{"id":183781,"date":"2026-04-03T04:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-02T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/surfcoasttimes\/?p=183781"},"modified":"2026-04-01T17:24:04","modified_gmt":"2026-04-01T06:24:04","slug":"the-search-for-australias-football-identity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/surfcoasttimes\/sport\/the-search-for-australias-football-identity\/","title":{"rendered":"The search for Australia’s football identity"},"content":{"rendered":"

WATCHING the Matildas fall agonisingly short in the final of the Asian Cup was a proud moment, but one filled equally with admiration and a sense of \u201cwhat if?\u201d against a technically outstanding Japanese side.<\/strong><\/p>\n

What struck me most in the aftermath wasn\u2019t just the result, but the reflections of Australia\u2019s head coach, Joe Montemurro, and his candid assessment of the difference between the two nations.<\/p>\n

Montemurro spoke of identity, something Japan has clearly defined, and Australia is searching for.<\/p>\n

“We’ve got to decide who we are, what we want to be, and where we want to be in 10, 15 years time, and stick to it. We’ve got to believe in an identity of who we want to be and where we want to go, and it has to start at youth levels,” Montemurro said.<\/p>\n

Montemurro highlighted the Japanese system yielded results through consistency.<\/p>\n

“They make tough decisions at young ages, and they stick to the program. They stick to their development processes,” he said.<\/p>\n

“There’s a way of going about it. We, unfortunately, are different in the way we go about things. For me, it’s consistency in programs.\u201d<\/p>\n

During my time at Melbourne Victory FC, I was fortunate to complete my AFC coaching badges under Montemurro. Even then, it was clear he possessed not only an outstanding football brain, but a genuine passion for youth development.<\/p>\n

Since I established the Coerver Coaching Geelong programs locally, that same passion has only grown. Hearing someone of Montemurro\u2019s calibre emphasise the importance of identity and youth development only reinforces my beliefs and the need to continue pushing for better outcomes for young players.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Hayley Raso (right) consoles Winonah Heatley following the Matildas’ loss in the Women’s Asian Cup final against Japan. Photo: Dan Himbrechts\/AAP.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

Japan offers a clear blueprint. With more than 150 Coerver Coaching schools nationwide, the program has become deeply embedded within the country\u2019s grassroots football landscape. Technical development isn\u2019t an add-on; it\u2019s embedded within the football culture.<\/p>\n

Japanese players are comfortable in tight spaces, composed under pressure, and confident in possession. These are not traits developed overnight, they are built through years of structured, deliberate practice namely through the globally recognised Coerver Coaching curriculum.<\/p>\n

For Australia, the Matildas\u2019 strong showing at the Asian Cup signals continued progress, but also provides a moment of reflection. There is growing recognition that technical development must become a greater priority. It\u2019s where my passion now lies and something I wish I had more access to as a young player.<\/p>\n

Both nations possess increasing participation numbers, particularly in the women\u2019s game. However, Japan\u2019s edge has come from its unwavering commitment to a clear development identity, one that values skill, creativity, and confidence on the ball above all else.<\/p>\n

As the Matildas continue their upward trajectory, the opportunity lies in blending Australia\u2019s physicality and competitive mindset with a deeper technical foundation. The success of Japan, shaped in part by the influence of Coerver Coaching, provides a proven model.<\/p>\n

See you on the pitch,<\/p>\n

Coach Ado<\/em><\/p>\n

\/\/SPONSORED CONTENT<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

WATCHING the Matildas fall agonisingly short in the final of the Asian Cup was a proud moment, but one filled equally with admiration and a sense of \u201cwhat if?\u201d against a technically outstanding Japanese side. What struck me most in the aftermath wasn\u2019t just the result, but the reflections of Australia\u2019s head coach, Joe Montemurro, […]<\/p>\n

