The club would like to advise members and supporters that our Academy Technical Director Nacho Ferrer will be leaving his position at Brisbane Strikers due to relocating to Melbourne for family reasons. Nacho has been an integral member of the club since he first joined in 2019 and will be sorely missed by everyone at Strikers. Nacho will continue to serve as a consultant to the club with long time academy coach Darryl Cash set to take over the Academy Technical Director role. The club would like to wish Nacho all the best with his next chapter and thank him for his significant contributions. Nacho has prepared the following statement to club members and supporters.
To the Strikers family and Queensland football community:
Due to family reasons, on 31 January 2023 I will be leaving Queensland, to relocate in Melbourne, which means that on such date I will cease to work as the Brisbane Strikers Academy Technical Director.
This is a moment I really thought would never come this early, for when I joined the Brisbane Strikers Academy in 2019, I was determined to build a long-term project, but seems that life cannot be planned to such extent and I am now happy and excited to open a new chapter in Australia.
It has been four amazing and rewarding years in Brisbane, full of hard work and dedication, in which I have shared personal and professional development and growth with players and coaches.
As main highlights, I would definitely pick those dated in the last few months, for they are the outcome of our work over the past years: Dom, Seth, Oscar, Asim and Cooper in our first team structure; our recent trip to Spain with our Youth Squad, versing Real Madrid, Atlético or Rayo… and also the match v China U17 at Perry Park, showing in all these games our football DNI and a high competitive level; Asim being selected for the camp with the Joeys in September; my personal nomination as best TD in Queensland in 2022; and finally, the Brisbane Strikers being ranked by FQ as the best Academy in Queensland in 2022.
I would like to thank those who believed in me in the first place and brought me to Australia from Spain: Bruce Atterton-Evans, Russell Hicks, Bruce Dinsdale and David Large. And of course, the current Brisbane Strikers Board -Salvo, Julianna and Dino- for their support in 2022 and for their understanding in this personal move. Thank you Queensland too, a beautiful part of the world where I have been extremely happy and where I met some awesome football people.
The future of the Academy is in good hands. Along with our Football Director Salvatore Sottile, in 2022 we worked hard to set up a structure in which, towards 2023, I would delegate a number of my former responsibilities, a smart move which comes now very handy:
Our formerly called SAP (U9-U13) is already managed from a technical perspective by Luca Braico, Davide dalla Pozza and Nzube Okafor.
As for the rest of the teams, our U14-U18, they will be looked after by Darryl Cash, who I have personally recommended for the role as the new Academy Technical Director. Vastly experienced and knowledgeable, Cashy and I have worked together since I joined the Strikers. He will lead an extraordinary team of coaches. Together, they will be able not only to continue this football journey, but also to progress the project to the next level.
I have no football plans in Melbourne yet, but I look forward to starting a new challenge very soon.
Keep up the good work Strikers! I will always keep a close eye on the club and the Academy, and on their amazing players and coaches, sure of their professional and personal success.
Wish you all the best for the future.
Nacho Ferrer
