International Football Coaching Conference Australia (IFCCA) has today announced Professional Footballers Australia (PFA) Chief Executive John Didulica and National Manager, Player Development Beau Busch as keynote speakers at the conference.
Didulica and Busch join Sydney FC Academy Director Kelly Cross and Caltex Socceroos Head Coach Graham Arnold, among others, as keynote speakers at RACV Royal Pines Resort, Gold Coast on Saturday 25 and Sunday 26 May.
The pair will present a joint keynote presentation at the conference on the topic “Culture Amplifies Talent: A Case Study of Australia’s Golden Generation.”
A former professional footballer in the National Soccer League (NSL) with Sydney United and Melbourne Knights, Didulica combined playing with his legal studies and in 2002 was appointed as General Counsel to the PFA.
Didulica joined Football Federation Australia (FFA) in 2008 as Legal Counsel, focusing on the sport’s legal framework and covering all local, international and professional aspects of the game, before being appointed to the role of Director of Football and Legal Counsel at Melbourne Heart (now Melbourne City) where he worked closely with athletes, coaches and human performance staff.
Since 2016, Didulica has served as the Chief Executive of PFA, the peak body representing the professional interests of Australia’s footballers including the Caltex Socceroos, Westfield Matildas, Hyundai A-League and Westfield W-League players.
Didulica will be joined by fellow PFA representative Beau Busch to present a joint keynote presentation at the conference, with the pair also set to discuss policy recommendations for the national approach to developing talent.
Busch joined PFA in 2014 after hanging up the boots following a professional playing career in the Hyundai A-League and the United Kingdom.
Appointed the National Manager, Player Development in 2017, Busch oversees the Player Development Program at PFA, including the wellbeing, education and transition programs and services for the Hyundai A-League, Westfield W-League and senior national teams.
“I am delighted to be part of the conference,” Busch said.
“I’m a firm believer that coaches have a critical role to play in ensuring the holistic development of our players so they can thrive on and off the pitch.”
IFCCA is Australia’s first national football-specific coaching conference in nine years and will bring together experienced football professionals from around the world to share knowledge with coaches of all levels.