ProSport Reality Experience Football Camp

Ron Smith

A junior at Tottenham Hotspur, Ron Smith emigrated to Australia to play for South Melbourne in 1974. As a coach, he revolutionised Australia’s coaching standards, creating new benchmarks, mentoring some of the country’s best coaches and players, and embracing technology as a cutting-edge tool.

As head coach of the Australian Institute of Sport for 10 years, he mentored players such as Frank Farina, Kevin Muscat, Steve Corica, Ned Zelic, Mark Viduka, Josip Skoko, John Aloisi, Craig Moore, Lucas Neill, Josip Simunic, Ante Milicic, Jean Paul DeMarigny, Steve Horvat, Hayden Foxe, Robbie Hooker  and more recently Tom Rogic, through Nike’s The Chance program.

He’s worked on staff with the Olyroos and Socceroos, including as Technical Analyst under Guus Hiddink and Pim Verbeek. He has coached at Perth Glory, Brisbane Roar, and Sabah in Malaysia, where he won the championship.

Ron knows that football never stands still, and is forever re-educating himself. In 2016 he was awarded a PhD from the University of Canberra.

Visit Ron at www.thefootballcentre.com.au

Steve “Rocky” O’Connor

After growing up in Sydney’s Bankstown district, Steve O’Connor played 290 games in the National Soccer League with Sydney City and St George, winning five championships. He made 44 Socceroo appearances, including two draws with England and the World Cup qualifying playoff against Scotland in 1985.

In 1990 Steve moved into coaching as assistant to Ron Smith at the Australian Institute of Sport, becoming head coach from 1996 to 2008. At the AIS he developed players such as Mark Viduka, Josip Skoko, Josip Simunic, Craig Moore, Kevin Muscat, Lucas Neill, John Aloisi,  Brett Emerton, Vince Grella, Mark Bresciano, Josh Kennedy, Carl Valeri, Luke Wilkshire, Nathan Burns and Mitch Langerack.

Steve has been Head Coach and Assistant for the Young Socceroos, Head Coach for the Joeys, and international scout for the successful 2005 Socceroos World Cup qualifying campaign. At Sydney FC he was Technical Director 2008/9 and Youth Coach 2009/10, winning the National Youth League and Grand Final. He has also been Technical Director for Hong Kong Football Association, and is an inductee of the Football Federation Australia Hall of Fame.

Jeff Olver

Jeff Olver’s talent and legendary work ethic was rewarded with an outstanding goalkeeping career: 15 seasons in the National Soccer League (NSL – predecessor to the A League) for Heidelberg United and Melbourne Knights, and over 50 appearances for Australia. Jeff played in a Socceroo team that heralded Australia’s coming dawn, with highlights such as the brilliant 4-1 victory over reigning world champions Argentina in 1988, and the Olympic Games Quarter-Finals that same year.

Moving into coaching from the mid-1990s, he worked with the Matildas (1996 and 1998), and in the NSL with Carlton (1997-2000) — mentoring future greats Marco Bresciano and Vince Grella — and South Melbourne (2000-2002). With FFA B and Level 2 Advanced Goalkeeping Licences, Jeff has more recently been heavily engaged in elite youth coaching in Victoria, including the Skillaroos (13-14 years) and NTC (15 years) squads. And through his goalkeeping academy he has nurtured players such as Matildas great Melissa Barbieri, while also working on Heidelberg United’s exciting run to the 2015 FFA Cup Quarter-Finals. Jeff is an inductee of the Football Federation Australia Hall of Fame.

Visit Jeff at www.footballzonecoaching.com

Josip Skoko

Josip Skoko left home in Geelong at 15 for the Australian Institute of Sport where he came under the tutelage of Ron Smith and Steve O’Connor. He moved to Hadjuk Split of Croatia, becoming captain there and at his next club KRC Genk of Belgium, winning both Cup and Championship, followed by a UEFA Champions League campaign against Roma and Real Madrid.

Josip’s international career included the 1995 World Youth Cup quarter-finals, Sydney 2000 Olympics, captaining Australia three times, victory over England in 2003, three FIFA Confederations Cups (silver medal 1997; bronze 2001), plus the famous 2005 qualifier against Uruguay. He was a squad member at the 2006 World Cup in Germany. 

2003 took Josip to Turkey’s Gençlerbirliği, then Wigan in the English Premier League with a brief loan to Stoke, before moving back to Hajduk again (winning the Croatian Cup) and finally Melbourne Heart in 2010. Reflecting on a great career under coaches such as Terry Venables and  Guus Hiddink, Josip now enjoys coaching in community football and has completed an FFA “C” Coaching Licence.

The Golden Generation

Australian Football’s achievements 1991–2011

These were the years when Australia made a name for itself in world football. While so often frustrated by narrow margins at the last stage in FIFA World Cup qualifying, the national team had some amazing results, as did the national junior teams, developing the players who ultimately qualified for 2006 and 2010. Australia also became a major exporter of football talent to the world’s top leagues, with players starring and winning trophies all over Europe.

Victories over world cup winning nations
Brazil – 1-0 (Murphy), Ulsan, South Korea, 9 June 2001, Confederations Cup
England – 3-1 (Popovic, Kewell, Emerton), London, England, 12 February 2003, International Friendly
France – 1-0 (Zane), Daegu, South Korea, 1 June 2001, Confederations Cup
Germany – 2-1 (Carney, Wilkshire), Moenchengladbach, Germany, 29 March, 2011, International Friendly
Uruguay – 1-0 (Kewell), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 19 December 1997, Confederations Cup
Uruguay – 1-0 (Muscat), Melbourne, Australia, 20 November 2001, FIFA World Cup qualifier
Uruguay – 1-0 (Bresciano), Sydney, Australia, 16 November 2005, FIFA World Cup qualifier