Football Australia axes Ernie Merrick’s report on national playing style following his departure

Other sources allege Merrick did not engage in sufficient consultation with stakeholders and that some of his projects were pursued without building necessary consensus.

Contacted on Tuesday, Merrick declined to comment.

A spokesperson for Football Australia confirmed that Merrick was no longer in the role and thanked him for his contribution to the game.

“However, following an internal review of our technical leadership and consultation frameworks, it is clear that Football Australia’s (FA) technical development department requires a collaborative and modern approach – one that is built with and for our coaching community and technical staff, inclusive of national team programmes and Member Federations,” the spokesperson said.

Merrick’s axing leaves FA yet again with a part-time technical boss, with national youth coach Trevor Morgan named on the federation’s website as the acting football technical lead – responsibilities he will need to juggle as he guides the Young Socceroos to the FIFA U-20 World Cup next month in Chile.

Members of FA’s football development committee hold concerns about the continued chopping and changing of Australia’s technical direction over a number of years, according to sources, at a time when rival nations across Asia remain wedded to their own plans while ploughing millions into grassroots programs.

The version of Forward Press 2032 which has been seen by this masthead takes the form of a presentation deck, outlining what it describes as a long-term plan for “sustainable success on the world stage”, and an Australian playing style that was “forthright and skilled … adventurous and intelligent … ruthless and accountable”.

It set out detailed tactical principles, behavioural cues and coaching methodologies designed to align Australia’s grassroots with its elite pathways and to future-proof development of Socceroos and Matildas for years to come.

Merrick’s other signature reform, the state-based academy programs, which have been piloted in several states, are expected to be discontinued after they “upset” some A-League clubs, according to sources.

It remains to be seen how much Merrick’s work will be built upon or whether FA will pursue a totally different philosophical approach, with a broad audit of Australia’s technical ecosystem ongoing, the findings of which are to be revealed by the end of September.

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FA’s executive clean-out and philosophical pivot had been foreshadowed at the federation’s annual general meeting by chairman Anter Isaac and interim chief executive Heather Garriock, a former board member who stepped in to take the reins after Johnson’s resignation. At the AGM, Isaac said he was “not satisfied” with the organisation’s financial performance – having posted a record $8.5 million loss – and that FA was becoming an “extension of its stakeholders”, which would be “very different” from how it had operated in the past. Garriock said a “right-sizing” of FA’s employee base, which swelled under Johnson, would follow.

Garriock is widely seen as the favourite to become FA’s new full-time chief executive officer, with Switzerland-based executive search firm Egon Zehnder appointed to lead a global search for candidates.

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