Who We Are

Nunawading City FC (NCFC) is a not for profit incorporated association, established in 1971 and based in the suburb of Forest Hill in the East of Melbourne.

Forest Hill is an easy 30 minute drive from Melbourne CBD via the Eastern Freeway, the Monash Freeway/CityLink or via Burwood Highway.

NCFC has proudly positioned itself as a pioneer and leader of player development with a mission to become Australia’s “Centre of Excellence” for individual player development.

Our successful Football Program and core values provide the cornerstone of who and what we are with an unwavering commitment to the skills development of each individual player.

Our core values are Respect, Leadership and Teamwork.  They define everything we do both “on and off” the field and we proudly display these values around our main pitch.

NCFC fields junior teams from U12’s to U18’s, an U20’s team and a senior team in the Football Federation Victoria (FFV) conducted NPL Competitions with a continued focus on individual player development and community engagement.

We continue to grow and improve for the following reasons:

  • Well established philosophy and totally aligned structured development programs across the various age groups;
  • Strong alliances with local council for the use of both shared and dedicated grounds and facilities;
  • Talented coaches and personnel to develop the skills of the players;
  • Proven player attractiveness both locally and internationally; and
  • Unified Executive Management team and financially sound operations.

Player Development

Our ethos is simple, to truly be a development centred club and mentor our young players to play ‘good technical’ football within the spirit and laws of the game.

Our players are educated to ‘love’ the game first and foremost. Every player is developed equally and our playing style is possession-based to maximise individual development.

Development of the ‘player’ and ‘person’ is our primary objective, which is supported by our core values of Respect, Leadership and Teamwork.

Our Technical Director of Coaching, Greg Mangonis, and our team of coaches all ensure our values are adhered to by everyone – Players, Parents, & Club Officials.  These are our non-negotiables within Nunawading City FC.

We are not driven by being the biggest or ‘winning at all costs mentality’ but of striving to be the best we can be whilst giving back to the community.

Management Committee

Sponsorship & Marketing Tony Antonopoulos
Secretary Rob Saitlik

Football Operations Nick Dimitrakis

Technical Director Greg Mangonis

Strategic Advisor Jim Papageorgiou

Planning & Governance

International Advisor Steve Brimmer

Skills Acquisition Program

What is SAP?

A key aspect of the Football Federation Australia National Curriculum is the implementation of a Skill Acquisition Program (SAP) to perfect and accelerate the skill development of identified players at the critical ages of 9 to 13. This is the age group universally acknowledged to be the optimal mental and physical phase in which children are able to learn motor skills.

The program is conducted over three, six-week blocks throughout the regular season with a Gala Day at the end of each block. Breaks will be taken after each Gala Day and for school holidays (unless stipulated by the SAP licensee). Training will take place twice a week and takes priority over club training. In total players will participate in exactly 36 sessions and three Gala Days.

Aim

To provide the necessary technical ‘tools’ to players in order to help them be able to play the game at the highest possible level with a focus on functional game skills.

Focus

The Skill Acquisition Program focuses on the development of the four core skills:

Striking the ball
First Touch
1v1
Running with the ball
An absolute requirement is placed on an immediate skills transfer into positioning and small-sided games. It is based on world’s best practice and has been developed by internationally acclaimed technical coaches and the FFA technical department.

The most critical aspect of SAP is the training environment and youth training plan provided to the licensee by the local Skill Acquisition Program Head Coach, implemented appropriately by trained instructors. Licensees focus on a specific core skill in training, with Gala Days and club matches providing players the opportunity to test these skills in a competitive environment. It is important to recognise that the match in isolation should not be the focus of the licensee, coach or parent.

Perception SAP is an elite program

SAP was developed to provide the best learning environment to a large group of players in order to prepare them for the technical and tactical challenges of PlayStation 4 National Premier Leagues (NPL) football that may feed into Talented Player Programs. SAP is therefore open to all players within the eligible age range each year.

More information (FFV FAQ’s)