Newcastle Jets A-League Women’s coach Ash Wilson headlines the final batch of speakers announced to present at the 2022 Northern NSW Football Coach Conference on Sunday.
Wilson will join Newcastle Jets Academy Technical Director Gary van Egmond, Newcastle Knights NRLW Wellbeing Manager Holly Fuda and Newcastle Jets head goalkeeper coach Chris Bowling as keynote speakers at the event.
Wilson will run a practical session on football conditioning working on key principles she uses with her Jets women’s squad.
Two-time A-League premiership and championship-winning coach and Football Australia’s Chief Football Officer Ernie Merrick was announced as a keynote speaker earlier this month alongside Football NSW Technical Director Warren Grieve, Return 2 Play Director of Sports Medicine and Counselling Dr O’Neil Maharaj and NNSWF Talented Player and Coach Development Manager Ryan Doidge.
The conference has filled up quickly with only a limited number of places remaining.
Doidge said the conference was a great opportunity to upskill ahead of the 2023 season.
“Our coaching conference will be an informative day of lectures and workshops from high profile industry leaders and experts,” Doidge said.
“Attendees will walk away with player centric insights, tips and processes to implement in 2023. It’s also a great opportunity for advanced coaches to record 30 CPD points.”
Why get involved?
- Hear from industry leaders and experts on the state of coaching
- Walk away with new coaching insights, tips, methods and processes for 2023
- Network with other advanced coaches
- Participants are eligible for 30 CPD points
2022 NNSWF Coaching Conference
Date: Sunday 4 December 2022
Time: 9am to 3.30pm
Location: Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility (Jets seminar room)
Cost: $100 per person
Who: Open to all coaches, with individuals holding a current advanced licence receiving 30 CPD points
NNSWF Coaching Conference speakers
Ash Wilson, A-League Women’s Head Coach, Newcastle Jets
Ash Wilson has just started her third season as head coach of the Newcastle Jets’ women’s team, her eighth with the club overall.
Ash is a born educator, also working as a head PD/H/PE teacher at Hunter Sports High School.
Wilson will be fresh from coaching her Jets side in their A-League Women round three match against Perth Glory at No.2 Sportsground on Saturday.
Gary van Egmond, Academy Technical Director, Newcastle Jets
Gary van Egmond won the 2008 A-League Men’s championship as coach of the Newcastle Jets.
As a player, the former Socceroo made his Australia debut at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, going on to make 15 appearances for the national team.
He also made 134 appearances for Marconi across two stints at the club, winning the NSL championship with the Stallions. Van Egmond also played with Wollongong Wolves, Bonnyrigg and Blacktown City.
Van Egmond has built up extensive experience throughout his career as a coach, holding coaching roles with the Matildas as well as Australia’s male under-20s and 23s teams and the Australian Institute of Sport.
Holly Fuda, NRLW Wellbeing Manager, Newcastle Knights
Holly Fuda joined the Newcastle Knights as their NRLW Wellbeing Manager in July last year.
Fuda helped the Knights win its maiden NRLW premiership this year in just the club’s second season.
She has previously worked with the NSW Rugby League as its Wellbeing and Education Manager as well as a Club Support Officer.
Fuda also spent six years at the NRL as a Lead Game Development Officer and as a Development Officer with Melbourne Storm.
Chris Bowling, Head Goalkeeper Coach, Newcastle Jets
Chris Bowling has been the Newcastle Jets goalkeeper coach since 2017.
He has also held roles as a video analyst with the Matildas and was previously the head goalkeeper coach for the Emerging Jets and Newcastle Jets W-League squads.
Ernie Merrick
Ernie Merrick is a two-time A-League Premiership and Championship winning coach with Melbourne Victory, now working with Football Australia’s as its Chief Football Officer.
He has an extensive background in player development and elite football coaching domestically with Newcastle Jets, Melbourne Victory and Wellington Phoenix and internationally with the Hong Kong national team.
As Chief Football Officer, Merrick plays an integral role in advancing many of the key objectives expressed in Football Australia’s XI Principles as they seek to disrupt Australian football’s technical vision and direction.
Warren Grieve, Technical Director, Football NSW
Warren Grieve is Football NSW’s Technical Director, his role is to improve the up and coming talent of both players, coaches, and support staff, providing a challenging and rewarding environment for all to develop.
Warren has spent the last 14 years in Australia and held the role of Technical Director for Capital Football. He holds his AFC/FA Pro Diploma and is an active Advanced Coach Developer for the FA C, B and A licence.
Dr O’Neil Maharaj, Director of Sports Medicine and Counselling, Return 2 Play
Dr O'Neil Maharaj from Return 2 Play Medical is an ACA accredited counsellor, ACA counselling supervisor, Sports Doctor and university educator. He is an Associate Lecturer at the University of Newcastle.
His approach to sports medicine is to 'walk beside you'. Dr Maharaj is eager to find out who his patients are beyond their injuries. This ensures they receive appropriate instruction and have an individual recovery plan.
Ryan Doidge, Talented Player and Coach Development Manager, Northern NSW Football
Ryan Doidge is Northern NSW Football’s Talented Player and Coach Development Manager; his role is to oversee the talented player pathway and all coach education across northern NSW.
Since commencing his role in July 2022, Ryan has played a part in managing our players on the talented player pathway at National Youth Championships and at the SingaCup in Singapore. He has also provided opportunities to over 90 coaches to start their advanced coaching journey and to nearly 50 coaches to complete their outstanding advanced assessments.
Through previous roles with New York Red Bulls, Western Sydney Wanderers, North Shore Mariners, Northbridge Bulls and Dee Why FC, Ryan has built a wealth of experience in improving opportunities for players and coaches.
Ryan is accredited by Asian Football Confederation and Football Australia to deliver B and C advance coach accreditation courses and has earned an AFC A coaching licence.
