Goran Stajic will be a key figure as Inglewood United strives to establish itself as a major player on the local football stage. As Technical Director, Stajic is responsible for the development of players, coaches and managers of the National Premier Leagues teams, from under-12s all the way through to under-20s. “It is a seven day a week role,” commented Stajic, who has worked tirelessly since joining Inglewood last year. “We have started to rebuild the club culture through the ‘We Are Inglewood’ motto and have already seen an increase in our player numbers, which are 100 up on last year.”
There are many facets to the Technical Director role, as Stajic explained. “It includes aiding the development of players and coaches via FFA’s National Curriculum; providing technical and tactical guidance to players and coaches; advising coaches as to their training sessions and management of competition games; making recommendations on the appointment of coaches; advising how coaching skills and knowledge can be improved across the club; assisting in the development of a Coaching Education Program; assisting volunteer coaches with attaining appropriate accreditation; and promoting the importance of teams adopting a ‘club style of play’.”
With such a busy schedule, Stajic is understandably delighted to have on call a knowledgeable coaching team. “All our coaches are experienced and passionate about the big picture,” commented Stajic, before singling a few out of special mention. “Rodney Njirich (junior coordinator), Richard Changadzo (under-12s to under-20s), John Papadopoulos (under-14s), Dimitri Phylactou (under-16s) and Andrija Petrovic (under-18s) have the knowledge, enthusiasm and level of professionalism that a club like Inglewood deserves. Norrie Sutton (reserves) is synonymous with the Inglewood club, he’s a club champion, and Graham Normanton (first team) has a record that speaks for itself … all of these guys have helped me immensely in getting the club to where it is currently.”
The root to any clubs’ success is a strong junior set-up, something Inglewood has always boasted. Unfortunately, many of the clubs homegrown talents have traditionally move to rival clubs for their senior football. Stajic is confident that drain will be stemmed by a number of exciting initiatives. “We have a three-year plan to develop players and also recreate the community club that Inglewood was founded upon,” he said. “We are developing our own football academy with the aim of commissioning it in 2015, and this year we introduced a tour of Spain which presented our talented players aged eighteen and under the opportunity to live the life of a professional footballer.”
The ultimate goal is for Inglewood to stand out from the National Premier Leagues pack. “Inglewood will be a club that offers their players the best facilities, coaches, equipment and professional football experiences,” said Stajic. “In the long run I want the club to be leading the NPL in player and coach development. In the past we have had players selected for the State, National Training Centre and Perth Glory teams and if we can help develop a Socceroo within the ten-years then that will be a bonus. With the support we have on and off the field, Inglewood will become the first choice club for a family to register their children and support.”
There is no doubt many hours of hard work has gone into planning a successful future for Inglewood. And Stajic feels it will be a few more years yet before the clubs’ plans reach fruition. “If I can use a painting artist analogy, we inherited a blank piece of canvass,” he explained. “The Executive Committee initially outlined a sketch in black and white and I, along with many other great people of the club, are starting to add colour – the main ones being yellow and blue – to the canvas. Everyone is excited and passionate about the masterpiece which is slowly going to be revealed over the next few years.”
28.05.14