Read More…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":156,"featured_media":183785,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-183781","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sport"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe search for Australia's football identity - Surf Coast Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Discover why youth football development is vital for Australia\u2019s identity. Coach Ado explores lessons from Japan\u2019s technical success.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/surfcoasttimes\/sport\/the-search-for-australias-football-identity\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The search for Australia's football identity - Surf Coast Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Discover why youth football development is vital for Australia\u2019s identity. Coach Ado explores lessons from Japan\u2019s technical success.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/surfcoasttimes\/sport\/the-search-for-australias-football-identity\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Surf Coast Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-04-02T17:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\/prod\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/SB-7.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"630\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Times News Group\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Times News Group\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/surfcoasttimes\\\/sport\\\/the-search-for-australias-football-identity\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/surfcoasttimes\\\/sport\\\/the-search-for-australias-football-identity\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Times News Group\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/surfcoasttimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/c458b1ff60365992982bb7683264fe4b\"},\"headline\":\"The search for Australia’s football identity\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-02T17:00:00+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/surfcoasttimes\\\/sport\\\/the-search-for-australias-football-identity\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":531,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/surfcoasttimes\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/surfcoasttimes\\\/sport\\\/the-search-for-australias-football-identity\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/prod\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/SB-7.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Sport\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/surfcoasttimes\\\/sport\\\/the-search-for-australias-football-identity\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/surfcoasttimes\\\/sport\\\/the-search-for-australias-football-identity\\\/\",\"name\":\"The search for Australia's football identity - Surf Coast Times\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/surfcoasttimes\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/surfcoasttimes\\\/sport\\\/the-search-for-australias-football-identity\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/surfcoasttimes\\\/sport\\\/the-search-for-australias-football-identity\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/prod\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/SB-7.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-02T17:00:00+00:00\",\"description\":\"Discover why youth football development is vital for Australia\u2019s identity. Coach Ado explores lessons from Japan\u2019s technical success.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/surfcoasttimes\\\/sport\\\/the-search-for-australias-football-identity\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/surfcoasttimes\\\/sport\\\/the-search-for-australias-football-identity\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/surfcoasttimes\\\/sport\\\/the-search-for-australias-football-identity\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/prod\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/SB-7.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/prod\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/SB-7.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":630,\"caption\":\"Matildas head coach Joe Montemurro has always had a genuine passion for youth development. Photo: Matthew Starling\\\/SPP\\\/Sipa USA.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/surfcoasttimes\\\/sport\\\/the-search-for-australias-football-identity\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/surfcoasttimes\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The search for Australia’s football identity\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/surfcoasttimes\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/surfcoasttimes\\\/\",\"name\":\"Surf Coast Times\",\"description\":\"Free local news\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/surfcoasttimes\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/surfcoasttimes\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/surfcoasttimes\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Surf Coast Times\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/surfcoasttimes\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/surfcoasttimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/prod\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2019\\\/08\\\/cropped-logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/prod\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2019\\\/08\\\/cropped-logo.png\",\"width\":350,\"height\":38,\"caption\":\"Surf Coast Times\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/surfcoasttimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/surfcoasttimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/c458b1ff60365992982bb7683264fe4b\",\"name\":\"Times News Group\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/surfcoasttimes\\\/author\\\/timesnewsgroup\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The search for Australia's football identity - Surf Coast Times","description":"Discover why youth football development is vital for Australia\u2019s identity. Coach Ado explores lessons from Japan\u2019s technical success.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/surfcoasttimes\/sport\/the-search-for-australias-football-identity\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The search for Australia's football identity - Surf Coast Times","og_description":"Discover why youth football development is vital for Australia\u2019s identity. Coach Ado explores lessons from Japan\u2019s technical success.","og_url":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/surfcoasttimes\/sport\/the-search-for-australias-football-identity\/","og_site_name":"Surf Coast Times","article_published_time":"2026-04-02T17:00:00+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":630,"url":"https:\/\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\/prod\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/SB-7.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Times News Group","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Times News Group","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/surfcoasttimes\/sport\/the-search-for-australias-football-identity\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/surfcoasttimes\/sport\/the-search-for-australias-football-identity\/"},"author":{"name":"Times News Group","@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/surfcoasttimes\/#\/schema\/person\/c458b1ff60365992982bb7683264fe4b"},"headline":"The search for Australia’s football identity","datePublished":"2026-04-02T17:00:00+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/surfcoasttimes\/sport\/the-search-for-australias-football-identity\/"},"wordCount":531,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/surfcoasttimes\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/surfcoasttimes\/sport\/the-search-for-australias-football-identity\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\/prod\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/SB-7.jpg","articleSection":["Sport"],"inLanguage":"en-AU"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/surfcoasttimes\/sport\/the-search-for-australias-football-identity\/","url":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/surfcoasttimes\/sport\/the-search-for-australias-football-identity\/","name":"The search for Australia's football identity - Surf Coast Times","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/surfcoasttimes\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/surfcoasttimes\/sport\/the-search-for-australias-football-identity\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/surfcoasttimes\/sport\/the-search-for-australias-football-identity\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\/prod\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/SB-7.jpg","datePublished":"2026-04-02T17:00:00+00:00","description":"Discover why youth football development is vital for Australia\u2019s identity. Coach Ado explores lessons from Japan\u2019s technical success.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/surfcoasttimes\/sport\/the-search-for-australias-football-identity\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-AU","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/surfcoasttimes\/sport\/the-search-for-australias-football-identity\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/surfcoasttimes\/sport\/the-search-for-australias-football-identity\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\/prod\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/SB-7.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\/prod\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/SB-7.jpg","width":1200,"height":630,"caption":"Matildas head coach Joe Montemurro has always had a genuine passion for youth development. Photo: Matthew Starling\/SPP\/Sipa USA."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/surfcoasttimes\/sport\/the-search-for-australias-football-identity\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/surfcoasttimes\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The search for Australia’s football identity"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/surfcoasttimes\/#website","url":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/surfcoasttimes\/","name":"Surf Coast Times","description":"Free local news","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/surfcoasttimes\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/surfcoasttimes\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-AU"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/surfcoasttimes\/#organization","name":"Surf Coast Times","url":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/surfcoasttimes\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/surfcoasttimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\/prod\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/08\/cropped-logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\/prod\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/08\/cropped-logo.png","width":350,"height":38,"caption":"Surf Coast Times"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/surfcoasttimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/surfcoasttimes\/#\/schema\/person\/c458b1ff60365992982bb7683264fe4b","name":"Times News Group","url":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/surfcoasttimes\/author\/timesnewsgroup\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/surfcoasttimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/183781","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/surfcoasttimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/surfcoasttimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/surfcoasttimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/156"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/surfcoasttimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=183781"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/surfcoasttimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/183781\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/surfcoasttimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/183785"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/surfcoasttimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=183781"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/surfcoasttimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=183781"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/surfcoasttimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=183781"},{"taxonomy":"post_folder","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/surfcoasttimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_folder?post=183781"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}