principles as Football Australia seeks to disrupt Australian football’s technical vision and direction.

The role will also closely interface with Football Australia’s Performance Director and National Team coaches to coordinate a systemic football development continuum and pathways from beginner to elite high-performance.

Merrick, a two-time A-League Coach of the Year, said he’s looking forward to taking on a new role in the game - one that will enable him to embed his years of Australian and international football experience and expertise into the sport’s development and elite pathways.

He advised “Australia as a nation is punching above its weight in world football.

“The Socceroos have qualified five times consecutively for the FIFA World Cup™, the CommBank Matildas are ranked 12th 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,” he said.

Merrick will commence in his new role on Monday 8th August.

Image: Football Australia Chief Executive James Johnson with Ernie Merrick.