Berger excited by challenge
New Football Federation Australia Technical Director Han Berger is excited by the challenge of taking Australian football to the next level. The Dutchman said he would have regretted not taking up this challenge, once it was offered to him.
Berger, who arrived in Sydney on Wednesday morning , told a media conference that he would have regretted not taking up this challenge, once it was offered to him.
“I am looking forward to this exciting challenge,” he said in his opening address. “I think this is a really big challenge and there is so much to do.
“Australian football is in the middle of a process and I always look for challenges and this comes into my path and I was sure that I would be sorry if I didn-t take this challenge."
Berger's appointment is for four years, taking over from Rob Baan who will finish in the role in January after two years at the helm.
He and Baan will spend the next 10 days travelling around Australia, where he will get an insight to the set up of the various State Institute programs.
Berger is already well acquainted with the Hyundai A-League, after spending a month with Queensland Roar late last year and was able to get some understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the game in Australia.
"Last year I was here for about one month," said Berger. "I did a review on Queensland Roar and was asked to do a technical report on the Roar, so I saw four or five A-League games.
"At that time I was positively surprised about the level.
"The game still has some British characteristics; strong players, high speed and physical strength. Technically and tactically, there were some things to improve.
"And that's what I understood from Pim (Verbeek) and from Rob Baan. So starting at the basics, the skills and techniques need to be looked after in the young players development."
Much of Berger-s focus will be on improving Australia's elite player pathway systems, but will also encompass increasing the levels of coaching at grassroots level in order to get the skills and techniques into the players from a young age.
“I think that-s the process that Rob Baan started and the pathway the FFA wants to go. In order to achieve that you have to start at the young ages.
“If a carpenter doesn-t have a hammer and some nails he can-t build anything,” he said. “If a player doesn-t have the skills, no system and no tactics can be successful and that-s where it-s all starting.
“So in order to move to the top level that the FFA wants to achieve; at top level games it-s all about technique and the highest pressure at the highest speed of the game. But that-s where you have to start - at the bottom and developing players that have those qualities.
“It-s a process that will take a long time, it won-t happen overnight. I don-t think it would be wise to try and change the characteristics of the Australian game, but maybe look for a little more balance.
Asked whether he would like to see an Australian take over from him when his appointment runs out in four years time, Berger was hopeful that could be achieved.
“That would be very good,” he said. “If we want to improve the talented player pathway, we have to start developing your own coaches of a high standard, so they can do the job.
“At the end of the day, it would be very good if an Australian was the national team coach or a National Technical Director and he could take over the job in a way the FFA wants him to.
"Then I think I will have done my job very well,” he concluded.